Let it Flow

I had a conversation this morning with a someone I network with regularly (In the spirit of privacy, I’ll call her Sally). Last summer Sally was diagnosed with diabetes and since that diagnosis has lost 47lbs, by making major lifestyle changes including eating habits and exercise. Sally did not want to take medications to control her diabetes, she decided to take a more natural route of changing her eating habits and incorporating exercise into her daily routine.

Diet and exercise were not enough…
Sally began working with a nutritionist and she started exercising. She gets about 5 days of exercise per week which includes 4 or 5 cardio sessions and 3 strength training sessions. But even after she made those changes she noticed her sugar levels were still not where they were supposed to be. She confronted her doctor saying “I eat well, I’m exercising, I don’t understand these numbers!” Her doctor asked a lot of questions about events, work, people, activities, and how Sally was feeling about all of it. Sally’s response: “I feel stressed!” The doctor just nodded and a light bulb went on in Sally’s head. This realization about her stress was the turning point. Diet and exercise helped her shed the weight, but learning to manage her stress has been the real secret to getting her vitals and sugar levels in check.

How she did it…
In addition to the eating and exercise changes, Sally manages her stress using a variety of methods. She meditates, she’s learned to “let go” of activities and people that were stressing her and she’s learned to communicate more effectively with people around her both at home and at work. While Sally admits it’s been a challenge and doing these things isn’t always easy, she says it’s been the best thing she could have done for herself. She is still diabetes medication free. Once she started managing her stress, her sugar levels and other vitals were “in check”.

Managing stress is not a luxury
A brilliant story. It relays the exact message I want to get out to people. Living with stress, when not managed appropriately, can lead to serious illness! Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression are just a few. It’s not going away, but stress can be managed. Think about the amount of time spent at the doctor’s office due to illness (80 to 90% of doctor visits are stress related!) and think about the cost of those visits not to mention medications!

Managing stress is NOT a luxury. If you’re first question is “How much does it cost?” I ask you back “How much is your health worth to you?” Sure attending a yoga or meditation class may cost money, but that’s not the only option (though I do recommend in person instruction for anyone new to any activity!). There are low or no cost books, online resources and people to talk to who can help get you going. View my free audio and video podcasts or sign up for my free monthly newsletter containing more tips and events on managing stress for healthier living. Tell your friends, too! Stress may feel lonely, but managing it doesn’t have to be.

If you think you don’t have time, think again. You cannot be effective in your career, with your family or in your community if stress gets the best of you. It cannot be pushed aside “for later”. It doesn’t have to take a lot of money or time to manage your stress, it simply takes YOUR COMMITMENT TO YOU AND YOUR HEALTH. And look at what it’s done for Sally. It’s given her a whole new outlook on and opportunity for life!

How do you manage stress? Or do you? Is it getting the best of you? Share your ideas or comments to help others or receive help and motivation. Stay tuned for my top favorite ways to effectively manage stress. Maybe they work for you or maybe they’ll just get you thinking about other methods!

Tags: Miscellaneous Wellness, Stress //