Causes of Stress

CAUSES OF STRESS

It is important that we understand the causes of stress and that ultimately we control how stress impacts our lives. We must be able to diagnose when we are stressed and what is causing the stress. The categories below can help you determine what is causing your stress.

• Time stress :: This type of stress revolves around concerns about time – most frequently the lack of time to accomplish all that needs to be done in a given timeframe. 

• Anticipatory stress :: Anticipatory stress is usually felt in conjunction with concerns about the future, anticipatory stress appears in both specific and vague manifestations.

• Situational stress :: While the two preceding forms of stress may be prolonged over a long stretch of time, situational stress tends to be sudden and overwhelming. The common thread amongst all forms of this type of stress is feeling a lack of control. 

• Encounter stress :: Encounter stress are moments of stress are likely to come out when being required to interact with a certain person or group of people

When you feel stressed or anxious, ask yourself the following questions to determine which cause of stress ::

• What is it about the situation I am in that is causing me stress?

• Why is this particular situation causing me stress?

• Is there a specific reason or person that I am stressed in this situation?

• How would I like to feel in this situation?

• Would this situation be more enjoyable at a different time or in a different space?

After answering these questions, you should be able to better diagnose what specifically is causing your stress. From there, you have to have the courage and make a commitment to take control of the situation and do what is best for you. Building these three psychological traits - commitment, control and challenge will allow you to turn the unfortunate circumstance into opportunity for growth and help decrease the physical illness. This is called hardiness.

How do you build these traits? You learn more to refocus your attention on what you can control about the situation and use the stress tool(s) that work for you to bring your stress level down and create a plan of action.

Types of Stress

TYPES OF STRESS

Two of the major forms of stress are acute and chronic stress.

• Acute stress, the most common form of stress, is short-term and stems from the demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future (APA, 2011).

• Chronic stress, a long term form of stress, derives from unending feelings of despair/hopelessness, as a result of factors such as poverty, family dysfunction, feelings of helplessness and/or traumatic early childhood experience (APA, 2011). Chronic stressors associated with health disparities include perceived discrimination, neighborhood stress, daily stress, family stress, acculturative stress, environmental stress and maternal stress (Djuric et al, 2010; NIH, 2011).

What Is Stress?

We all experience stress, but what is stress? Stress is the reaction to a person’s inability to cope with certain tense event or situation. The experience of stress is physiological and can place a demand on the body where you must adapt, cope or adjust. Stress can be healthy. Healthy stress is called eustress, positive stress that is noted by its ability to motivate, focus energy. It is short-term and perceived as within our coping abilities. It feels exciting and improves performance.

Stress is negative when it is intense and prolonged. This type of stress overwhelms the body creating serious health issues including ::

• Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders

• Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke

• Obesity and other eating disorders

• Menstrual problems

• Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual desire in both men and women

• Skin and hair problems, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss

• Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon

3 Ways to Celebrate National Girlfriends Day

Photo by filipefrazao/iStock / Getty Images

August 1 of every year marks a holiday. This is a lesser-known one that is very important to our health and well-being. What’s the holiday?

National Girlfriends Day

According to the Mayo Clinic, friendships play a significant role in promoting positive overall health. Strong friendships have reduced the risk of depression, high blood pressure, and unhealthy body mass index. Also, friendships can reduce stress by boosting your happiness, improving your self-worth, and helping you cope with traumatic events.

So, for those who have strong tribes, we need to honor them. I believe there is always a reason to celebrate the beautiful people who enrich our lives by naturally being who they are. I also don’t need a national day to do this, but I believe it can be extremely beautiful and healing to intentionally hold space at least one day a year for the women in our tribe that support us and, in their ways, make us better.

Take some time this weekend to intentionally celebrate the beauty of strong, positive, affirming, and soul-healing relationships with the women of your tribe. Here are three ideas on how you can do just that:

Idea 1:: Send a digital card

Download a Just Because digital card and shoot your besties a text with the graphic and a special note.

Idea 2 :: Sipping, Snacking & Singing

Grab your girlfriends, drink of choice, and a few of your favorite appetizers, and hit the kitchen table to talk***, laugh and share with this soundtrack as the backdrop. Filled with songs that will make you stand tall and proudly proclaim, “I Am Enough, and I am a Black woman.” Enjoy appreciating your bond and sharing your most intimate thoughts with your sista friends. This playlist celebrates the power of Black women and our friendships in honor of National Girlfriend’s Day (August 1). Curated by Brandi “Bea” Williams, co-author if I Am Enough:: 50 Affirmations for Black Women (http://bit.ly/beanbev2), and Beverlee Sanders, former partners in Bea N’ Bev.

*** You can host this party virtually by sending an invite via Zoom, asking each lady to sit at the kitchen table, and sending a menu for consideration.

Idea 3:: It’s a Photo Party

Give the women in your tribe one (or more) of these sister-friend phone wallpapers. The designs were created as reminders for you and your tribe to rest (Relax, Relate, Release); stay positive (I’m Living a Golden Life); and remind you that your tribe has your back (Soul Sisters).

• Download Relax, Relate, Release

• Download I’m Living a Golden Life

• Download You’re My Soul Sister

Idea 4 :: Dear Sister …

First, take out a pen and paper and evaluate your tribe.

• Who’s in your tribe?

• What role and purpose do they serve in your life?

• What are some of your favorite memories with this person?

• What value do they bring to your life?
  What do you see in the future for you two?

Second, write a note or record a video to the people in your tribe sharing some of the things you’ve identified about your friendship. This could be thank you for being a friend - or thank you for the memories if you find that your time with this person has expired.

Third, write yourself a note or create a video to honor the friend you’ve been to you. We always need a little positive affirmation from the number one lady in our lives - ourselves.

Whatever you decide, make sure you celebrate with your tribe. You’re blessed to have them!

3 Reasons to Add More Plants to Your Diet [RECIPES INCLUDED]

Research has shown that plant-based diets have a positive impact on your health. Incorporating more plants into your diet can ::

1. Lower bad cholesterol

2. Reduce the risk of diabetes

3. Assist with weight management

While there are benefits to increasing the amount of plants in your diet, you must choose the right fruits and vegetables for you and your family by ::

• Knowing your and your family’s food allergies and sensitives. Food allergies are easy to diagnose as your body has a very noticeable reaction to allergens. Food sensitivities are much harder to diagnose as they show up as bloating, skin irritations, headaches or fatigue. You can determine your, and your family’s, food sensitivities by taking keeping a food diary for at least a week (I recommend two weeks) and noting how you feel emotionally and physically after each meal or by taking a food sensitivity test.

• Choosing the best fruits and veggies for your health situation. There are some fruits and vegetables you should stay away from depending on your health situation. Those with autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease or leaky gut syndrome should steer clear of nightshade vegetables, which include white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.* Those with diabetes or who struggle to manage their sugar levels should manage their intake of grapes, bananas and starchy vegetables like white potatoes and corn. These are just two examples. The idea is that each person should honor their bioindividuality by knowing their body well enough to make good decisions on what foods to incorporate or not incorporate into their diet.

  *Get a full list of nightshade vegetables here.
  

• Purchasing fruits and veggies that are in season. Purchasing fruits and veggies that are in season are usually less expensive, taste better and have more nutritional value. Check out this guide to buying fruits and veggies by month.
  

Recipes:: A curated list of recipes that are plant-based, healthy and full of flavor.

• Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad (if you have an allergy to shellfish, skip the meat)

• Whole 30 Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers (consider using purple sweet potatoes and red onions for a different flavor and added nutritional beneifts)

• One Pot Spinach Rice (consider using healthier rice options like brown rice or wild rice and replacing pinto beans with your favorite beans)

• Stir-Fried Collard Greens

• Fried Purple Cabbage

• Greek Kale Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing

• Fruit and Nut Breakfast Cups

• Gran’s Granola Parfait

• Lemon Breakfast Parfait

• Sweet Broiled Grapefruit

• Blueberry Cantaloupe Salad

• 5 Breakfast Smoothies (consider adding granola, flaxseed or chia seeds to your smoothies)

Find more fruit recipes here.

Follow Friday :: Plants, Veggies and More

During this week’s Kombucha, Wine & Chill Virtual Game Night Demetria Cox, a gardner, health-eating & plant-based advocate and vegetarian chef shared tips on how to grow veggies from scraps four low-maintenance indoor plants that can improve your quality of life. See below for information on both and make sure you follow her on Instagram @deeveggiechef.

Growing Fruits and Veggies from Home

If you’ve ever been interested in growing your own food, now is a great time to start. You don’t need to run out and stock up on gardening supplies either. You can start a small in-home garden with organic scraps from your kitchen. You don’t need much - just seeds or roots from your fruits or veggies, fertilizer and a container (can be a glass or cup that you already have).

See below for links and videos to help guide you.

10 Foods that Regrow with Water

Growing from Food Scraps :: 37 Kitchen Scraps You Can Regrow

14 Store-Bought Veggies and Herbs You Can Grow at Home

Low-maintenance plants for your home

Kaizen. It’s a Japanese business approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap major improvements. When implemented, kaizen promotes small steps to improvement - like very small. Using a wellness example, someone looking to lower their A1C would first think about the change. That’s step one. Step two would be to research the things needed to make the change. You get the idea?

Using kaizen as a guide to improving your personal health, means making small changes toward that goal. Want to boost your immunity and improve your mood? Try plants. Check out the benefits of having plants in your home.

The infographic below shares information on four plants that can be used to jumpstart your wellness journey.

Testimony Tuesday :: Losing Weight Is All About You

This article was featured in the March 30 issue of The Charlotte Post

About a year and a half ago I headed to the doctor for my annual exam. I was expecting to discuss my high A1C, low iron and low Vitamin D numbers. I wasn’t expecting to get on the scale and realize I was 123 pounds. There were several problems with this:

1. I am 4’9”. I can’t stand to be much heavier or I will roll away.

2. I was the highest weight I’d ever been at in my life; and the last time I was 123 pounds, I was pregnant.

3. My doctor said I was still in normal range.

I left the doctor with a good bill of health, but I was not happy. I knew I had to do something about this growing belly fat that was contributing to my 123 pound overall weight. I immediately called a friend who directed me to take a food sensitivity test to determine what foods I should stay away from because they cause leaky gut syndrome. I took the test, got the results and continued to eat the foods.

I started working out with a trainer. I paid for this online group to create a specialized diet just for me. I had a breast reduction and began eating less meat and more live foods. I only lost three pounds.

I was devastated, but I soon found out why I wasn’t losing weight. I wasn’t honoring my body. I didn’t truly understand my body and I wasn’t listening to it as it told me what was wrong.

Losing weight is as unique to you as your fingerprint. There is no one-size-fits all diet. Each person is a unique individual with their own set of nutritional requirements that are impacted by many different things - environment, anatomy, metabolism, body composition and cell structure. The concept that one man’s food is another man’s poison is called bio-individuality. Achieving optimal health means that you have to completely understand your body and what foods are good for you and which ones are poison for you. If you want to truly lose weight and achieve optimal health you will need to:

1. Keep a food journal. Food journaling is the first step in helping you understand how your body reacts to food. Write down in your journal what you eat for 30 days - for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Take note of how your body feels, your emotions and energy levels when you eat during this time. Pay attention to any changes in your skin, hair and nails as well. Our bodies are always talking to us. We just have to pay attention to what it is telling us. Take into account any regular monthly bodily activities and note the symptoms that you have with those changes that may or may not be connected to your food.
   

2. Take a food sensitivity test. Within two weeks of starting your journaling practice, take a food sensitivity test. This is a blood test that will help you determine what foods trigger an immune reaction in your body. The food triggers are different for each person. When you eat these foods it damages the lining of your intestines, allowing food particles to get into your bloodstream, which causes inflammation in your body and can cause the body to begin to fight the food like it is bacteria or a virus. This is called leaky gut syndrome. Symptoms of leaky gut syndrome include bloating, food sensitivities, fatigue, digestive issues and skin problems. Knowing which foods trigger this response in your body can help you remove them from your diet, decreasing inflammation and the potential for an unwarranted immune response.
   

3. Evaluate your microbiome. There are good and bad bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). When the bacteria in your GI tract becomes unbalanced it can lead to chronic illness and digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Chron’s disease, colitis, diabetes, obesity and leaky gut syndrome. Getting a microbiome test will test the bacteria in your system and help determine the best way to rebalance the bacteria for optimal health. 

There are several online tests for food sensitivities and microbiome testing that can help you evaluate your microbiome, but this is best done under the care of a functional medicine doctor or nurse practitioner. They can help you evaluate the results and prescribe medical-grade probiotics or supplements. A certified health coach can also guide you through the process and make recommendations to qualified medical professionals who are committed to finding the root cause of your illness. 

The most important part of your health journey is honoring your bio-individuality by observing and listening to your body. Our bodies are always talking to us. We just have to listen to what they are saying.