During Stressful Times, Working Out is Even More Crucial

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Watching and hearing the news could make us all feel a tad more anxious, as more and more companies continue downsizing. When the media referred to Monday’s job cuts as "Bloody Monday," such negative connotations can leave us all with feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty. Or at least for me it did.

These are daunting times. The unknown is far scarier than the known. Not knowing if and when you may receive the notice from your employer may lead many of us to stress eating or total abandonment of their healthy lifestyle. But we must know that giving into these unhealthy ways will not change the events. While eating chocolate and chips may give us a temporary feel-good sense, it will not change our situation.

And while we can’t always keep the inevitable from occurring, the one thing we can control is our health via sound nutrition and exercise. Keeping our schedule as routine as possible is certainly a huge factor. Getting in some sound sleep, eating healthy meals, and of course getting in some good exercise, will all help relieve stress.

Also never underestimate the power of a good friend. Having social connections helps us to voice our concerns and many times allows us a means to vent our anger and our fears. Having others to talk with may also help deter feelings of depression that many times accompany the unknown. Whenever we can relieve stress, our minds and our bodies are better able to cope with life’s hardships.

SparkPeople has recognized the impact the job cuts have affected many of its members by establishing SparkTeams where people can come together and share their stories, concerns and fears. And dailySpark Blogger Tanya has written many timely articles to help us all save money at the grocery store.

For those members who have lost their jobs, I pray that there is hope on the horizon. For those, like my family who are sitting and waiting, I pray that we will be able to face this situation head on while maintaining our healthy living lifestyle and a positive attitude. One thing is for certain, we will always have our SparkPeople family to carry us through life’s adversities and you can’t beat that.

Have you been affected by a layoff and if so how are you coping? Has the recent job loss reports had an impact on your lifestyle--good or bad?