Are You Addicted To Stress ? How You Can Tell & Tips That Can Help!

August 17, 2015

Are You Addicted To Stress ? How You Can Tell & Tips That Can Help!

Are you addicted to stress? That question might sound a bit strange but there is such thing as being addicted to stress. How can you tell if your addicted to stress? How does stress addiction impact your health? Most importantly what can you do about it?

How can you tell if your addicted to stress?
According to Debbie Mandel, author of “Addicted to Stress: A Woman’s 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life” if you say yes to any of these questions you are addicted to stress.
1. Do you tune out during conversations thinking about other things?
2. Do you feel rushed wherever you are because you feel that you ought to be completing the next task somewhere else?
3. Do you feel uncomfortable, worried, and nervous in your mind or body when you don’t have something you
must absolutely do right now

Some other questions you should ask yourself

•Do you often leave things until the last minute?

•Do you have a difficult time doing nothing at all?
•Does it take you a few days off to feel like you’re on vacation?
•Do you spend much of your vacation time thinking about work?
•Do you constantly worry about what you might be missing?
•Do you feel stressed when you’re disconnected to your cell phone or computer?
•Do you find it difficult to turn your brain off at night to sleep?
•Do you feel as though there is never enough time to get things done?
•Do you ever feel as though your work for the day is not enough?
•Do you lack time to see your friends or participate in hobbies you used to enjoy?
•Do you feel as though you’re constantly running from one thing to the next?
•Do you find yourself finishing, or wanting to finish, other peoples’ statements?

How does stress impact you on body, spirit, mind?

Body	Spirit	Mind
Headache Muscle tension or pain Chest pain Fatigue Change in sex drive Stomach upset Sleep problems	Anxiety Restlessness Lack of motivation or focus Irritability or anger Sadness or depression	Overeating or undereating Angry outbursts Drug or alcohol abuse Tobacco use Social withdrawal

What can you do to fortify your body against stress and break the addiction?
There are many things you can do to help body, spirit and mind to stay well even during stress.

Exercise - yoga, ti chi, walking, any low impact activity is beneficial when fortifying the body against stress. According to Lindsey Sherry, Nutritionist and Certified Holistic Practitioner we need to be careful not to do real vigorous exercise because it can cause adrenaline spikes which can eventually cause another addiction - addiction to exercise.
Healthy Foods - eat foods that will not cause inflammation (inflammation occurs during a lot of stress and the increase in inflammation can cause auto-immune diseases) such as fatty fish(salmon,tuna, mackerel), whole grains, (as opposed to refined sugar), dark leafy green vegetables, nuts, soy, low-fat dairy yogurt, bell peppers, tomatoes, beets, berries, ginger & turmeric, tart cherries, garlic and onion, olive oil. Decrease or totally eliminate foods with sugar to reduce inflammation.
Alternative Relaxation Techniques - meditation, aromatherapy (essential oils), breathing exercises
Disconnect - allow yourself to disconnect from your cell, the internet, the computer, and social media in other words do a digital detox!
Set Boundaries - set a time when you are done with work, done with a project, or perhaps will no longer take calls or texts from family and friends.