Dealing With Stress, What’s Your Best Method?

February 4, 2024February 11, 2024 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

What’s your tried and true method for dealing with stress? Experts have their opinions and advice of course but many of them are not that easy to follow.

With the costs of just about everything soaring, most of us have financial stress of some sort these days. If not our own financial woes, then that of our children, or grandchildren, which in turn causes stress for us. Stress can be a vicious circle but for optimal health, it should be managed.

Exercise Reduces Stress

One of the things that experts advise those dealing with stress is exercise. This one I can get behind as I do find there is nothing like a good long, fast-paced walk, especially when the sun is shining, to rewire my brain. The good news here is that you don’t have to belong to a fancy gym to get the required exercise. This is especially significant in light of the fact that financial issues are at the top of most peoples’ stressful list these days.

Achieving Financial Responsibility

Easier said than done, I know, but sometimes a simple spreadsheet works wonders for sorting out what is coming in and what is going out each month. Obviously, if you are spending more than you are making, you have a problem. Especially if this is going on every month with no “end of the tunnel” in sight. It’s called living a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget, or, more simply, living beyond your means. This practice is non-sustainable, irresponsible, and very unhealthy.

I know I’m a bit of an Excel junkie but a piece of paper with two columns works just fine. Start by deciding which are necessary expenditures (like mortgage, taxes, utility bills, car payments, insurance.) Then the “nice to have” expenditures such sports programs, gym memberships, fast food and entertainment costs. Depending on how much bigger your expenditures are than your income, you then must decide which costs you can live without. Just performing this simple exercise is a way of dealing with stress.

The trick is sticking with your decisions! It’s not advised to cut out all the fun/frivolous stuff in your life but cut back on them. For example, instead of spending $100 per week (I’m just using hypothetical numbers here) on fast food (coffee, lunches, etc.), budget for $100 per month. You just shaved off $300 per month!

Cleaning Works for Me When Dealing With Stress

For some reason, I start cleaning like crazy when I ‘m stressed. Things that don’t get done every day, like the inside of the refrigerator, closets, etc. The sense of satisfaction when I’m done helps calm me down. Why I don’t know but it does.

Music and Dancing Are Both Great Stress Busters

Often I see people walking with earplugs in and assume they are listening to music as they walk. That’s a great idea, my hubby does that when I’m not walking with him, he says it makes the walk go by faster.

I like to turn up the volume on my Amazon music (free with Prime membership) playlist when I clean.

Laugh More

I know you might think there’s not much to laugh about in your life when you are stressed out but find a way. Whether it’s hanging out with your grandchildren (mine always make me laugh) or watching a funny movie, laughter helps when dealing with stress. That’s because a good laugh boosts the immune system which in turn battles stress hormones.

Gardening or Getting Out in Nature Work Great Too

I love gardening, so it is a form of stress relief for me. Some people may find it stressful though, and that’s ok. Getting out in nature is a great alternative if gardening stresses you out.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve noticed that these suggestions for dealing with stress are all easy and inexpensive (free) to do. Find your own favourite method and get moving, your health depends on it.

Feature Photo: pexels-photo-626165.jpeg

Pandemic Takeaways, There are a Few

January 31, 2022August 4, 2022 ~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

Believe it or not, there are a few pandemic takeaways to learn from.

Humans are Meant to Socialize

Mankind is meant to be sociable. Many experts believe social interaction is important for mental health, starting at a very early age. Just how sociable you (or your children) are is up to you of course, usually. Not so when forced to practice social distancing, isolation, or quarantine.

We were able to keep in touch with each other during the height of the pandemic through social media. Used exclusively to communicate though, social media can have a dark side. I saw lots of kind, considerate and compassionate stuff posted, but sadly lots of negativity and ugliness too.

The pandemic takeaway here is that we should strive to be kind instead of mean or judgmental. Looking after each other is especially crucial during hard times.

Staying Home When Sick

In a perfect world, everyone would stay home when they are sick, and keep their sick kids home too. However, with economies tanking and inflation rates increasing, more and more families rely on two salaries to survive. To compensate, employers would have to step up and agree to pay their employees to stay home when they or their kids are sick.

Working From Home

Working from home started out as non-negotiable for many early on during the pandemic. Almost two years in, working from home has gained momentum in both popularity and convenience. I know several people that are thriving while working from home, others not so much.

For some, the convenience and flexibility outweigh the lack of personal interaction with co-workers. For others though, social isolation is painful.

The pandemic takeaway? If the work from home option is still available, do whatever works best for you and your family.

Personal Hygiene

Like we learned way back in kindergarten, we need to wash our hands frequently. While hand sanitizer was worshipped early on in the pandemic, we know now that simple soap and water hand washing is sufficient to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

If you didn’t before, one of the most crucial pandemic takeaways is that you should wash your hands after:

blowing your own nose or wiping a child’s nose
sneezing into a tissue
changing a diaper
returning home from a public place (stores, gas stations, restaurants etc)

Maintaining a Healthy Immune System

This pandemic takeaway is how important our immune systems are in the fight against disease, including the lingering Covid virus. Stress-free living, fresh air, sunshine, healthy eating, and frequent exercise top of the list of ways to keep our immune systems functioning well.

Discover Local Outdoor Activities

Early on in the pandemic, I found myself researching outdoor places to take my grandchildren to. I discovered that Ottawa has an amazingly large number of options. As the nation’s capital, we are fortunate to have the NCC (National Capital Commission) maintaining many parks and trails, both in winter and summer.

Mud Lake was a favourite place for my grandson and me to visit during the summer. Although we visited Shirley’s Bay in the summer too, we have since discovered the ice fishing opportunity there this winter.

pandemic takeaways, fresh air and sunshine — “ice fishing is more fun than sun fishing”

Me, a Hair Stylist?

It has been almost two years now since my husband or I have been to a hair stylist to get our hair cut. I have been cutting (some might say hacking at) both of our hair. Hubby’s hair is pin straight, so very unforgiving, and he is much more particular than I am. As a result, his takes much longer to cut. Mine is slightly wavy; much easier to hide the mistakes. The cuts may not look professional, but who cares? I don’t.

I have also given up colouring my hair. I actually made that decision prior to the pandemic onset, with no regrets. The white colour may make me look older but I love the freedom. Not to mention the lack of white roots that would crop up a mere one week after colouring my hair.

Summary of Pandemic Takeaways

Many of these are my personal takes. Hopefully, you have some pandemic takeaways of your own. Learn from and maintain the positive ones; move on from or fix the negative ones.

Stress and Laughter and the Immune System

How Stress and Laughter Affect the Immune System

November 8, 2021September 5, 2022 ~ Loreeebee ~ 6 Comments

One minute of anger, stress, or anxiety weakens the immune system for four to five hours, while one minute of laughter boosts the immune system for over twenty-four hours. I’ve read these profound statements in several different places recently. I believe scientists are on to something. When chatting with a friend recently, I was reminded that anger causes stress. That conversation provided inspiration for this post. Read on to see how stress and laughter affect the immune system.

How the Immune System Works

Better Health Channel explains the immune system as follows:

The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins that defends the body against infection.
The immune system keeps a record of every germ (microbe) it has ever defeated so it can recognize and destroy the microbe quickly if it enters the body again.
Abnormalities of the immune system can lead to allergic diseases, immunodeficiencies, and autoimmune disorders.

For those reasons, it is important to keep our immune systems at peak performance.

Why Anger and Stress Are Unhealthy

Think about it for a minute. When something or someone angers you, your blood pressure rises, your heart races, and you get a sick feeling in your stomach. I know I do. But did you realize that the sick feeling you get can manifest into something more sinister if it persists?

The sick feeling resulting from anger or stress spreads throughout the body, wreaking havoc on all organs. It has been scientifically proven that stress has been linked to many health conditions and disease states.

Why Laughter is Healthy

Conversely, after a good laugh, you feel great and stress or tension is relieved. This improves your mood, your outlook, and even your physical appearance! Check out a previous article listing the specific scientific benefits of laughter.

Laughter is contagious as well. Difficult or awkward conversations or situations can be diffused with some levity.

Have you ever noticed that some people giggle or laugh awkwardly when stressed? It may appear that their laughter is insensitive or inappropriate, but alternatively, most likely their way of trying to diffuse the stress or awkwardness. I am one of those non-confrontational people that prefer to diffuse rather than fuel a volatile reaction.

Replacing Anger and Stress in Your Life

If you find yourself in any situation that evokes prolonged and unresolvable anger, angst, tension, stress, or sadness, move on and let it go before you cause any permanent damage to your health

Personal relationships are trickier to remove yourself from, especially the long-term ones. The process is much easier said than done, with lots of complications. Professional counseling, however, will most likely encourage extrication from these relationships and offer detailed steps on how to do so.

The Covid pandemic has resulted in a major increase in mental health issues. Fortunately, awareness of these issues and support for those affected have increased as well. Many governments are now willing to spend money on mental health programs, including online options.

Conclusions

Stress and laughter both affect the immune system. Stress impairs it while laughter improves it. In other words, aim for more laughter and less stress in your life for maximum health beneffits.

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