A high stress level can quickly impede your healthy lifestyle routine.
In my practice, stress and coping are topics I regularly address. I try and help patients see the connection between their life stressors, coping skills and overall health.
The goal is to help patients cope more healthfully and keep the positive focus they need to maintain their healthy lifestyle habits.
If life stressors impair your ability to keep your healthy lifestyle focus, here are some tips to guide you:
1-De-Stress Regularly
Stress is a part of life.
But if it’s not controlled it can lead you to seek unhealthy behaviors like drinking too much alcohol, choosing unhealthy foods or being sedentary as you want nothing more than to collapse on the couch at the end of a busy day.
The following de-stressing activities can help:
- Use a meditation app regularly on your smart phone
- Talk it out with the supportive people in your life
- Get moving by taking brisk walks
- Get enough hours of restful sleep
2-Improve Your Sleep Routine
High stress levels and poor sleep habits often go together; both can negatively affect your health, well-being and body weight.
To improve your sleep, I recommend following a healthy sleep routine such as limiting screen time, and avoiding doing work and discussing anxiety-producing topics before bed.
You can search ‘sleep hygiene’ online for more tips for better sleep.
3-Hold onto Core Behaviors
In times of stress, the goal is to weather the storm by holding onto your core healthy lifestyle behaviors that are most meaningful.
Core behaviors are the most important eating, physical activity and stress management habits you follow day-to-day that keep you feeling in control of your health.
These vary from person-to-person. Some examples:
- Starting each day with a breakfast meal
- Keeping trigger foods out of the home
- Wearing an activity tracker
- Self-weighing at home on regular basis
- Using meditation app when stressed
I hope that engaging in de-stressing techniques, trying better sleep habits and holding onto your core behaviors can help keep your healthy lifestyle focus, even in times of stress.
Better self care and better health often go together.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
