Managing Your Stress: Weighing the Possibilities

November 4, 2011

By Karen Sabbath, MS, RD, CSO

What does stress feel like?

You get a call from your bosses' office. He or she needs to meet with you right away. How do you feel? Or, as every cancer survivor remembers, you get that call from your doctor. Your biopsy results are in and perhaps it is better to come in to discuss them in person. How do you feel? For many people, messages like these will trigger a "stress" response in our bodies that involves a physical, mental and emotional adjustment or response.

How do our bodies respond to acute stress?

We've all heard of the "fight or flight" response. Our nervous systems send out a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones get our heart racing, tighten our muscles, increase our blood pressure and breathing rate, cause our appetite to temporarily disappear, and increase our focus, as well as our strength and stamina. Our bodies are preparing for battle!

A little stress and adrenaline can be a good thing. It keeps us alert, focused and energetic. It can keep us on our toes for presentations, interviews or sporting competitions. But too much stress can be a bad thing. Prolonged stress can cause cognitive changes (memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety), emotional changes (moodiness, loneliness, and depression), physical changes (aches and pains, stomach upset, chest pain, and more colds) and/or behavioral changes (overeating, oversleeping, overdrinking, insomnia, procrastination).

There are many major and minor life events that can trigger stress, but being diagnosed with cancer and dealing with the treatment and resulting issues can be a HUGE source of stress.

Probably the biggest stressor for cancer survivors is the fear of a recurrence. In the minds of many survivors, normal aches and pains become metastatic disease, and the worrying and anxiety kick in until confirmation that the symptoms are "nothing" is received. If the anxiety gets out of hand, it can affect a person's ability to function. Other common stressors for cancer survivors include financial concerns, attacking projects that were put on hold during treatment, worries about changes in your body (like a mastectomy), relationship worries and feelings of loneliness.

How do cancer survivors (or anyone for that matter) cope with those feeling of stress?

For many people, eating becomes a coping mechanism for dealing with feelings of anxiety, anger, fear, boredom, sadness or loneliness. Stress eating or "emotional eating" is when we use food for comfort when we become overwhelmed by our emotions. Unfortunately, overeating rarely, if ever, makes the stress any better. In fact, it can become another source of stress.

Part of the problem can be biochemical. Prolonged, low level stress causes your body to produce more of the stress hormone called cortisol, which is your body's own prednisone. Cortisol increases your appetite, especially for fatty and sweet foods (candy bar anyone?). A steady and excessive intake of these foods can raise your insulin, which in turn increases the likelihood of weight gain, resulting in inflammation and chronic disease.

How do you know if you are a stress/emotional eater? On a regular basis, do you:

Eat quickly without thinking, tasting or enjoying your food
Automatically reach for something sweet whenever you are angry or stressed
Use food to cope with stress or conflict
Feel guilty after overeating or binging

If you answered "yes" to any of these, you may be using food to cope with the stress in your life. You can begin managing your eating by dealing with stress in more productive ways.

Here are some suggestions to help you manage your stress in a more productive way:

Talk to someone about the stress in your life. Friends, family, therapists or support groups are a great place to begin.
Fit in exercise, yoga, meditation or other stress reduction technique every day
Enjoy natural sunlight
Keep a journal to monitor your intake, emotions and exercise
Savor the foods you love, but eat them mindfully, slowly and in small portions
Don't watch TV while you are eating
Ask yourself if you are truly hungry, or if you are bored, angry, sad etc.
Find an alternate activity for eating if you are not truly hungry
Set some ground rules (no eating while standing, driving, etc, or after 9PM)
Identify situations that cause stress and overeating and preplan how you will handle them in a more productive way
Relax: Allow yourself 15 minutes a day to meditate or unwind
Be good to yourself, get enough sleep and...
Eat healthy foods!!!!!!

Experiencing some stress in your life is inevitable, especially around the holiday season. But finding productive ways to manage it helps survivors stay healthy. A plant-based diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy amounts of lean protein and heart-healthy fats, and low in excess sugars, processed foods, fatty meats and junk food, is a great place to begin. A healthy diet increases your energy and sense of well-being. Exercising every day is another way to improve your health and stamina. Both will help you reach your ideal weight, which will help reduce the likelihood of a recurrence. It is never too late to begin. Empower yourself and start right now.

MEDITERRANEAN PILAF WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Serves 12

Ingredients:

2 packets Kashi 7 While Grain Pilaf

1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSP balsamic vinegar

½ tsp lemon zest

¼ tsp crushed red chili flakes (or more, to taste)

1 tsp. salt

2 bunches fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

Directions:

1) Cook Kashi Pilaf according to directions on package (2 cups water for 1 cup pilaf; boil water first, add pilaf, simmer for 25+ minutes; cooking time varies from 30-45 minutes)

2) In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, basil, and pepper. Set aside.

3) In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked Kashi Pilaf, pumpkin seeds, bell peppers and dressing. Mix well and serve. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Adapted from www.kashi.com/recipe