Stress! STRESS!! I'm NOT Stressed!! .... well, maybe I am. How do I manage it?

So many of us have become accustomed to being stressed; so much so that we believe it is normal. If we believe it to be true, then it will likely become true. In reality, most of us deal with stress each day and on many different levels, so maybe a certain amount of stress is normal but how can we manage it?

I am the queen of stress. I work myself up into a frenzy over stupid things. Gosh, I was a tornado of panic in college and in my graduate career. I wanted to learn everything down to the periods and regurgitate it. While it does not help with mentally retaining all of that information, I somehow came out on top. People were constantly giving me advice and often times it was the same basic information over and over again.

Some of the basic signs that you are stressed can include:

feeling sad, frustrated, or helpless

having difficulty falling and staying asleep

avoiding social events

having no desire to eat or eating as a response of your emotions

having difficulty concentrating

feeling on the edge

feeling irritable and crying easily

So how do we quell these feelings and let the stress wash away?

First, there MUST be a balance between work, school, home and play. I was notorious for not playing or going home, I was always working too hard on all of my school work that I am amazed I did not lose all of my hair.

Second, turn to friends and family for support, making sure you are selective with those people you associate it with so you are sure to walk away feeling refreshed and uplifted. It is important to surround yourself with good people and to make sure you are as good a person you can be to those people you love and respect. While you may be having a difficult time, try your best not to bring your loves down to the dumps either!

Third, take time to relax! It is imperative that you breath in and out as often as you can. Relaxing can be anything that brings peace and stability to your life; it can be watching television, taking a walk, working out, reading a good book, listening to music or sitting in silence.Whatever it is, make sure your chi is back before you go back into the big bad world of potential stress. Not having it together before going back into the world can only compound the stress you feel!

Fourth, do your best to STAY POSITIVE! I can be a negative Nancy or a pessimistic Polly. I do not always see the glass half full, which can compound the stress in my life. Remember not everything has to be a troubling issue in life; embrace the uncertainty, seize the day and respect the moments in life. Sooner or later a positive attitude will yield positive results!

Fifth, GET ENOUGH SLEEP! I used to pride myself on being able to function on 3 hours of sleep a night and a couple of red bulls for breakfast the next morning during law school. While many of my peers were double fisting with beers and mixed drinks, I was the 22 year old double fisting energy drinks while making outlines and reading cases in each of my fifty pound casebooks. I was not sleeping but it is important to know when enough is enough. Getting enough sleep is important for information retention, for energy and concentration; it is important that we are able to concentrate on the important stuff in life!

Sixth, eat healthy and stay active! Working out and eating right keep your body in balance and help concentration, motivation and stamina! Believe me! Sometimes people think eating a light breakfast is the best thing for you, but in reality you might want to consider eating something heavier and heartier in the morning, especially if you are not going to have time to eat until much later in the day. Even though it may not seem appetizing, try a bowl of whole grain pasta in the morning. Because whole grain pasta contains more fiber, it will keep you feeling full and give you energy for a longer period of time!

Finally, do not be afraid to talk to a professional. Most college campuses offer free services for students because everybody knows that being a student in a professional school can be demanding. In fact, most universities offer that service for undergraduates, also! Talking to a counselor should not be intimidating and you should not worry that people are judging you. And, if people are talking about you because you want to talk about your stressful life then let them! They likely are suffering the same fate and are not able to stand up and take control back! It is important to do what is best for you outside the scope of judgmental people!!

I am  notorious for dishing out advice but failing to take it myself. I'm a sucker for equipping myself with good, positive and successful tips but becoming so overwhelmed in the moments in life that all of that good advice flies right out of my brain and I stomp all over it!! Most of this is easily controllable and could change the whole dynamic of your life if you can stay positive and healthy most days of the week!

What tips do you all have?

Until Next Time,
Stay Stress-Free!

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Five Easy Rules that Helped Me Lose Weight

When I first started on my weight-loss journey, I was used to eating until I felt like stopping, not when I was full. As a result, I knew that I had to find foods that I could eat a ton of without too many calories; the idea of cutting down my food volume all of a sudden frightened me and I knew it would be detrimental to the beginning of my journey. So what did I do?

First, I realized that often times I felt hungry I was actually thirsty. So I would drink a glass or more of water and then I would decide if I was actually hungry. If I was, then I would eat something. This is a great trick to cutting calories and feeling hungry.

Second, I found foods that had few calories so that I could eat a ton of it! Most any vegetable packs little calories - we can all eat as many vegetables we want each day and it will likely NEVER cause you to gain weight. The problem is, I do not like many vegetables, so I turned to fruits. While fruits have more calories than vegetables [because of the natural sugars], they are still very healthy. Most fruit servings contain between 50 and 90 calories, with the exception of regular sized bananas - that is because bananas contain more fat than other fruits. So I survived on eating lots of fruits in the early stages of my weight loss.

Third, I found low calorie, high fiber [if possible] substitutes for my favorite meals and foods. For instance, I substituted regular bread for light english muffins, each one containing less than 50 calories - that was AWESOME  because I was able to make sandwiches for less calories. Instead of eating regular deli meat, I started to purchase the selects because the packaging plainly told me how many calories were in the container. In most instances, because the meat was sliced so thin, there were far fewer calories than regular lunch meats from the deli. As a result of my english muffins and meat selects, I was able to get away with making two english muffin sandwiches for the caloric intake of just over one! 

Fourth,I started eating the 97% fat free popcorn. Once popped, most 97% fat free popcorn tallies in at about 50 to 90 calories. This is such a good thing. I was able to each a bunch of popcorn, which saved me in moments when I felt like I was really hungry! 

Fifth, I cut out drinking all regular soda. This was very critical in my weight loss endeavors. I was able to drink a lot of liquid back then without it phasing me much and I was drinking a lot of regular soda. I first started introducing diet soda into my eating habits when I joined Weight Watchers. It helped me lose a lot of weight; I did not realize how many calories I was actually consuming. Many critics of soda now tell you that diet soda is unhealthy for you and, in fact, may contribute to weight gain. I am not sure I believe it, but I am also not drinking much soda nowadays!

I hope these few tips help anybody reading this who is struggling to lose weight. These little tips might not seem like a big deal, but they are! Remember, it's not about starving yourself so go ahead and eat as many vegetables and popcorn you want but make sure you're hydrating yourself, too!

Meet you all back here soon with some new tips!! Keep Checking!!

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Find your Local Farmer's Market/Co-Op

Many of us forgo buying fresh fruit and vegetables because it is too time consuming to go to your local Farmer's Market; and, we get into a habit during the winter months of buying whatever our local grocery store has to offer. But so many of my friends live all over the country [and world] and you all are in a position of buying some of your favorite fruits and veggies from the local outside market.  I found this awesome website that allows the viewer to search for their local markets all over the country.

For instance, the South Central Farmer's Co-op could be an awesome adventure for my friends in the L.A. area or for Chantellle, Nick's beautifully awesome sister, this gem could supply anybody in the Long Beach, California area with fresh fruits and veggies and sustained healthy eating! 

It is important to eat healthy, though I am not a huge advocate of absolute health. I like my chicken wings and french fries, but I also like LOTS of fruits and plenty of raw vegetables; I will admit that I am not a huge fan of cooked vegetables - the taste and consistency of most cooked vegetables repulses me. I blame that on myself - growing up I rejected health and went for taste and as most of us know most unhealthy things taste the best. I've regulated my body by eating unhealthy things in moderation and injecting healthy foods in my diet! It's a difficult process to go through and even more difficult to maintain, but very much worth the struggle!

If any of you readers have an awesome farmer's market or local market that you ABSOLUTELY love and want me to plug it, let me know! I'd love to hear about your adventures into healthy markets.

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Photo adapted from LocalHarvest

Photo adapted from LocalHarvest

photo adapted from LocalHarvest