By Kathy Turner
Big Country Master Gardener
It’s a busy time of the year! Holidays, Family, Deadlines, Changes, New Beginnings – just one of these events can cause a lot of stress, but in most cases, you likely have at least 2 or maybe 3 events happening at the same time. How can you safely manage most everything being thrown at you and still say sane and healthy?
Not all stress is bad! Stress is a natural reaction your body has when changes and challenges occur. Everyone experiences stress; it’s just part of life. But, the positive thing is recognizing it for what it is, and looking for ways to help you through it.
There are three main types of stress:
- Acute Stress: Acute stress is short-term stress that comes and goes quickly. It can be positive or negative. It’s the feeling you get when you’re riding on a rollercoaster, or having an argument. Everyone experiences acute stress from time to time.
- Episodic Acute Stress: Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress on a regular basis. With this kind of stress, you don’t ever get the time you need to return to a calm, relaxed state. Episodic stress frequently affects people working in certain professions, like healthcare providers.
- Chronic Stress: Chronic stress is long-term stress that goes on for weeks or months. You may experience chronic stress due to marriage troubles, issues at work or financial problems. It’s important to manage this type of stress as it can lead to health issues, such as mental health difficulties including anxiety and depression, and physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Increased stress levels can also interfere with your ability to deal with physical illness, making it harder to recover from minor issues.
The tips below can most likely help with Acute and Episodic Stress. If you are experiencing Chronic Stress, these tips will probably not hurt, but I would encourage you to seek professional help to identify causes and solutions. As indicated Chronic Stress can lead to serious health issues, leaving some individuals with long term effects including life-altering disabilities.
Tips: Taking care of ourselves allows us to take care of others including family, friends, co-workers, customers in the work place and more. So that we can continue to take care of ‘us’, we need to have ways to reduce our stress. Most of us already have ways to deal with stress, but here are a few tips that may add to your arsenal of tricks!
- Eat and Drink to optimize your health. Eating poorly or drinking alcohol may seem to help at the moment, but may add to your stress in the long run. Caffeine and sugar can compound the effects of stress as well as impact your quality of sleep. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and consider some healthy stress-reducing foods such as avocados, dark chocolate, spinach and almonds.
- Exercise regularly. When we are stressed, finding time for us is often the last item on the list. Make it a priority to do something every day that helps loosen you up, even if it’s just 5 minutes of stretching. Then work on expanding that routine to include additional activities. Exercise has been shown to be a natural stress reliever!
- Focus on sleep. We all know it – quality sleep is very important! It becomes a vicious cycle when stress interferes with sleep; then you have more stress due to being tired. Try to schedule your bedtime and make it a priority to keep on schedule.
- Reduce the triggers of stress. Recognize that not all stress can be reduced or eliminated; however, look for ways to streamline schedules or manage the situation so stress is limited. If you are a procrastinator, and I speak from experience here, this can be a big stress factor in your life. Managing your time is a great way to eliminate stress in your day.
- Spend time outside. Normally, as kids, we can’t play outside enough. Somewhere along the way we became more inclined to stay inside. Walk around your neighborhood or in a local park where you can take in the sounds of nature — birds chirping, leaves rustling, kids playing. Take time to smell the flowers – it can change your day! Dig in the dirt! Playing in the dirt is my go-to when I am feeling down. Did you know that there’s a natural antidepressant in soil? It’s called Mycobacterium vaccae, and it can work wonders on your mood and overall well-being. This miraculous substance has been found to have a similar effect on the brain as Prozac but without any of the harmful side effects or risk of dependency.
- Take a break from your phone. Ahhh, this is a hard one for most, me included. Our phones are so integrated into our lives now we are lost without them. My phone is set to go to ‘sleep’ at a certain time each night, and wake up at a specific time every morning. This means I have no alerts to phone calls, texts, etc. for a 10-hour period, unless I pick it up. We can become a slave to our phone if we allow – take back control and give yourself a break from your phone.
- Listen to music. Music can be a great stress reliever! Listen to your favorite tunes and relax!
- Cuddle with a pet. A lot of pets are very willing to hang out in your lap, or beside you, for hours – they definitely know how to chill out! Pets can also help with spending time outside with walks and potty breaks!
If stress has you feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a friend, your family, or even your boss! Remember, we do not have to walk this life alone. Big Country Master Gardeners wishes you and your family a safe and happy Holiday Season!
If you have any questions about gardening and plants, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com. We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube. We are here to help you.
