“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray my mind and sanity keep. If I try a chocolate cake, I pray the pounds melt before I wake. Amen.” This is a prayer I sometimes say when I’m having a really, really bad day and nothing but chocolate can soothe me. Calgon just doesn’t take me away anymore. I must have wore out my welcome.
Good news for women like us! Our stress induced chocolate cravings are about to be justified! Recent studies have found that eating dark chocolate actually decreases cortisol (the stress hormone), so eat up! If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate, try adding cocoa to your diet in creative ways. It is rich in antioxidants and has been linked to many health benefits.
But anyway, my post isn’t about chocolate! It’s about the negative affects that stress can have on your relationship, which in turn could lead to binge eating (er-go, chocolate) and chronic health problems. We all know stress isn’t good for anyone, only in certain situations. But are you fully aware of the actual toll it takes on your body and relationship? Just ask your spouse how annoyed he is by you!
If you are constantly in a bad mood, over tired and picking fights for no reason, you need to seriously relax. If your body becomes use to this cycle, it may be hard to break. Once you get stressed out, anything and everything sets you off. And that’s no good for anybody.
Stressors are just the thoughts and events that lead you to perceive a bad situation. Strain is the negative effect of stress, which is what most of us feel when we reach for the chocolate. These effects include, but are definitely not limited to:
difficulty concentrating
fatigue
anxiety
depression
insomnia
over eating
irritabililty
Some people may experience just a few of these symptoms, but others have them all. Lord help you. AND your spouse! The first step is to identify the problem and fix it. You need to be aware of your situationand how to better it. Your body can only take so much, and if you spend all of your energy de-stressing, you will have nothing to give back to your partner.
Would you want to be operated on by a stressed surgeon? Or depend on an over stressed pilot to fly you home safely? I sure wouldn’t! Do you think your spouse enjoys only seeing you fatigued, irritable and intolerable? I would assume not. When you are on overload, you may lash out at people for no particular reason. You have no patience and you are doing your relationship and body no good.
Whatever the cause of your major stress, you need to eliminate it from your life. Change your thinking and circumstances, prepare for it, or simply walk away from it. Everyone will experience stress in one form or another. How you choose to handle it is the major equation to this problem. If you and your spouse cannot come up with an acceptable compromise, maybe you should seek professional counseling.
Nothing is worth destroying your health over, no matter the situation. Find an outlet, like exercising, or take up a hobby. Your husband, and your body will thank you.
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