If you were at Annual Conference, you may have completed a survey for Pastoral Care and Counseling (PCC) about clergy, their families, their concerns and Chestnut our CAP provider. PCC is very interested in your experiences, concerns, and feedback. Listening to clergy and families will enable PCC to better serve and address your needs.

 

 

As we head into fall with the kids and grandkids going back to school and the holidays on the horizon it is a good time to talk about stress. While we may joke about being stressed, there are important consequences to both chronic and situational stress. First we need to start with assessment. Are YOU stressed? How vulnerable to stress are you?

In five minutes, this interactive stress survey accesses stressful life events that you have experienced in the last 12 months and uses it to estimate your possible health risks. You can use this Stress Vulnerability Quiz to see how vulnerable you are to stress. This vulnerability is directly related to your resilience; which you can learn how to increase by the way. 

Resilience is a process of adapting to and overcoming adversity, trauma, tragedy, or any significant source of stress (i.e. divorce, health problems or serious workplace/financial stressors). Resilience has been referred to as the ability to "bounce back" after difficult experiences. It includes optimism and persistence. Instead of allowing the hard knocks life sometimes deals out to keep them down, resilient people find a way to rise above the ashes oftentimes stronger than before the fire.

 

A reality of life is that very few people have become adults and gone through college without having developed some ways naturally to deal with stress. In younger years we may have been very physically active or perhaps had a nice set of friends that we talked with on a regular basis. We may have taken time to escape or our rooms and listen to music we liked. Most often we have developed some behaviors that helped us deal with problems of life that helped us. As we grow we have a tendency to move away from what helped us in the past because our live situations change and our life patterns change. Then when stress builds we may be at a loss on what to do to deal with it.

IGRC pastor and family therapist Curt Keller reminds us that the first step we should take is to look back at what helped us deal with stress in the past. Then ask yourself if it is possible to do these things in the present. 

"The strength in tapping into what worked in the past is that it not only has a proven track record in reducing stress, it is something that you are more likely to continue."

Both women and men use food to cope with depression, anger, stress and other emotions like boredom or even happiness. Are you among them? Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better, eating to fill emotional needs, rather than to fill your stomach. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn't fix emotional problems. It usually makes you feel worse.

 

There are many resources available to help. Click here for information and tips to manage emotional eating or read a male perspective on emotional eating by clicking here.

 

The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track. Exercise is a great alternative. The next time that you reach for your favorite comfort food in a response to an emotion, try getting some exercise instead. Go for a brisk walk, jog or bike ride; exercise has shown to improve mood, anxiety and depression and is an integral part of your stress management plan. Read more about managing stress with exercise. 

 

If you still find yourself wanting to address the emotional need with food, try eating mindfully. Slowing down to intentionally enjoy each nourishing bite can be challenging in our fast-paced lifestyle, but there are plenty of supportive resources available. The Center for Mindful Eating has many resources including primary principles and links to research.

 

Many people eat to calm emotions. If you would like more information on stress eating and exercise, don't forget about the free and confidential, annual nutrition and/or exercise consultation provided through the Clergy Assistance Program (CAP).  Call the CAP at 1-800-433-7916 to request a telephonic nutrition and/or exercise consultation.

 

The information presented through the linked articles is for informational purposes only.  IGRC and Chestnut Global Partners do not endorse any products represented in the articles.