Stress is the root of weight loss challenges.
Stress is inherited. Stress is inherent. Stress is lethal.
Stress is ageless – it can impact babies to 103-year-olds.
Stress can be tamed. You, too, can find simple ways to reign in the stress.
So, why is it so many of us don’t spend the energy we have on all other areas of our wellness like we do everything involved in our fitness and diet? Is it because some of us are in denial? Or is it that since you cannot see the damage stress is doing to your brain and your body, you don’t really know what it’s doing?
Finding stress resilience is possible. Ask four of our amazing Alexandria Wellness (AW) clients! Below are the strategies used by four AW clients. They range from 48 to 73 years old. (I’ve elected to keep their names anonymous, yet these are their real stories.)
All four admitted stress was the heart of the reasons they…
- Didn’t sleep well
- Lacked energy for exercise
- Snapped at others around them and/or spoke down to themselves more often than they wanted to admit
- Used food as a reward or denied themselves while counting calories
- Bounced from one fad diet to another exercise trend repeatedly
- Couldn’t find their anchor in their wellness
“Janet” 52 Years old
Janet has a highly successful career, two kids at home, and an active social and faith life. She struggled for years with her health with multiple injuries, lacked confidence with her body, and yes, was always on a diet. What does her stress have to do with any of this?
A lot.
Janet will tell you it is what has made her life easier. She is stronger, happier, and focuses on what is important – not what’s popular or the latest trend.
How did she do it?
- She shrunk her “To-Do” list ten-fold. When we first met, her To-Do list was the length of an 8.5×11 piece of paper long. Now, she focuses on the top 5 things she wants to accomplish each day.
- She has found her six-day each-week exercise to be a mainstay of her morning routine. Exercise is a huge stress reliever she claims she can’t live without.
“Alana” 48 years old
Alana, like Janet and Candice, works in professions that ask a lot from them. Client calls, last-minute (unanticipated) deadlines, and family demands are part of their everyday lives. With two kids at home, she is “on the go” most days.
Alana has found a new perspective in her relationship with stress. Most things, she admits, aren’t worth the cortisol spike that she knows can lead to carb cravings.
How did she do it?
- She stops to “square breathe” intentionally not only when the onset of stress is imminent yet also at certain times of the day.
- She gets in at least two walks per week with a friend. They serve four-plus purposes: she connects with friends, she gets in her Vitamin D, stress resilience from the walk, and she doubles her exercise for that day!
“Candice” 60 years old
Candice is a high-ranking executive who has given stress a powerful punch. She has gained mindfulness and listens to her body when it is trying to tell her something.
Candice has learned the power of the “pause” and how lingering stress could have held her back – before – from reaching serious wellness gains. Well, no more!
How did she do it?
- She credits sleep as her top hack. She realizes when she doesn’t get her sleep, many other “strengths” of which she can typically boast are almost impossible. In her own words, she says, “If I’m rested, I am able to react proactively and appropriately.”
- If there is work stress, she maps out the path to success on paper. By visualizing all of the steps, she finds her stress begins to dissipate.
- I can’t help yet share “Candice’s” third: mindfulness. She has realized so much of her stress is self-inflicted and is so in tune with her “stories” in her head. She says, when stressed, I try to understand and see why I am feeling stressed (and this helps a lot).”
“Regina” 73 years old
Regina was so pleased I am writing this story. She feels like we need to talk more about stress. She believes we all need to realize we are not alone in our worlds of stress.
Regina is a former executive with a very large organization. She credits much of her stress tolerance successes on that ability to slow down and use humor to gain perspective.
How did she do it?
- When we met several years ago in the context of concierge wellness, Regina began to think seriously about meditation and the benefits it may bring to her. Now she says meditation, the act of slowing down and breathing consciously and aiming to live just in the moment, are key components of her practice.
- Regina believes in our AW approach of creating small habits – or taking small steps – and even better – celebrating those accomplishments have helped her enormously.
You, too, can gain the perspective, the ability to reduce your stress and live that wellness-centric lifestyle. Sign up below for my newsletter or contact us about how we can help you or your organization and team at contact@adriencotton.com.
