Life, stress, highs and lows... balancing it all!
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor, and I am not claiming I am an expert on the topic of stress. I am writing this article based on a mix of personal knowledge, experience, and research. Please consult with your own doctor before taking any decisions, starting anything new, or changing your lifestyle in anyway!
No matter how old you are, I'm sure you've all experienced some kind of stress at some point in your life. It's completely normal! Balancing work, school, family, friends, social obligations, hobbies and everything else you want to find time for can be overwhelming at times, and while it's certainly not abnormal to feel this way sometimes, it's important to know how to deal with stress in a healthy way!
stress
/stres/
a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.
Making sure to deal with stress is important not just psychologically, but also for your physical well-being. Stress affects the body, thoughts, feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize your personal symptoms is advantageous in order to combat them as soon as possible. Prolonged stress can contribute to health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure, just to name a few!
So what are some common symptoms of stress?
headaches
pain
fatigue
chest pain
irritability
palpitations
burnout
etc.!
As you can see, stress can manifest in a wide range of symptoms that depends on the individual person. Spending on your body, different people show stress in different ways.
Stress can be brought on by feeling overwhelmed from the simplest reasons to having too many things on your plate. It's crucial to know how to balance yourself and employ healthy ways to release any stress or feelings of discomfort.
As a college student, I have a crazy schedule between trying to balance school, extracurricular activities, my advocacy work, volunteering, family and friend time, and making sure I have some personal time to myself! I find the following methods the most helpful when I feel I need to take it slow or give myself some time to relax from the events I have to do every day! Hopefully they give you an idea of how to better balance your own stress too! :)
Things I do to find inner balance:
Exercising/yoga
Walking on the beach and watching the sunset (MY FAVORITE!)
Going on a walk outside my neighborhood
Adult coloring books (Amazon has the best ones and they're super relaxing!)
Walking/playing with my dog
Reading my favorite book
Writing
Getting a new blog post idea up!
Listening to my favorite music
Dancing!!!
Watching a funny video or an episode of my favorite show (Grey's Anatomy, duh)
Breathing exercises/meditation
BUT... living with diabetes can also be frustrating from time to time, let's be honest! The highs and lows, quite literally, can be annoying and can be brought on by stress itself. So it's like ONE. BIG. NEVER. ENDING. CIRCLE!!!! *sigh*
That's why I really make sure to NOT get stressed! It's bad enough for anyone and everyone, but it can also elevate your blood sugars, and ain't no one got time for that! Also... um I'm really not interested in elevating that A1C, ya feel?
So, it's important that during times of stress, not only should you make sure to do the above exercises that suit you the best, but to monitor your blood sugars closely, give the correct doses of insulin according to the plan you and your endocrinologist have agreed on, and to make sure you eat right.
I grew up in a family that really values healthy eating, so making sure I get my needed values of nutrition in is second nature. However, during times of midterms and finals I make it a priority to get a lot of greens, proteins, healthy fats, and fish in my diet. I also try to decrease my caffeine intake during these times, and definitely GET ENOUGH SLEEP. That is truly crucial! If you don't have enough energy to get you through the day, then how are you going to preform at your best?!
The above help me balance and decrease feelings of stress during overwhelming times! What are some ways you like to balance your crazy schedules? Comment them below and let me know what you like to do the most!
Until next time Champions!
Love,
Basma