Who isn’t stressed these days? Jobs are uncertain, so finances are uncertain as well. Homes are foreclosing left and right. Even if you aren’t experiencing this first-hand, you can’t help but hear about it every time you open a newspaper, turn on a computer or television or just walk out your front door.
You’re stressed. So how do you cope with it? Going to the gym a lot? Happy hour with your friends? Yoga and meditation? All of the above are great suggestions, but there is much more to dealing with stress than taking a few deep breaths and posting a frustrated Facebook status now and then. Our bodies are complicated, intricate creations and our responses to the physical and mental responses to stress are equally as complicated. Coping with stress takes a carefully thought-out plan.
This may sound intimidating, but don’t close your browser yet. Instead, click on the link to So Stressed: The Ultimate Stress-Relief Plan for Women and order yourself a copy. Written by Stephanie McClellan and Beth Hamilton, doctors with specialties in gynecology, So Stressed offers a thoughtful, easy-to-understand explanation of how stress affects your health and what you can do to change your situation and improve your mental and physical well-being.
Commonly thought of as a strictly mental problem, stress plagues almost every woman in the world, even if she doesn’t want to admit it – and that is the first thing the authors approach in their book. They acknowledge that stress happens, and they acknowledge it without shame or scolding. Instead of saying something along the lines of, “Don’t be stressed,” they take the approach that stress is inevitable and women need to know how to cope with it. They also acknowledge the large gap that exists between the current health care system and the needs of individualized care for women, stating bluntly that women are stretched too thin and our biology has not changed to accommodate the new demands of women in today’s world.
McClellan and Hamilton explain the physical and scientific ways that stress affects physical health, emphasizing how women release more of the chemical triggers for stress, and these hormones remain longer in a woman’s body than a man’s. They also offer real-life examples of women suffering from each stress type. According to an American Psychological Association Poll that was done in 2007, 95 percent of all office visits to physicians are for stress-related ailments, and stress is linked to the six leading causes of death, which are heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, liver disease and suicide. They also mention how stress affects women’s physical appearance, causing hair loss and skin to age prematurely.
Are you scared yet? You don’t have to be. So Stressed helps readers to identify their stress “type” and then offers a custom-made detox program, helping them to learn how to control their stress mentally as well as fighting the physical affects of it through lifestyle changes, nutrition and exercise.
At first, I thought reading a book written by two doctors would be too dry and scientific for me, but McClellan and Hamilton write in an informal, engaging style, offering their scientific knowledge but also acknowledging the mental and spiritual needs of women in order to survive the stresses of the modern world. They also recognize that medication is necessary at times to cope with stress and anxiety, but they urge readers to try non-pharmaceutical options first.
As I reached the section about identifying my “stress type,” I was curious what I would learn. I quickly realized I am the Hyper S type, laughing as I read down the list of characteristics. Almost all of them applied to me in one way or another. “OK, I get it!” I thought as I about halfway through. I kept reading. “Now what do I do about it?”
As someone who does suffer from a great deal of stress (I’m a career woman in New York – how could I not?) I was eager to learn what I could do to help myself calm the jitters. One of the first things I read was that Hyper S types should not drink coffee until two hours after they had eaten breakfast. I was not happy to read that. I don’t eat breakfast until right before I leave my apartment, so I wouldn't be able to drink coffee until I get to my office. Apparently the acid from the coffee prevents the body from absorbing the nutrients from the meal. It made sense, but how was I going to survive my hour-long commute every morning without my morning cup?
I decided to give it a try, and it was a rough morning. By the time I got to my office, I was grumpy and groggy and immediately dashed to the kitchen to brew a cup. But three hours later, I was surprised to glance at the clock and realize it was almost lunchtime. I hadn’t even felt hungry for the snack I usually eat around 11 AM. I was still full from breakfast. There could be some truth to the doctors’ suggestions, I thought.
My next step was to alkanalize my diet. According to the book, I needed to eat foods that were higher in alkaline to help balance out the acid my body produced from stress. One of the higher alkaline foods was spinach, a favorite of mine, so I began including it in as much food as I could. I made a spinach omelet on Saturday morning, and when I cooked a meatloaf, I tossed some spinach in with the turkey. I began replacing my afternoon black tea with green, and I happily continued my habit of eating a small piece of dark chocolate after lunch every day.
I did feel some small shifts in my stress levels as my week continued, and the book’s emphasis on the importance of exercise for Hyper S people helped me to get out of bed in the morning and do my workout before going into the office. Along with feeling calmer as a result of my dietary changes, I felt a sense of relief knowing there were things I could do to help my stress levels and I was making changes that would improve my health.
As they conclude So Stressed, McClellan and Hamilton urge readers to “Embrace the control you have over your response to stress”. Ironically, I know one of the things that stresses me out the most is feeling like I am not in control. But after reading So Stressed, I felt for the first time that I was in control, and I was doing the right things to stay that way.
