Do you check food labels before you buy or eat something? Are you concerned about your cholesterol, the amount of sodium you eat, the fat content of your favourite food and snacks?
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, heart specialists are claiming that stress plays more of a factor in raising cholesterol levels than many people would think.
Do you not find that to be a sick irony? That our world is moving more rapidly, bosses are demanding results faster and cheaper, media is pushing out more information than we can keep up with, robots are poised to take our jobs--and yet we're learning more about the impact of stress on our bodies? What are we supposed to do when our world is pushing us faster and harder than any generation that has ever existed? What are we to do?
It's a very difficult thing to consider, for we are rewarded for moving fast, multi-tasking, taking on more projects, launching yet another enterprise, pushing our workers harder, demanding results, outsourcing everything including our meals, rushing here and there... We rush, push, demand, and reap the rewards--or do we? And what really is a reward? Is not health greater than money? Some might say, perhaps, that without money one can't enjoy one's health as much--a load of bunk, if you ask me.
So let's look at some simple tips for reducing stress in your life and thus reaping the health benefits of lower cholesterol, among other things:
1. Slow down: No, really. It's important. You've just got to try to do it. Do you really need to rush everywhere you go? Do you really need to get your heart rate up just to leave the house for the store? Do you really need to cram a million things into your day? No--probably not. Slowing down is critical for releasing stress.
2. Be present: Live in the moment, not in the next deadline, task, or project. If you find your mind and body racing, it's good to stop, breathe, and look around you. Look at how you're feeling. Is your heart racing? Is your head pounding? Are you living in the future or in the now?
3. Pause: Take a time-out and sit down without any distractions. Find a place outside to sit down, whether a park bench or otherwise. Breathe. Feel the air. Look around you. Let your mind rest.
4. Avoid distractions: Our mobile devices have the illusion of immediacy, especially when they're blinging away with every notification imaginable. Is it really important? Must you really respond to every email, every text, every FB message within seconds of getting it? Put the phone away, put it on airplane mode, leave it at home--yes, leave it at home--and rid yourself of it for a while.
5. Walk: You don't need to hit the YMCA 4 times a week to stay healthy--a simple daily walk will do. Walking is amazing for increasing your heart rate, getting oxygen up into your brain, and putting your brain on hold. Many thinkers, as I've written before, swear by their walks for their ability to release the mind from a difficult task allowing breakthrough ideas to come. Try one.
6. Be grateful: Approaching life with thanksgiving is very important. How many times do we feel we somehow deserve more than we have? How many times do we let our children pass us, or food cross our lips, or the warm house door open without even realizing how fortunate you are? Being grateful, having a heart of thanksgiving, is vital for reducing stress. Try it. When you curse your job, stop and think what it would be like if you were suddenly fired. When your house seems too small, think about how it would feel to have nowhere to live. When your children are driving you crazy, think about how you would feel if anything happened to them. When you fail at a task or don't get what you want or get passed up on that promotion, think about what you would do if you were given only 48 hours to live.
7. Forgive: This is a big one, though some might think it's all too subtle. When someone does you wrong, your stress levels surge--unless you are able to forgive. There are so many health ramifications that arise from a lack of forgiveness. When people hurt us, when we feel wronged, anger and bitterness can fester like an open wound; and that wound can lie open for years and spread through our bodies and minds and hearts in debilitating ways. Have you ever met someone who can't forgive? Have you ever met someone who learned about the power of forgiveness and whose health improved? I have--and it's wonderful.
The world surges, and our stress surges with it. But the story doesn't have to end there; we can do something about it. The simple tips above will help you today begin the process of reducing your stress, thus lowering your cholesterol, and, consequently, improving the health of your heart. Sounds good, doesn't it.
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