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"Take one concrete step this year to combat stress to live longer and better."
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I was telling my husband’s cousin’s wife about the new foot massager/soaker I got for Christmas. Items to help de-stress feet seemed to be popular this Christmas. It was one of my favorite gifts.

That reminded Deb of the professional pedicure someone had given to her for a gift. “I didn’t think I would like people touching my feet but it was great,” she enthused. “I have a foot tub too but by the time you get it out, fill it, hook it up, then clean it up and put it away afterwards, you’re all stressed again.”

Uh huh. After I used my tub for the first time, I dumped it carelessly and ended up soaking my jeans and the kitchen rug. I had to change clothes. Aargh. I had to agree a pedicure would be even better.

This was a great reminder to me of two truths about stress: one person’s stress is someone else’s joy and excitement; and one person’s stress remedy is the next guy’s headache. I love getting my hair trimmed and styled because of the gentle massaging when the hairdresser shampoos my head. It is very relaxing. Other people say they can hardly stand to have people touch their head.

Stress is a real malady in today’s fast paced times. It is a modern disease, only studied and diagnosed as such since the 50’s. And it has real, physical results. The list of ills is long, some serious and life threatening, some just a pain in the neck or back, some emotional and mental. Heart attacks, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and chronic headache can all come from over-simulation of the part of the nervous system that regulates heart rate, blood pressure and the digestive system.
(Dr. Joseph F. Smith Medical Library website)
http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00066650.html

Exercise is an excellent way to fight stress on many levels. Physical exertion helps the body produce endorphins. Here again, the thought that “I have to exercise today, I have to find time to fit it in,” can seem to add to stress.
Dr. Melissa Stoppler, writer for the “About” website
http://stress.about.com/cs/copingskills/a/stress101a.htm
describes endorphins as brain chemicals (20 different types) which “respond to a variety of stimuli, and may be nature’s cure for high levels of stress.” They are complicated, but from what I understand, prolonged exercise can trigger the release of endorphins, which make you feel good (the “runner’s high”). Exercise usually means a change of pace, and that is good for reducing stress also. Meditation, massage, and relaxation techniques also help in the treatment of stress.

Dr. Stoppler explains about the complicating factor of cortisol. “The so-called ‘stress hormone’ cortisol is released in the body during times of stress along with the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine that constitute the “fight or flight” response to a perceived threat. Following the stressful or threatening event, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels return to normal while cortisol levels can remain elevated over a longer time period. In fact, cortisol levels can remain persistently elevated in the body when a person is subjected to chronic stress,” she notes.

How does cortisol influence weight gain? “Cortisol has many actions in the body, and one ultimate goal of cortisol secretion is the provision of energy for the body,” Dr. Stoppler explains. “Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. The end result of these actions is an increase in appetite. Thus poorly-managed stress, may lead to cortisol levels that stimulate your appetite, with the end result being weight gain.”

Whatever you do, take one concrete step this year to combat stress to live longer and better. Take a daily walk (even just four times a week is better than nothing), or meditate 15 minutes, or take a long soaker bath. Be good to yourself, it’s another way to be kind to others and honor our creator God.