1 Simple CHANGE to lower stress!
“I’ve been really busy,” said a CEO to me this morning. I say: “Explain!”
What’s the number one health hack?
If you could only optimize ONE thing at a time to make yourself healthier, what would it be?
► A. Eat more vegetables
► B. Reduce/eliminate processed foods
► C. Get 30+ minutes of daily physical activity
There are no wrong answers: A, B, and C are all good choices.
But I’ll add another option – one that is much more POWERFUL than all of these combined:
► D. Reduce stress
Here’s why:
People often overeat because of… stress.
They skip exercise because of… stress.
They drink too much alcohol because of… stress.
And they don’t cook healthy meals or get enough sleep because of… stress.
Sound familiar?
If you truly want to implement A, B, or C, it’s ESSENTIAL to address D – especially when it comes to behaviors that are lasting.
Moreover, because of your physiological health, research shows that stress has (very) negative effects on your:
- Hormones (diabetes, thyroid)
- Memory (dementia)
- Cognition (ADHD, bipolar)
- Heart and blood vessels (heart attack, infarction, high blood pressure)
- Immunity (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, hay fever, food allergies)
- Digestion (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome)
->>> Do you know someone with these diseases?
I can’t afford not to solve this with you. But I can’t do it for you either.
It’s not about eliminating your stressors altogether.
I help you to reduce your perception of stress – by helping you transform your mindset, improve your coping skills and recovery activities, and become more resilient.
This really works!
You can start now:
► Make a list of common stressors and what you can learn from them.
(For example, a relational stressor can help you communicate better.)
► Imagine the top three stressors you think you’ll deal with in the next month.
Then consider how you might tackle them and learn from them.
► Spend five minutes writing down what was most stressful for you in the past week and the positives that came from that stress (no matter how small).
My clients who did this had a better attitude towards stress right after the exercise and two weeks later (and they were more productive).
That’s just one quick strategy you can try.
I have more. Much more!
