Managing Stress

Do you ever feel this way?

I know I do!

We all have busy lives and with that can come stress. Now some stress can be good for you - it keeps you alert and protects you from danger. I'm sure you have heard of "fight-or-flight."

Stress hormones and the action of the sympathetic nervous system prepare your body for vigorous muscular activity as follows:

So, what if you are not in a situation in which it's OK to suddenly get up and run a four-minute mile round the block?

Well, that's when various unpleasant effects may set in, such as throbbing headaches, irritability, tense neck and shoulders, dried up mouth and butterflies in the stomach. Sound familiar? Most people experience this sort of stress sometimes.

Now prolonged stress has been linked to many disorders, mentally and physically. This can even effect your immune system.

What we want to do is find ways to manage our stress so we do not deal with these effects listed above.

The reason I'm even talking about this is because I've dealt with an increased amount of stress in my life since having my daughter almost 6 years ago. Well it actually began when I went in for my 17 week ultrasound and found out she had 5 congenital heart defects. At that moment, life changed forever. When she was born I was the most stressed out I've ever been. At 5 weeks of age we found out she was also born with a genetic disorder called DiGeorge Syndrome. I had never dealt with this level of stress before and did not know how to manage it. I began to eat and instead of working off the baby fat I just packed more on. My depression and anxiety was in full swing by this time. 

Now I stayed on this path for about a year and then try to start working out a bit. But the problem was I wasn't really changing my habits, which made it easier to fall back into them again. I yo-yo'd with my weight for a few months until I just gave up completely.

Having a special needs child can be very difficult and rewarding at the same time. Being the primary caregiver can be taxing on you. You are more concerned with the health and well-being of your child then you are yourself.  When I had my son my life just got busier and more demanding. On top of it all I decided to start back to school! The same bad habits returned and I began to pack on the weight. I was unhappy with my body but was not doing anything to change.

Fast forward to Feb 2012 and my life changed again. I decided it was time I start working on ME! My initial goal was to just lose some weight to feel comfortable. I did that and began working on my diet. Now I'm still dealing with the same amount of stress but it's not as taxing as it used to be. I would get unwanted news about my daughters health and instead of turning to food I would put my tennis shoes on and PRESS PLAY!!!

See this is the moment when all those stress hormones are running through your blood stream waiting for you to take action in a "fight-or-flight" response. Since there is no such situation I decide to use that to my advantage and get a work out in. I am now using the stress hormones to my advantage instead of against me. Then when my workout is done I am feeling less stressed and able to handle the situation better. Stress will always happen but learning how to manage it is key. This is what is working for me!

Families of children with special needs just have to learn to work harder to keep that balance in life. We have learned some hard lessons and the challenges continue to come. Incorporating a healthy lifestyle is important even more so because of the demands that are placed on us. Next time you are dealing with a stressful situation I hope you think of this post and get moving!