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