We all have stress. It’s just a matter of how much good and bad stress we have at any given time. Stress can cause very undesirable health issues and is the leading cause of many conditions such as heartburn, indigestion and IBS. Sometimes we eat more, sometime we eat less when stress. Either way is not good. Here are three ways to help protect you from stress.

Eat Well - As said, stress can cause health problems and change our eating habits. Having a healthy, regular diet gives you the energy throughout the day to properly deal with stressful situations. Being sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner gives you the clarity of mind to think things through without becoming overwhelmed. Try to relax when you eat and don’t gobble up your food in a rush. Cut back on the coffee because too much caffeine can make you jumpy and even paranoid after a time.

Get Moving - Many of us have jobs where we sit all day long at a computer typing, filing or answering phones. This does nothing for our bodies and when stress gets into the mix the first thing to get thrown aside is any type of exercise we may normally do. Simply doing 30 minutes of exercise, 4 or 5 days a week is enough to keep your health levels up. It doesn’t have to be high impact stuff. Walk around the block at a nice pace, do some dancing or ride your bike around the block.

Sleep - Sleep is so incredibly important to both our body and mind that without it, we cannot function properly on any level. Sleep is the body’s way of recharging its batteries and if we don’t get enough we can’t think right or perform tasks well. When we lack sleep we lose the ability to deal with stress. Make sure you are able to get enough sleep every night so you can wake up feeling refreshed. There are times when getting 8 or more hours of sleep a night is impossible but make a point to do your best. Let those times when we miss a few winks be as few and far between.

Tags: eating well, getting enough sleep, help relieve stress, stress eating, take care of my body