Oh Really?

Sorry, couldn’t resist this one – and although this piece of research confirms what we already know, it’s valuable to remember it at this stressful time of year. We know that stress is a powerful trigger for heart attacks and strokes, but apparently it is not the stress in and of itself that is the problem it is the unhealthy coping mechanisms that we often turn to that have been investigated by University College in London. When I talk about stress in my book ‘How To Cope Successfully With Stress’ I point out that stress is not always a bad thing; it is how you cope with it that is important. If you turn to healthy methods of dealing with it like meditation, exercise and changes in diet then you can handle it without adverse health effects.

However stress makes us reach for those comfort props whether that is food, alcohol, or smoking and those are the factors that impact on your health and can lead to heart disease or strokes. When we are stressed our good health resolutions often go by the board and we stop exercising and eating healthily and generally take less good care of ourselves. If you get stressed, try to maintain at least some healthy habits and make your ‘comfort’ blanket a little more active – swop it for a down filled coat and go for a walk.