Staying Healthy in Stressful Times

Psalm 55 says: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. So that’s God’s part. He will carry us through the storms of life.

So what’s our part?

Our part is to do everything in our control to stay healthy. While I’ve written and encouraged exercise and fitness there’s another element to dealing with stressful times: rest and nutrition. Here’s some handy tips to get you through the storm:

1. Drink more water. Think about it: we are 75% water. So don’t you think it would be good if we regularly replenished the #1 resource that makes up our bodies? Well turns out, it IS. Drinking more water has SO many health benefits. Too many to list here. Plus, I’ve found that it’s easier to make other healthy decisions (like changing my diet, eating less, fasting, etc.) when I’m drinking a lot of water.

2. Take more walks. When I go out for walks, I consistently have a much calmer spirit. Because my blood is pumping - my mind is being stimulated by the things around me - the fresh air is getting into my lungs - and so my mind just relaxes and I find myself in a much better place.

3. Pay attention to what foods GIVE you energy… and what foods TAKE AWAY your energy. We to pay attention to “energy management.” Consider: how much do you accomplish when you are at your lowest levels of productivity? Answer: very little! But at your highest levels? You can focus, brainstorm and be in a better frame of mind. Your state of mind and productivity is closely related to your energy levels. And a concrete way to raise your energy levels is to find out what foods give you energy... and focus on eating those, while avoiding the ones that sap you of energy.

4. Get plenty of sleep. Don’t buy into the false notion that you can create more time by sleeping less. You cannot. All you will do is make your waking hours less productive. So never cut out sleep time. Just find ways to accomplish more with your time awake. Sleep helps you to feel fresher and that helps you deal with the day-in-day-out challenges of life.

Need help with this? Connect with me and I can help you stay on track!