Minor stressful events or what we consider to be the normal daily stressors we experience. Getting to work or school on time, routine medical visits, stuck in traffic, etc.
Negative, uncontrollable, ambiguous, & overwhelming events. These are also normal but can be different per individual in their life span. For example, relationship conflicts, loss of a job, major illness diagnosis, natural disasters, death of important people.
Positive, controllable, clear-cut, & manageable events. Yep, normal & can be different for each and every one of us. These could include events such as receiving a promotion, adding your children’s sports schedule to your calendar, being invited to a wedding across the country, or buying a house.
Let’s also throw into the mix some workplace stress. Events like working short staffed, having work overload, or even unemployment.
When thinking about all the different stressors in life, it’s no wonder that we can quickly feel our confidence shaken or our routine interrupted. Often when life gets ‘real’ our mental health and our physical health are both trying to protect us from the disparities stress can cause… but they are not always on the same page.
Our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are activated, our minds try to keep up with everything that is going on and keeps us on auto pilot. We can forget to eat, or we over-eat, or make poor nutrition choices. We can experience trouble sleeping. And often our wellness routines like exercise or relaxation rituals are the first to be sacrificed in times of stress. Our bodies are built to survive so it will utilize energy stores from our systems to ensure we are functioning as normally as possible. What this stress is doing in the background though is not beneficial for our bodies or beneficial for our mental health.
We experience SAM (sympathetic adrenomedullary) system implications, HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical) axis activation when stressors are not managed appropriately. This can all lead to allostatic load. Neuroscientist Bruce McEwen defined allostatic load as the physiological costs of chronic exposure to the physiological changes that result from repeated or chronic stress. Our physical responses to this allostatic load include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and immune markers, interrupted or poor sleep, inflammation, and slow immune response. We know that this is the perfect environment for the disease process to be encouraged.
So, now that I went all ‘Ms. Frizzle’ on you and took you on an adult ‘Magic School Bus’ ride let me tell you about what you can do to support your mental and physical health from all these stressors.
Creating positive habits that work for you and your life are the key to preventing the negative outcomes of stress. By adopting positive habits, you build up your immune system, improve your immune responses, and can prepare your systems to appropriately handle stressors when they occur.
One of the most important positive habits you can incorporate is balanced nutrition. Incorporating balanced nutrition into your daily life can directly support the modulation of the SAM, HPA, and allostatic load.
Increasing the quantity and variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes, omega-3 fatty foods, whole grains and vitamin C. Reducing, not eliminating, your intake of foods that are high in saturated fat, added salt, or added sugar.
Other ways to support those positive nutrition habits include eating slower without interruption, sharing meals with others, & incorporating seasonal produce when available.
The best time to make these investments into changing your habits is before you are faced with the negative aftermath of chronic repeated stress. But even if you’ve already experienced those effects you are not too far gone.
If making a change sounds like just another stressor to you, I see you. One small change is enough. It’s ok to build habits slowly. If you don’t know where to begin, I see you.
I encourage you to reach out to a registered dietitian or mental health professional to work with you on building your individual plan towards making positive habit change.
You are worthy of an abundantly tasty life & the ability to manage your stressors.
コメント