I've stopped saying the 'S' word

Stress. (Dang, I've said it! Shhh...don't tell anyone, okay?)

The opposite of the S word. Pure beauty and a winter wonderland!
The top of Birch Hill, Fairbanks, Alaska

When you read or hear that word, how do you feel?

For me, I really don't like that word at all. Never once is that word associated with something positive. But it seems to get used all the time. Why is this?

While I can't speak for anybody else, I can speak for myself. I am naturally a people-pleaser. I like things organized and planned out. I coach skating five days a week, which includes a coaching schedule that is as consistent as Missouri weather. I am married to a soldier, which implies constant change as well. Nothing I buy is pre-packaged or fast food; I prepare all of the meals from scratch on a daily basis. I cross country ski. I teach nursery at church. I do yoga 4-6 days a week. I help out with the youth group at church. I go on frequent dates with my husband. Oh and I sleep 8-9 hours a night.

There is just a lot of things to do on a daily basis, and having a naturally type-A personality can be a problem. Enter relaxation. Over the past six months, I have been doing a lot of research about health, and in conjunction with my Bachelor's education, I have learned that having high levels of the 'S' word for extended periods of time are very detrimental to a person's well being and overall health. Cortisol (the main stress hormone in the body, released by the adrenal glands), is meant to be helpful to us in times of real need, such as running away from an angry tiger. When cortisol is released, it has a cascading effect on the rest of the body's systems including suppressing the digestion, reproductive, and growth systems, as well as weakening immune response. Chronic high levels of cortisol is linked to heart disease, weight gain, and sleep problems, just to name a few.

Make sense now? When we are constantly "S-ed" out , we really put a lot of burden on our body. Ever wonder why college students get sick right after finals? Or why people are grumpy when they have a deadline at work to meet? The constant toll on their body has altered levels of other important hormones and neurotransmitters such as serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter) and progesterone (a sex hormone that plays a calming effect in women) and immune response.

I love my life and everything I am involved in. I don't refer to my life as being Stressful anymore because why would I? If my life is so full that I can't even be healthy and happy, then I need to change something. So I have started putting my phone on airplane mode at 7 or so at night, so that I can have my own quiet time. I take time to walk or ski outside to get my daily dose of Vitamin D. I meditate and do yoga. But most of all, I love every challenge and obstacle that comes my way because the sun always shines after a rain storm.

The top of Birch Hill, overlooking Ft. Wainwright, Alaska

Sources:

1. http://www.mayoclinic.org/stress/art-20046037

2. The Hormone Cure by Sarah Gottfried, MD, 2013

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

Learning to Speak Like an Alaskan

Denali in the background No one wants to feel like a newbie, so a common practice before traveling to a new city or country is to learn the language of that particular place. Well, when my Aunt Joan picked me up from the airport last December when I first arrived in Alaska, one of the first things she told me was if I didn't want to sound like a tourist, I needed to refer to Mt. Mckinley (the tallest mountain in North America, located some 120 miles south of Fairbanks) as Denali . Denali is the native Athabaskan name for the mountain, and means "The High One." So, from day number one in Alaska, I refered to that majestic mountain as Denali instead of the name I had learned growing up. This is just about what it looked like yesterday morning! Another thing I learned recently is how to say the temperature. I was saying "Gosh it's cold outside because it's negative 30 degrees." But luckily, a kind skating mom...

Tender Mercies

Search This Blog