Monday, June 22, 2009

Father's Day, Stress, Fish Oil and Brain Stimulation

Well - had an awesome father's day - spent it with my wife and some of my kids (from previous marriage).

You will always want to minimize stress-- did you know that stress has been conclusively shown to decrease brain size-- no matter what type of stress we are talking about (Physiological stress: a cold, a burn, surgery, etc; Psychological stress: divorce, losing your job, finances, school, etc). Stress from a divorce affects everyone - especially if they are contentious; even in divorces like mine which are over 10 years old.

RELAX! - So to offset these current stressors that most of us seem to be exposed to (especially in these harder financial times): relax!!! Try and find some pleasure in your day. It doesn't have to cost you a lot of money - it could be leaving your work environment for lunch and going outside and eating your sandwich away from the stress/noise/smell/chaos of work.

READ! - it has been shown that the more education/stimulation your brain gets the better protected you are against the effects of stress on your brain - and things like dementia. Got an Amazon Kindle DX for father's day from my parents, kids and wife (it's expensive) - and it is awesome! I can now REALLY geek-out and carry over 3000 books with me and my medical literature (articles), and get the newspaper (NYT) and the NEJM delivered directly to the device. Yes, I am reading a lot! ;)

TALK! - talk to your friends, family - anyone who will listen (and is reasonable) - we tend to withdraw when under stress as a defense mechanism (like other animals, when we feel attacked we go on the defensive--be a 'superior'/'advanced' animal and go the other way)! I'm very lucky I got kids (most of them anyway) who love me and I am married to my best friend.

EAT WELL! - do NOT just eat when you are stressed or upset or under attack -- EAT WELL -- when we are stressed, no matter what the cause, our body goes into defense mode - that means we will crave simple foods (do not want to make things complicated if we are going to run/hide/fight) so we look for 'comfort' foods -- simple carbs or complex carbs with a high glycemic index/load -- again, be the 'advanced' animal and go the other way - load with protein in the morning and throughout your day - take in plenty of nuts, fish oil and other good sources of fat --all of these will reset your fight or flight response and help you be cool and energized to face those exact stressors that are pushing your buttons.

LOVE YOURSELF! -- that sounds psychobably but its still true - take care of yourself. Show yourself some love, some healing.

And teach your kids to do the same!

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