Health Watch
Let go of stress
Aruna Rathod
Learn to recognise the symptoms and then work at finding solutions to
deal with them.
Mala's day began at 6.00 a.m. After supervising the maids, she would
get her son ready for school and leave for work. As an ad manager, her
day involved meetings and setting new targets. She ended up working 16
hours a day with endless cups of tea, a sandwich at lunch and be
exhausted by the time she got home. Dinner was a bowl of soup from a
packet. Is Mala's life heading towards a disaster?
Stress comes in many forms |
Yes, says fitness expert Deanne Panday. “She is heading towards
stress and related problems.” In her recently-published book I'm not
Stressed, Pandey shares secrets on how to tackle stress. She tells you
what stress really means, how to know when you have a serious case of it
and, most importantly, how to deal with it through a simple plan of
diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, and breathing. “We need to get eight
hours of sleep, eight hours of recreation and eight hours of work. When
even one is tilted, problems can occur,” she adds.
Listen to your body
How does one realise if one is stressed? Panday explains, “You must
learn to listen to your body. Lower back pain, loss of appetite,
insomnia, bone aches, headaches are physical symptoms. Getting angry
more often is also a sign of stress.” In his foreword to Panday's book,
actor Shah Rukh Khan says, “Stress is the inability to deal with too
many things at the same time.” King Khan has devised his own way of
dealing with it. “The best stress buster is to play it down, whether
through a game, a workout, football or hockey. Instead of the work I'm
supposed to do, I go out and play with the kids or have a game of
football.”
Overwork leads to stress so the first step is to watch for the signs
of being overworked. Psychologist Salma Prabhu says, “The first sign is
lack of sleep followed by not finishing work on time and then errors.
All this causes acidity and headaches, minor initially but later leading
to heart disease and blood pressure. Loss of appetite or binge eating is
another symptom. So are skin ailments like psoriasis, depression and
anxiety.”
So how does one let go and avoid stress? First identify the triggers
and set them right. “For instance, if the stress is due to work
pressure, then one needs to identify whether it is a bad boss, time
management issues or lack of capability. Then monitor and seek help to
cope. Systematic desensitisation is a technique used for phobias and
anxiety. The anxiety level in stress is very high. So the patient is
asked to relive a situation in the mind and then led through progressive
muscular relaxation. He/she learns to relax and cope with a stressful
thought or situation. Letting go of stress is not easy. Some individuals
who have personality disorders like OCD are perfectionists and not only
experience stress themselves but also are the cause of stress in
others.”
Seek a solution
Not many realise how eating patterns change when one is stressed.
Dietician and nutritionist Dr Sujata Udeshi says, “Stress comes in many
forms so one can beat it with diet. The best choices are foods rich in
anti-oxidants like fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy oils and grains.
Include plenty of green vegetables and yellow orange fruits. A fistful
of nuts is another good option. Whole grains and pulses are a must but
those with weak digestion must avoid them. Say no to oily and fried food
and fermented and processed foods.”
Prabhu advises, “Ideally don't wait for the stress to build up to a
level where one has to cope. When one has a passion and is pursuing it,
that itself is an inbuilt coping mechanism. Every individual has his/her
own coping mechanism. Some work out, some listen to music, while others
just chat.”
-The Hindu
Your health during pregnancy
K M Prabhath Madhuranga Bandara Kulathunga
Continued from January 30
Sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D. And also you can get
vitamin D through fortified soy milk and cereals. Vitamin B 12 you can
get by eating fortified cereals, soy milk and veggie soy meats.
Protein need is about 30% higher in vegetarians than non-vegetarians.
If you are a vegetarian you should include a variety of plant sources of
protein to your diet daily. You can include legumes (such as lentils,
chickpeas, black eyed peas, black beans and lima beans) and grains (such
as corn, rice, bulgur and barely) to get more protein. Soy also contains
high quality protein.
Do you have any health problems like nausea and vomiting,
constipation, heartburn, hemorrhoids and cravings after you get
pregnant? Do not worry. These are some common problems that most of
pregnant women should have to face. But there are some solutions to
avoid these uncomfortable situations.
To avoid nausea and vomiting you can eat crackers or toasted slice of
bread before getting up from the bed in the morning. And also eat five
or six small meals per day. Drink fluids like soups between meals and
avoid greasy and fried foods and other foods that upset your stomach. |