MetLifeIf you pay attention to your health and learn ways to handle stress, you’ll be better prepared to handle whatever challenges and changes come your way. If you make time for exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, and do the things that make you feel good, you’ll have more energy for work and life.
Eat a healthy diet
There is no question that the foods we eat affect how we feel and look. You don’t have to follow a strict diet, but it is important to follow a healthy diet. A nutritious, well-balanced diet gives you energy, protects against disease, and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
One easy rule to follow is what some experts refer to as the “80/20 rule”: If 80 percent of what you eat is healthy — with a nutritious mix of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — then you can let yourself eat what you want for the other 20 percent. Here are more ways to improve
Try to fit in two to three nutritious snacks throughout the day in addition to well-balanced, but not overly large, main meals. This will give you energy throughout the day, even during an afternoon slump. For example, you may find that eating healthy snacks — like whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese or yogurt, hummus, peanut or almond butter, or fruits and vegetables — gives you energy throughout the day so that you don’t overeat at main meals.
Track your intake. When you keep a diet diary (whether on paper, through an app, or online), you will think twice about eating and snacking. Make yourself accountable for all that you eat.
Drink water throughout the day. Cut back or cut down on soda, coffee, and sports drinks, which are often high in sugar. Sugar and caffeine may make you feel great for a little while, but when they wear off, you may feel even worse than before consuming them. Try to keep a bottle or large glass of water at your workstation and refill it during the day. Flavor with a little lemon or lime if you don’t like plain water.
Limit or avoid alcohol. Although some research suggests that a glass of wine once a day may be good for you, the calories in alcohol add up quickly. Limit yourself to one small drink if you drink alcohol.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and include some fish into your diet. Vegetables like broccoli and tomatoes are full of antioxidants that can fight cancer, and some fish, like salmon, have Omega-3 acids that are great for your heart. Try to build fruits and vegetables into your diet every day. Snack on apples, oranges, berries, dried fruit, carrot sticks, and other fruits and vegetables.
Keep an eye on portion size. Large portions cause people to keep eating after they’re full, research has found. Using a smaller plate for meals will help to curb your food intake. Put less food on the table at mealtime so that you don’t take huge servings. Remember: a serving of meat should be the size of a deck of cards or smaller.
If junk food is your downfall, don’t buy it. Shop with a list to avoid impulsive buys. The healthiest foods are usually around the outer perimeter of the grocery store, so stay away from the aisles where the processed foods tend to be.
Stay away from snacks high in sugar or salt. If someone brings in donuts to share in the lunchroom, just don’t go near the food table. You can use the same strategy at social gatherings. Even though you may only grab a handful or two of the snacks that are out, every bite, lick, and taste will add up.
Track your intake. When you keep a diet diary (whether on paper, through an app, or online), you will think twice about eating and snacking. Make yourself accountable for all that you eat.
Get exercise
People who exercise even moderately have much lower rates of heart disease and other medical problems, and regular exercise helps to reduce stress. But exercise is often the first thing to go when schedules get busy or during difficult times. Experts recommend that adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise that makes you breathe harder on all or most days of the week.
Stretch for just a minute or two when you wake up each day. In addition to helping you ease into your day, a brief stretching routine can restore or build flexibility and energize your body.
If the thought of joining a gym or reserving half an hour every day for exercise seems impossible, try starting with small steps and building up over time. Instead of worrying about fitting 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine, focus on what you can do whenever you have 5 or 10 minutes — it will add up. Or track your steps with a pedometer or a wearable wireless activity-tracker, such as a Fitbit device. Many smartphones have apps that track your steps. Just knowing how many steps you take each day may motivate you to try to take a few more.
Here are some easy ways to build exercise into your life:
Take a short walk during breaks at work. Walking just 15 minutes a day can make a big difference in how you feel. If you have trouble breaking away from work, pair up with a co-worker to make sure neither of you misses a planned walk. Even parking farther away from your workplace will add some exercise to your life. Park at the opposite end of the grocery store lot when you have time — combined with pushing the full cart, this will help improve both strength and endurance.
Get exercise while you’re watching television. Buy a set of hand weights and exercise during commercials or do sit-ups while you’re watching TV. Get up during breaks to put in loads of laundry or take out the garbage. You’ll maximize efficiency by exercising and getting your chores done at the same time.
Turn family time into exercise time. Try exploring a local park, going for a hike or bike ride, or just walking around the block with your family instead of going to the movies or shopping. If you go to a house of worship that’s within a mile or two, walk instead of driving to services. Walk to a nearby market when you just need a few items, and use a backpack to carry the groceries home.
Stretch for just a minute or two when you wake up each day. In addition to helping you ease into your day, a brief stretching routine can restore or build flexibility and energize your body.
Consider an exercise app that makes you accountable. Look for an app that will donate money to a charity when you exercise. There are also apps where you put up a little money, and when you exercise you earn it back.
Get a good night’s sleep
When you’re well rested, everything in your life is easier. You think more clearly, feel better, look better, and have more stamina and energy. But many people don’t get the 7 to 8 hours of sleep that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for good physical and emotional health. And during times of stress, even people who usually sleep soundly may have trouble getting enough sleep. A lack of sleep — even for a few days — can leave you feeling irritable, frustrated, and forgetful. It can also raise your risk for some illnesses.
Establish a bedtime routine. Even adults need a bedtime routine. By adopting a routine and then sticking with it, you can train your mind and body to feel relaxed and ready to fall asleep when you start the routine. A bedtime routine can be as simple as listening to soft music, drinking a cup of herbal tea, or taking a bath and then turning out the lights at the same time every night. If you watch TV before bed, try not to watch programs that are violent or make you think too much, as it may then be difficult to turn off your brain.
Some sleep problems can be related to depression, anxiety, or chronic pain, all of which can be treated with professional help.
Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol after five o’clock. The effects of caffeine can last for three to four hours, and for some people, even longer. And though it may seem like alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep, an alcoholic drink before bedtime may cause you to wake up later in the night.
Keep your phone away from your bed. It is too tempting to respond to texts from friends late at night or to check email. Turn it off or use the do not disturb function. Even if you use your phone as an alarm, you can still block calls and texts but allow calls or messages from people that might have to reach you in an emergency.
Try to exercise during the day. Many people find that regular exercise helps them sleep well at night. However, exercising too late in the afternoon or evening may actually interfere with sleep.
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try not to lie in bed worrying about the fact that you can’t fall asleep. Get up and do something relaxing instead. You might try the following:
- Read something light or listen to music in another room until you feel sleepy.
- Do deep-breathing or other relaxation exercises.
- Drink a cup of hot milk — research shows that the amino acids in milk may help you get to sleep.
- Have a pad by your bed to write down what you are thinking about when you wake up. Sometimes just putting it on paper will get it out of your head so that you can sleep better.
If your sleep problems persist, you may want to talk with your health care provider. Some sleep problems can be related to depression, anxiety, or chronic pain, all of which can be treated with professional help.
Reduce stress
Stress is a normal part of life for most people. But too much of it can affect your health, the way you feel, and your ability to perform well at work and at home. That’s why it’s so important to learn ways to deal with stress.
In some cases, the best way to deal with stress is to go straight to its source. If you’ve been worrying about tackling your to-do list, you can take a minute to prioritize it. If you’re anxious about what your manager thinks of your job performance, you can ask and find out.
But all of us have to learn to live with some stress. The first step in managing stress is becoming aware of how you react to it. Once you learn how stress affects you, you can start treating it. Here are some common symptoms of stress:
- fatigue
- depression
- anger or irritability, particularly with respect to some of life’s little annoyances
- headaches or neck or back pain
- stomach pain
- changes in appetite (eating too much or too little)
- drug or alcohol abuse, or increase in use
- increase in smoking
Different techniques for dealing with stress work for different people. You may need to try several different approaches before you find one that works for you.
Learn some relaxation techniques. Deep breathing and meditation are two of the most widely used relaxation techniques. To do deep breathing, try inhaling as you count to five slowly, and exhaling as you reverse the count. It may also help to relax each part of your body in succession, starting with the right foot, right leg, right shoulder, right hand, and so on, back down the left side. You might also look into programs that teach the practice known as “mindfulness,” which can help you focus on the present instead of worrying about the future.
During times of stress, don’t be afraid to ask friends and relatives for help and support. They may not realize that you’re under a lot of stress. And they may be able to help you find solutions to some of your concerns.
Use exercise to relieve stress. The next time you feel frustrated or overwhelmed at work or home, try taking a walk or bike ride. Many people find that physical activity relieves stress.
Express your emotions. Talking with a trusted friend or writing in a journal can help you release strong feelings instead of keeping them bottled up, which can lead to more stress.
Do things that make you feel good. Whether it’s going to a movie, spending time with a relative or friend, or going for a walk, it’s important that you schedule time to do things that you enjoy and make you feel good so that you can cope with the pressures that cause you stress.
Reach out to others who care about you. During times of stress, don’t be afraid to ask friends and relatives for help and support. They may not realize that you’re under a lot of stress. And they may be able to help you find solutions to some of your concerns.
Nurture your spiritual side. Many people find strength and support through prayer, talking with clergy, or in a support group in their faith community. No matter what your belief system is, make sure that you don’t neglect your spiritual side.
Contact your health care provider or your employee assistance program (EAP) for help with stress reduction. Your health care provider and EAP have resources for reducing stress. If stress is interfering with your work, relationships, or sleep, consider talking with a therapist or counselor about how to handle the tension. A fresh perspective from someone not intimately involved in your life may help you to find other ways to cope or relieve some of the stress.
Taking care of yourself means paying attention to your physical and emotional needs. It also means learning ways to cope with feelings of stress so that you’re able to handle whatever challenges come your way with resilience and flexibility. These are all things you can start working on — today.
