seriously.

dear readers of my blog, everyone needs a good vent once in a while, thank you for listening.


i'm stressed here.  all the time.  i want to relax and i can't.  the idea of living the next two years of my life with this much stress is more than i know what to do with at the moment. every time i get into a car here i fear for my life, my job is stressful, i share a car at the moment so i can't take charge of my own schedule. i've been trying to roll with the punches, but this is now beginning to affect my health and something has to be done. 
 
did you know stress is a big factor for a lot of major health problems?

here is one example.  weight gain.  there are so many articles on this topic it is overwhelming, my coworker laughed at me when i said this, but its real.   here is one source that explains it pretty clearly.

There are several ways in which stress can contribute to weight gain. One has to do with cortisol, a stress hormone. When we’re under stress, the fight or flight response is triggered in our bodies, leading to the release of various hormones.

Whether we're stressed because of constant, crazy demands at work or we're really in danger, our bodies respond like we're about to be harmed and need to fight for our lives (or run like heck). To answer this need, we experience a burst of energy, shifts in metabolism and blood flow, and other changes.

If you remain in this state for a prolonged amount of time due to chronic stress, your health becomes at risk. Aside from a host of other dangers, chronic stress can also cause weight gain -- which is why some products like Cortislim are marketed as diet aids.

Chronic stress and cortisol can contribute to weight gain in the following ways:

Metabolism -- Do you feel like you're prone to putting on more weight when you're stressed, even if you're eating the same amount of food as you always have? Too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult.

Cravings -- OK, you're stressed. Do you reach for a nice salad or a pint of Ben & Jerry's? I'll bet on the latter. People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods. This includes sweets, processed food and other things that aren’t as good for you. These foods are typically less healthy and lead to increased weight gain.

Blood Sugar -- Prolonged stress can alter your blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia. Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.

Fat Storage -- Excessive stress even affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, abdominal fat is not only aesthetically undesirable, it’s linked with greater health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body. 


seriously, wedding mode is not going as planned and I'm in full belief that stress is the reason.  I am eating completely healthy and working out at least five times a week.  i feel no better than the day i started.  and to make matters better, my mom got my dress in for my next wedding and decided to email me and tell me she thinks it will be too small.  great.

people tell you don't come to the table with a problem; come with solutions...   change the things you can control and accept the things you can't...

here is a solution.  yoga.

 now if i only had a way to get there... my problems are circular.  what is the solution for that?