Stress... the root of all that is evil?

Being in a stressful house and studying a stressful course has meant that I have had to think of solutions to reducing that stress and limiting the stress as much as possible. If you are feeling stressed, regardless of what is causing it; whether its annoying housemates, arguments within the house, stressful day at work etc, the following tips should help to minimise stress.

(1) Listen to relaxing music - maybe listen to it on your ipod or mp3 player so that no one can complain your music is too loud. While you doing this you can feel like you are in your own little world, somewhere completely stress-free with no one else bothering you. Further tips: While listening to music, lock your bedroom door that way no one can interupt your peaceful moment! Maybe sit on your bed, or under your duvet cover, since afterall the bed is one of the most relaxing of places. You could also get lost in a book or magazine at the same time.

(2) Whatever you do, do not think about the thing which is stressing you - this will only lead to further stress or prolonged stress. I know it is easier said than done, but it is easy to get lost in something fictional such as a movie or TV programme. So if you want to feel better about your life follow the next tip as well

(3) Watch fictional TV and film - I love soap operas because they make me feel better about my life even when I have had a tough day because you can guarantee one of the characters on the soap will be having a more rubbish time than you! I understand that soap operas aren't for everybody though, so maybe just watch a comedy on TV - I also like friends because it is very funny and can make me have a laugh - laughing releases hormones which make you feel good about yourself, so a comedy is always a good way to go! Also, films are good - if you are a woman and love chick flicks, these are particularly good; except if the thing you are stressing over is love, then avoid like the plague!

(4) Have a nice soak in the bath - This always works, even if there are no bubbles! Sometimes just sitting in a nice warm bath and thinking or daydreaming about something can do the world of good.

(5) Go out somewhere for the day or evening - Of course this can be difficult if you don't have time, but if you do, think about going out for the day. In the last couple of weeks, me and boyfriend Philip have gone to London to get away from the stress caused within this house by our awful housemates, Lucy and Tom. Maybe, if possible, just go for a drive; an old friend of mine just loved to go for a drive in the countryside when he was in bad mood. Another good choice is going out for a meal somewhere cheap (that way you don't stress about how much money you are spending either and you can enjoy yourself and know that you don't even have to bother cooking that night!), or go to the cinema and watch a nice film.

(6) Eat healthy food where possible - obviously theres no need to go overboard with the healthiness but avoid fast food restaraunts such as McDonalds because that is guaranteed to add to your bad mood instead of improving it. Junk food does not help with reducing stress and it may make you feel worse, even if it may satisfy some cravings which are caused by stress.

As stated above, stress can cause food cravings and cause someones appetite to increase. You may not even feel hungry and yet you still want to eat - have you ever had that? I get that all the time. Since I've been at university, I have gained 2 stone (around 28 pounds); which has increased my clothing size by one and my breast size by one. My hips are now much bigger, my belly is chubby and I have stretch marks on my breasts, hips and thighs. Whilst I do not dislike my body, and I do think that curvy is now the new fashion, I hate the stretch marks and I want to have curves and a more toned belly minus the skinny, rib-poking-out-ness. Skinny seems to be going out of fashion, and curvy is coming in - look at Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne and the new and transformed Britney Spears. Compare this to the often slated Jordan (Katie Price), Cameron Diaz, Madonna and Nicole Richie - these girls are so often slated for their stick-like figure it is unreal. My auntie, my role model, says that she believes women are meant to be curvy, not "straight down" like stick-men and I agree. I don't want to be Nicole Richie, I want to be Christina Aguilera. I don't want to diet excessively or exercise to extreme levels. But I do want to lose this chub and tone up to the new fashion; more like how I was before university, without the stress. There's no need for stress to ruin my figure AND my life - I've managed to figure out ways of preventing stress from ruining my life (see tips above) and now it's time to work on this figure of mine!

The plan:
(1) Eat around 1500 kcal - the guideline daily amount for a woman is 2000 (2500 for a male, I think).

(2) I am going to try to stop myself from getting tempted by too much junk food. Ofcourse the odd snack every once in a while is healthy and can be enjoyed as part of healthy, balanced diet as it says on the packaging. But I did snack every day, and it was not just the one snack, it was about 3 or 4.

(3) Do cardiovascular exercises, but also try to build muscle - I am to go running in the summer when I am back home, but I also aim to start up yoga again because I did really enjoy it and it will help build those muscles, particularly in the abdomen, meaning a more toned stomach!