Stress and Stress-busters

Everyday I get an email from Women’s Health magazine reminding me to take part in their daily sweepstakes. The prizes usually follow a monthly theme. For example, fitness products or beauty products. This month the theme is fashion. Anyway, to enter the sweepstakes, you take part in a daily poll. The questions touch on subjects like dating, sex, etc. They use the results for future features in the magazine.

Today the question concerned over-eating and stress. The question was, “Do you eat more when stressed out?”  The possible choices were, “Yes. No. Doesn’t apply to me.”

Doesn’t apply to me?  This one stumped me. Doesn’t apply to a person because they don’t eat or they don’t have stress?  Can you imagine a life without stress?  Stress due to work, money, problems, well nobody enjoys that, but a certain amount of stress is necessary to get anywhere. A certain amount of stress is necessary for self-preservation.  Where would we be without the basic fight or flight impulse?

I get really stressed out sometimes. I’m a single mom, I have a son with special needs, a teenage daughter, a preteen daughter, not enough money to cover the bills…. you know, I’m living A Life. In order to avoid eating an entire bag of Chocolate Kisses in a single sitting or yelling at whomever is closest to me, I have to develop alternative ways of dealing with my stress.

My personal stress-busters are exercise and escape. For exercise, I run, walk, hike, or ride my bike. For escape, I turn on the Food Network, pick up a book, or pop in a DVD. When things get really bad, I try to take a nap. (I’m a mom,  chronic exhaustion is part of our job description).

How do you deal with your stress?  Do you have a plan?

Image credit: Michelle Smith