“This stress is killing me.” Actually, when you review the devastating effects of elevated cortisol, you realize that this statement is the absolute truth.
After you review page after page, book after book, of recommendations for supplements to take and supplements to avoid, why not just cut to the chase and simplify the whole thing?
Just do what Grandma said to do in the first place:
1) Eat right
2) Sleep
3) Exercise
The problem is, when faced with stress, we do the exact opposite of what we should do. We grab fast food and nibble on junk non-food. Our cortisol rises, making us crave sweet and salty things. We stay up working late /we get up early and, consequently, suffer from fatigue and insomnia. Then of course we are too busy or too tired to carve out time to exercise.
Maybe it’s best to listen to what Napoleon Hill had to say. . . “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put it into action.”
Ready or not, here we come. If you want to get a handle on that elevated cortisol, start today to put a plan in place to 1) get enough sleep, 2) eat right, and 3) exercise.
Dr. Talbott in The Cortisol Connection gives the following advice:
For the vast majority of people, these three simple steps will provide the biggest bang for the time they are prepared to devote to the specific practice of stress management (which is not a great deal of time).
1) Avoid stress
2) Manage stress
3) Get enough sleep
Avoid stress: the most effective technique is to avoid as many stressful situations as you can in the first place. If you do not have exposure, you do not have to deal with the ramifications of the stressful situation. What situations, people, circumstances can you let go of? Starting today. Starting within the next hour.
Manage stress: There are almost as many ways to deal with stress as there are things that cause stress. Managing stress is a very individualized concept. What reduces stress for one person might cause stress in another. What do you like to do? What gives you pleasure? What activities can you get lost in?
Get enough sleep: getting eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at night is one of the very best things you can do to keep stress, elevated cortisol, and illness at bay. What can you do, starting tonight, to get to bed earlier? What relaxing activity sounds fun to do just before bedtime? What thoughts can you fill your head with? What is on your list to be grateful for on this day?
Create a plan of action that goes back to the basics. . . and that evil villain stress won’t stand a chance. Isn’t it about time to put an end to it before it kills you?
Go ahead, create a plan today, whether you’re ready or not.
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