Take Control of Your Stress Before it Takes Control of You

“Don’t Stress!” We hear that all day every day.

But that advice makes us feel more stress, which just gives us more to turn off, right? Stress alone is not isn’t the problem. In fact your body is equipped with a stress management system. But too often people leave the lights (i.e., stress) on. Like a car battery, your phone or computer, your body shuts down when you leave it on for too long and we know that long-term stress is detrimental to our health. So, it is especially important for you if you have CF, to take some steps to manage it.

So, how what can we do to keep our battery from draining? Here are a few ideas:

Magnesium- Did you know that magnesium is a mineral our cells need to “turn off” the stress response of the body? When you’re stressed, calcium comes into the cells and we need magnesium to kick it out and restore calm. The majority of people don’t get enough of the daily recommended amount of 400 mg. Make sure to include enough magnesium-rich foods in your diet. These include nuts and seeds (cashew, almond, pumpkin, hemp) as well as avocado, beans, spinach, bananas, dark chocolate and oats.

BREATHE- As someone with CF, the word “breathe” is part of your daily vocabulary- but there is a special breathing technique that works like magnesium to turn off stress in the body. A colleague of mine calls it STOP (stress turn off please!) Here is how it works:

1. Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4 (1,2,3,4)

2. Hold for 7 counts (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

3. Exhale for out your mouth for 8 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

4. Repeat ten times to reduce your stress

Meditation- A lot of people find that trying to sit quietly and meditate stresses them out! That can be the case in the beginning or for some people. But there is actually evidence that it helps relieve stress. So if sitting and meditating is stressful maybe a walking meditation or time without any electronic devices is a good place for you to start. Or check out an app to help you get started, like CALM or Headspace.

These are general recommendations, but do you know if you are getting enough magnesium in your diet? Schedule a complimentary session with me and I’ll send you a Magnesium menu!