Stress is a problem with many solutions, but it also has many causes. Though techniques like progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing can help you keep stress from disrupting your weight loss, these are merely coping mechanisms—they won’t do anything to address the sources of your stress, which is an important part of minimizing stress long-term.
To stick with the recommendations of your bariatric surgeon, you need to pull stress up from the roots. If the stressors in your life remain, so will the anxieties they cause. By working to neutralize your stress triggers, you can help yourself maintain healthy habits after Lap Band surgery and develop a happier state of mind in the process.
Meet Your Stressors
You undoubtedly have a few stressors that are unique to you, but there are many we share. Your stressors will likely fall into categories like:
- Work. Is your stress caused by a demanding boss or hectic office environment?
- Social. Are you stressed out by dating, public speaking or parties?
- Health. Do you have health issues that consistently put you ill at ease?
- Changes. Are you worried about moving into a new house, starting a new job or adjusting to bariatric surgery?
- Environment. Do you find yourself stressed out by clutter or noise in your home or workplace?
- Family matters. Are you stressed out by frequent arguments with your spouse, children or parents?
- Internal struggles. Do you struggle with phobias, irrational fears, self-esteem issues or other stress-inducing personality traits?
Separating your stressors into categories like these can help you start to make sense of them. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by stress, take a moment to write down how you feel and what may have caused it. Keep a journal handy and begin to look for patterns in your stressors and emotional state.
Beat Your Stressors
Once you have a better idea of what’s stressing you out, you can start finding solutions that make a difference. Though some stressors are beyond our control, we almost always have the ability to choose how we react to them. Even if you can’t completely end a stressor’s impact on your life, you can start taking steps to accept it and respond in a more positive way.
Make a list of your most frequent stressors and order them by difficulty, considering which will be easiest to address. Start with the most manageable stressor and break it down into a list of tasks that you can complete one at a time. Work your way through the list at your own pace, taking bite-size chunks out of each problem.
Your solutions will depend on your unique situation and the stressor itself, but remember that even small steps will send you in the right direction. Though no one can live completely free of stress, we can all maintain a more positive outlook by identifying problems in our lives and working to resolve them.
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