Debt and financial stress can shorten your life

by Elizabet h Walling See all ar t icles by t his aut hor Em ail t his aut hor

( Nat ur alNews) Ever y day we are bom barded by m edia r eport s about econom ic woes, nat ional debt and unem ploy m ent . And t he cr isis really hit s hom e when t he bills ar rive. Debt , m oney, and j obs ar e a huge sour ce of st r ess t hese days. And while t he pr oblem m ay be genuine, st ressing over it could be k illing you. When r esear chers in Finland int er viewed m or e t han 3,400 indiv iduals and t est ed t hem for m et abolic sy ndr om e, it was found t hat t hose wit h sym pt om s of m et abolic syndrom e ( lik e insulin resist ance, high cholest er ol and obesit y) were m ore likely t o have experienced st ressful event s dur ing t he previous y ear . Even m ore int er est ing: financial and wor k st r ess in par t icular appear t o be linked t o signs of m et abolic syndrom e. Why does st r ess over finances and debt hav e such a pr ofound im pact on our healt h? St r essing about m oney t r igger s a powerful surv ival r esponse in t he body: t he release of st r ess horm ones lik e cor t isol and adrenaline. These horm ones ar e necessary in sm all doses on a daily basis t o keep y our hear t beat ing and your lungs pum ping - - t hey can ev en be life- saving in cer t ain sit uat ions. But w hen t hese st ress hor m ones ar e chr onically elevat ed, it can lead t o all sort s of healt h problem s. Specifically, chronic st r ess can incr ease your r isk of hear t disease, st r ok e and high blood sugar . I t also im pact s digest ion, bone healt h, m ood and m any ot her aspect s of our healt h. So how do we over com e t hese life- t hreat ening healt h problem s? Drop t he st ress! Sur e, t his is easier said t han done, but if you want t o live a long and healt hy life it m ust be done. While we don't alway s have a choice in t he financial st r uggles t hat com e our w ay, m any fact ors ar e st ill under our cont r ol, and t hat is wher e you m ust focus your effor t s: 1. Get out of debt . The bills won't st op com ing unt il t hey ar e paid off. I f you have t he m eans, st art pay ing off your debt one bill at a t im e. Tip: st art wit h t he sm allest debt s so y ou can gain som e t r act ion and feel like you'r e get t ing som ewhere. 2. St op t he debt now! May be y ou ar en't in a posit ion t o pay off your debt ( and m any aren't ) , but t he next best t hing is t o st op adding t o y our debt as m uch as possible. Thr ow away t he credit car ds and m ake a habit of paying for t hings in cash. 3. Get r eal about your budget . I n order t o do t he t w o t hings above, y ou m ay have t o m ak e som e adj ust m ent s t o your lifest yle. I t helps t o t rack w her e y our m oney is going t o see wher e you can im prove. You m ay not live in t he lap of luxury, but chances ar e t her e's som e m oney slipping t hrough your finger s ev er y m ont h. Use financial soft w are or an old- fashioned pen and paper t o figur e out where your m oney is going. Then you'll see where changes can be m ade. Oft en it 's less painful t han you'd t hink. 4. Pr ior it ize your healt h. Healt hy living doesn't have t o cost a for t une. Try any of t hese: t ak e a daily walk out doors, go t o bed ear lier , t ake a few m inut es of downt im e each day, call an old friend you hav en't seen in a w hile, check out a good book at t he libr ary, m ake a few m ore hom e cooked m eals each w eek, or soak in a hot bat h aft er a st r essful day. 5. Lear n t o let go. St ress can becom e a learned r esponse. I t t ak es pract ice t o respond t o sit uat ions wit hout st r ess. St ress m anagem ent t echniques help y ou learn how t o deal wit h st ressful event s and sit uat ions wit hout let t ing t hem affect y our healt h adversely . For m or e infor m at ion: ht t p: / / ww w.r odale.com / st r ess- healt h...

ht t p: / / ww w.healt h.com / healt h/ art icl... ht t p: / / ww w.nat ur alnews.com / 028359_c... ht t p: / / ww w.nat ur alnews.com / 028427_c... About t h e a u t h or : Elizabet h Walling is a fr eelance wr it er specializing in healt h and fam ily nut rit ion. She is a st r ong believ er in nat ur al living as a way t o im pr ove healt h and prevent m odern disease. She enj oys t hinking out side of t he box and challenging com m on m y t hs about healt h and wellness. You can visit her blog t o lear n m or e: www.livingt henour ishedlife.com / 2009...