Stress Reduction Results in Weight Loss and Improved Health
Stress is a natural response to situations where we feel out of control, threatened, or fearful. We experience stress physically, mentally, and emotionally within our bodies. In our modern lifestyle, there is an inability to regulate stress effectively which leaves us in a state of chronic low grade stress. This constant release of cortisol (the stress hormone) stimulates appetite. This is why stress triggers hunger. Stressed induced hunger is associated with overeating, weight gain, and difficulty losing weight.
Learning how to manage stress can help regulate hormone levels, reduce cortisol levels, and in turn decrease appetite to help manage cravings and promote weight loss. Here are some natural ways to reduce stress.
Engage in regular physical activity
According to a 6-week study on 185 participants, it is found that just two days of aerobic exercise per week significantly decreased overall perceived stress. Perceived stress is any modern discomfort that triggers the body’s sympathetic nervous system or “flight/fight/freeze” response, even though the situation does not inherently require us to fight, flight, or freeze.
Modern triggers for stress in our everyday lives include feelings of uncertainty, loss of a loved one, negative relationships, and feeling overwhelmed with tasks from school, work, or parenthood. Engaging in regular physical activity helps with stress because exercise reduces the stress hormone and instead increases endorphins or “feel good” hormones the body releases. In fact significant improvement in self-reported depression was found in individuals who had a regular exercise routine (Herbert, 2020).
Eat a Healthy Diet
Consuming a nutrient-dense diet with healthy fats (such as avocado, olive oil, coconut) and fiber while limiting processed, sugary, alcoholic, and caffeinated foods and drinks help in decreasing high levels of stress. When you provide your body with the proper nourishment through diet, your health is able to thrive and your risk for nutrient deficiencies decreases. This comes together to help balance hormones.
Proper nutrients provide the building blocks for hormone production and eliminate excess hormones from the body. Leaving your hormone levels balanced, stress levels reduced, and mood happy.. Try including plenty of organic fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds in your daily diet.
Spend time in nature
Spending time with nature in green parks, near rivers or forests is a healthy way for combating stress. A review based on 14 studies found that spending as little as ten minutes a day in a natural environment helped to improve physiological and psychological markers of mental well-being, including happiness and perceived stress (Ewert 2018, Meredith 2020).
Limit phone use and screen time
We live in a modern society where using electronics has become an essential part of everyday living. Even so, this wonderful technology can be a contributing factor to higher stress levels. According to a 2020 study by Nollet where the correlation between phone use and stress was analyzed, the study showed excessive phone use, computer use, and spending too much time in front of television screens is associated with lower psychological well-being and disturbed sleep (Nollet 2020, Vahedi 2018, Twenge 2018, Yang 2021). and increased levels of stress.
Even with this information, how much screen and phone use is considered too much? For starters, try restricting screen use to a set period during the day. For example, between the hours of 9 AM and 8 PM. Doing this avoids grabbing your phone when you first wake up and mindless scrolling as your last activity before bed. Minimizing screen time is a healthy habit to both improve sleep and reduce stress.
Spend more time with loved ones
Strong social ties, laughter, and cuddling help to better cope with the stress. Being able to cope with stressful situations in a healthy way also improves overall mental health. The opposite is true also. Loneliness and lack of positive social interaction can increase stress and mental illness. A study on 163 young adults revealed a significant correlation between lower levels of support from family, friends, and loved ones with depressive symptoms, loneliness, and perceived stress (Lee, 2020).
Learn to say “no” and create healthy boundaries
Don’t overburden yourself by taking responsibilities you can’t handle easily. Have healthy boundaries and try to avoid people who add to your stress levels.
Get help with supplements
Certain dietary supplements such as magnesium, B vitamins, Rhodiola, and L-theanine can work wonders for reducing stress and improving mood. Chronic stress depletes levels of magnesium in the body. Magnesium is an important mineral for improving brain function and muscle relaxation, Magnesium also helps to reduce stress and anxiety by binding to certain stimulating brain receptors.
An eight-week study involving 264 individuals with low magnesium found that a daily 300mg magnesium supplement helped in reducing the levels of stress. Taking both magnesium and vitamin B6 was found even more effective (Pouteau, 2018).
Care for yourself
Self-Care Sunday isn’t a catchy trend for no reason. When we intentionally care for ourselves, we provide ourselves with a sense of love, comfort, and relaxation. Try out some of these self-care activities.
Take a bath
Light candles in your home
Reading
Schedule a massage
Prepare a healthy meal
Stretch often
Get a full 6-8 hours of restful sleep
Spend time with your pets
Learn a new hobby
Writing
Aromatherapy (try diffusing essential oils like rose, lavender, sandalwood, and frankincense
Drinking herbal tea (try chamomile, kava, spearmint, lavender, or valerian root)
Engaging in regular self-care improves quality of life and overall mood to help avoid burnout and limit stress. (Ayala 2018, Posluns 2020).
-Aliyah N. A.
References:
Herbert C, Meixner F, Wiebking C, Gilg V. Regular Physical Activity, Short-Term Exercise, Mental Health, and Well-Being Among University Students: The Results of an Online and a Laboratory Study. Front Psychol. 2020;11:509. Published 2020 May 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00509
Vahedi Z, Saiphoo A. The association between smartphone use, stress, and anxiety: A meta-analytic review. Stress Health. 2018 Aug;34(3):347-358. doi: 10.1002/smi.2805. Epub 2018 Apr 19. PMID: 29673047.
Yang H, Liu B, Fang J. Stress and Problematic Smartphone Use Severity: Smartphone Use Frequency and Fear of Missing Out as Mediators. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:659288. Published 2021 Jun 1. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.659288
Twenge JM, Campbell WK. Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Prev Med Rep. 2018;12:271-283. Published 2018 Oct 18. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003
Nollet M, Wisden W, Franks NP. Sleep deprivation and stress: a reciprocal relationship. Interface Focus. 2020;10(3):20190092. doi:10.1098/rsfs.2019.0092
Pouteau E, Kabir-Ahmadi M, Noah L, et al. Superiority of magnesium and vitamin B6 over magnesium alone on severe stress in healthy adults with low magnesemia: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial. PLoS One. 2018;13(12):e0208454. Published 2018 Dec 18. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208454
Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC. U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life. BMC Med Educ. 2018;18(1):189. Published 2018 Aug 6. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x
Posluns K, Gall TL. Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: a Literature Review on Self-Care. Int J Adv Couns. 2020;42(1):1-20. doi:10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w
Chen MC, Fang SH, Fang L. The effects of aromatherapy in relieving symptoms related to job stress among nurses. Int J Nurs Pract. 2015 Feb;21(1):87-93. doi: 10.1111/ijn.12229. Epub 2013 Nov 15. PMID: 24238073.
Lee CS, Goldstein SE, Dik BJ, Rodas JM. Sources of social support and gender in perceived stress and individual adjustment among Latina/o college-attending emerging adults. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2020 Jan;26(1):134-147. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000279. Epub 2019 Mar 28. PMID: 30920247.
Khalid A, Zhang Q, Wang W, Ghaffari AS, Pan F. The relationship between procrastination, perceived stress, saliva alpha-amylase level and parenting styles in Chinese first year medical students. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2019;12:489-498. Published 2019 Jul 3. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S207430