| Managing your stress in some unhealthy ways? | | | | Old stress buster: After a fight with your |
| We've got new stress busters that really | | | | husband, you turn on the tube and zone out. |
| work. | | | | That relaxes you, all right. "It puts you in |
| | | | a stupor," says Robert Kesten, executive |
| I have close, meaningful relationships with | | | | director of the Center for Screen-Time |
| espresso brownies, cold beer, and reruns of | | | | Awareness, a Washington, D.C., non-profit. |
| The West Wing. Until recently, it hadn't | | | | That TV trance is caused in part by your |
| occurred to me that these paramours are, in | | | | falling metabolism, Kesten says, citing |
| fact, three of the major players in my | | | | studies that find watching television lowers |
| stress-management strategy. Hey, I wasn't | | | | your metabolism more than sleeping does. |
| even aware I had a stress-management | | | | |
| strategy. And this, according to the American | | | | New solutions: To release the emotional |
| Psychological Association (APA), is exactly | | | | stress of a fight, talk to a friend, write in |
| the problem. | | | | a journal, take a brisk walk, or get some |
| | | | other kind of exercise. If a mental vacation |
| "We do things to manage stress all the time," | | | | is what you're after, pick up a book to |
| says Russ Newman, PhD, APA executive director | | | | escape. Once you've regrouped, then talk to |
| for professional practice. He's not talking | | | | your husband. |
| about those folks who eat fruits and veggies, | | | | |
| exercise regularly, and log 8 hours of sleep | | | | Old stress buster: You freak out over your |
| nightly. No. He's talking about the 45 | | | | shrinking bank balance and (since you're |
| percent of Americans who, according to an APA | | | | already in debt) decide to go shopping. |
| survey, deal with stress by retiring to the | | | | Compulsive shopping regulates your mood, says |
| couch with a glass of wine, a sack of chips, | | | | James A. Roberts, PhD, a consumer-spending |
| and a pack of ciggies. | | | | researcher at Baylor University. And when |
| | | | you're focused on shopping, you're avoiding |
| Newman would like us to snap out of it. | | | | feelings of low self-worth or inadequacy. |
| Stress is leaving us exhausted, tearful, and | | | | |
| nervous. It also makes us more likely to | | | | New solutions: If you're shopping to make |
| struggle with high blood pressure, | | | | yourself feel better, avoid situations that |
| depression, anxiety, and overeating. | | | | require you to make buying decisions. Get a |
| | | | different rush: Take a hike, ride your bike, |
| So what to do? We've got a slew of strategies | | | | or go for a run to get the adrenaline |
| that'll help you get your stress in check | | | | flowing. A mental-health pro can help you |
| without doing you in. Old stress buster: | | | | deal with your behavior, too. And a credit |
| After a harried day at work, you come home | | | | counselor or financial advisor can help you |
| and start in on the French bread until you | | | | get control of your funds. |
| are in a carb-induced coma. "People tend to | | | | |
| go after carbohydrate-rich food because it | | | | Old stress buster: Since you've started |
| kicks up the neurotransmitter serotonin, | | | | caring for your elderly mom, you find |
| which has a relaxing effect on the body," | | | | yourself reaching for the menthols. "Nicotine |
| says Lisa Dorfman, RD, a spokeswoman for the | | | | briefly releases feel-good chemicals in the |
| American Dietetic Association and author of | | | | brain, including beta endorphins and |
| The Anti-Stress Diet. | | | | dopamine," says Thomas J. Glynn, PhD, |
| | | | director of cancer science and trends for the |
| New solutions: Instead of stuffing yourself | | | | American Cancer Society. |
| with that loaf of bread, take a hot bath or | | | | |
| shower to relax your muscles and mind. Or lie | | | | New solutions: Taking a brisk walk or running |
| down and breathe quietly. If you do decide to | | | | for at least 20 minutes can also trigger the |
| eat, make that decision consciously. Ask | | | | release of those feel-good endorphins. And |
| yourself: What are the consequences? The | | | | immersing yourself in meditation, prayer, |
| benefits? After answering these questions, | | | | yoga, deep breathing, and even reading can |
| "eight out of 10 times you'll skip the | | | | keep you calm. Instead of trying to puff away |
| Oreos," says University of Alabama psychology | | | | your feelings, talk to a friend or a |
| professor Beverly Thorn, PhD. | | | | counselor. |
| | | | |