Don’t Be The Most Stressed Out Person You Know (8 Traps To Avoid)

Stressed out woman

There are many situations that can aggravate your stress level and put you in a roller coaster of crankiness: A health issue, a work issue, a family-related issue, a financial issue, and the list goes on and on.

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Introduction

Your mood swings can change how people behave around you.

Sometimes we don’t know why we get moody or stressed out, and people tend to hold grudges towards us because of the tension we produce in the room.

Usually these trying circumstances are not related to how we click together with our loved ones. In this case, our chemistry with some people is not the main issue and should not be the focus for why we need to change.

Your health needs to be the #1 priority.

Understanding WHY you get cranky and irritable might shed some light on how to NOT stress yourself out and how to help yourself out of your uncomfortable situation.

So, let’s examine why you might be extra stressed out and cranky, and let’s find out great ways to be resilient to stress.

*Please note: This post contains affiliate links. Several links in this post will take you to Amazon.com or to other sites where you can find out additional information about some of the products mentioned here, read reviews, and check out prices.

A Stressed Out Person’s 8 Most Stress Factors- Solutions On How To Build Resilience To Stress

Crankiness has various levels. A stressed person can be cute when he or she is stressed out, while someone else can be a total nightmare.

Men can be as cranky and stressed out as women at times, but because women have a lot more hormonal changes throughout their lifetime, they tend to have the lion share of the gift of crankiness.

But why do some people get stressed out more than others? Why is it YOU, and not your friend, or your sister or brother?

Thankfully, being stressed out is fixable, so don’t worry too much about it for now.

Just examine these questions and make a decision to move forward and help yourself get from stressed out to blissful Zen.

Here are the main questions you can ask yourself to verify if you stress out easily and fit the mold.

Could It Be Your Junk Food Diet?

If your diet is full of junk food, then you will, most likely, be cranky and stressed out.

How does building resilience around picking the right foods affect your health? Let me explain.

Junk Food Diet

If you often hear your partner, wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend, mom, or dad, sister, or brother say “Eating chocolate again?”, or “This stuff can kill you,” then know that there’s something wrong.

Just don’t yell back at them with “I am stressed out!”

You might be consuming the wrong foods to begin with, and you might be under a tremendous amount of stress.

These foods, such as a combination of junk carbohydrates, bad hydrogenated fats like margarine, will negatively affect people who are stressed out and will elevate their blood sugar and blood pressure.

If this is you, then too much sugar may make you more prone to mood swings, hunger, and irritability… Not to mention strokes and other ailments.

It’s not normal to be hungry all the time, and I am not an advocate of eating 5 to 6 times per day. This is because the digestive system and the gut need to rejuvenate and heal from the bombardment of foods.

Eating non-nutritious foods that are rich in a combination of excessive carbs and excessive fats mixed together (i.e. French fries and burgers on the go, with a 16 ounce regular sugary soda) can be linked to depression. Junk food can impair cognition.

Solutions: 

Eat healthier foods that deliver vitamins, minerals and good fats, such as greens, grass fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, salads, and avocados.

Do You Eat A Lot Of Sugar To Sustain Your Mood?

Addicted to sugarThe excess sugar can play with your mood. An excess amount of sugar can elevate the sugar level in the blood, creating a roller coaster of emotions inside your body.

Are you on a very high carbohydrate intake during the day?

Loading up on pasta, bread, chocolate, pizza, and candy all day long is a sure way to stay stressed out and to not have a stable level of blood sugar in your system.

The excess sugar eventually creates a sugar crash, making you irritable, tired, foggy in the brain, and moody.

Solutions:

Examine your sugar and carbohydrates intake. The average American takes in about 350 grams of carbohydrates per day, which is extremely high and alarming, and they mix it with high amounts of fats.

Unfortunately, a high amount of sugar and a high amount of fat mixed together may contribute to cognitive mental conditions and to chronic illnesses.

You might be addicted to sugar. A sugar addiction can make you very emotional and constantly cranky. Before you know it, you will be in search for your next sugar rush. Strange words might come out of your mouth, such as “Give me that chocolate NOW, or I will drop the vase!”

As a stressed out person, consider eliminating a lot of carbohydrates from your diet. You can start by eliminating sugary drinks, pastas, and breads and see how you feel.

If you have a medical condition, you may need the supervision of a doctor, but if you are fairly healthy, then check out these facts in the post titled Ketogenic Diet And Fasting 101 (For Weight Loss, Brain, Skin, Wellness).

Could Your Iodine Levels Or Thyroid Gland Be Out Of Whack?

Thyroid issueAn iodine deficiency in the body may cause thyroid issues and may increase the bad effects of radiation in case of a nuclear disaster. It can also be related to these conditions:

  • ADHD- Studies were made but more trials are needed.
  • Autism- Check out this study. 
  • Breast, uterine, thyroid, ovarian cancer.
  • Chronic fatigue.
  • Fibrocystic breast (liquid sacks that form in the breasts that get aggravated around the woman’s cycle, and often need needle aspiration therapy)- Conclusive evidence was published in this study.
  • Graves’ disease.
  • Hashimoto’s disease- Check out this study.
  • Hypothyroidism.
  • Immune system malfunction.

I just want to make sure that you don’t simply add iodine to your diet without backing it up with the proper dosage.

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Check price on Amazon

In his book “Iodine, why we need it”, Dr. David Brownstein talks about working with holistic doctors to incorporate iodine or iodide in the body (the ion state of iodine, which is a different expression of iodine itself), since too much of it can cause the same effects as too little of it.

Any form of iodine will potentially require other nutrients to help support it (i.e. Selenium). A thyroid-friendly diet is full of seaweeds, fruits, vegetables, bone broth, coconut oil, and wild caught fish.

Solutions: 

Don’t panic! The good news is that thyroid issues are treatable. If any of the symptoms above apply to you, make sure that you check your thyroid levels with the help of your doctor.

It is easy to treat stress and other conditions that result from iodine deficiency. Just make sure to enlist the help of a doctor or a holistic doctor and check on your thyroid. He or she may be able to add other important agents to treating this condition, such as diet, detoxification, and natural hormones.

Can Your Female Hormones Be Off The Charts?

Hormones are out of balanceIt is important to learn how not to stress yourself out when you know that you are being “hormonal”.

Examine the timing of your mood swings and stress level.

Do they happen around the same time each month? Are you pregnant? Are you menopausal? Are you surprised that you’re eating ice cream mixed with potato chips? Oh wait… That was me. Do you feel irritable and want to throw darts at an image of your boss?

Solutions: 

This is not a guide on how to get stressed. It is one on how to avoid stress. However, in certain situations you will need to embrace changes in your life, which may make you a bit uncomfortable.

You can learn how to alleviate some of the bad symptoms and treat the root cause of your discomfort.

Just like iodine deficiency gets swiped under the mat in the western hemisphere of earth, adrenal fatigue is rarely discussed when it comes to truly addressing the “WHY” behind certain conditions related to stress. This is especially true around women’s hormones during certain phases of their lives.

If you’re a human being, it’s your job to question things. If you’re a woman and feel crappy after your pregnancy, during PMS or menopause, it’s your job to question things even more.

Sometimes a medical pill is absolutely necessary, but other times you may want to research alternative solutions to the CAUSES of your discomfort, and not just ways to mask the symptoms.

Unfortunately, traditional medicine does just that: Masking symptoms and not necessarily treating the root causes of discomfort. Always do your own research and make your own judgment. With that said, I just want to remind you that I might play one on TV, but I’m not a doctor!

So, here are some alternative thoughts that you can consider about dealing with stress.

Solutions:

  • After your pregnancy: Just like the case of many other supplements, you don’t want to take adrenal support supplements during pregnancy because they may have adverse reactions. If you’re pregnant, wait until you deliver your baby and then consider adding some adrenal support supplements to help heal your adrenal fatigue. A lot of stress is put on your body during your pregnancy, and a lot more is about to arrive as you start welcoming your newborn baby (oh, like needing to get up in the middle of the night, every night, three times per night).
  • During your menstrual cycle: Adrenal fatigue can also occur in women who are going through their period. Telling signs that something is out of whack when your Aunt Flo is here or supposed to be here are: 1) irregular menstrual cycle, 2) feeling irritable, 3) needing chocolate and potato chips at the same time, or 4) wanting to “Voodoo Doll” people who are perceived as “donkey-holes”, like the stranger who cut you off in traffic earlier this morning.

Most people think that having hot flashes comes with getting older. As the TV star Judge Judy would say “baloney!”

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Having hot flashes is NOT normal, and wanting to punch your boyfriend, partner, husband, or the waiter for not bringing you enough ice with your soda is wakadoodle!

These phases of discomfort occur when your stress hormones get aggravated with adrenal fatigue.

I found that adrenal support supplements do wonders. So, supporting your adrenals is a perfect solution to help reduce these abnormal stressful symptoms.

You will probably not see results right away. It may take 3 weeks to 1.5 months to start feeling better. You will eventually feel dramatically and positively different after 2 months of being on an adrenal formula.

Once you find a balance in your emotions, come back to the comments below and tell us about your experience.

If you don’t take anything else or do anything else, at least support your adrenal glands!

Omega 3 – View reviews and check price on Amazon

For female-related hormonal stress, a good diet, relaxation, and supplements (such as those for adrenal support) can help a great deal.

Check price on Amazon
Check price on Amazon

Another supplement that can support general stress, as well as female related hormonal stress, is omega-3, which is usually found in fish oil, salmon oil, cod liver oil, or krill oil.

Omega 3 has been shown in studies to be very effective in reducing the discomfort around PMS and menopause.

As a female, your sex hormones, and other hormones, like cortisol, will fluctuate during your menstrual cycle and during various times of your life.

Solutions:

Don’t panic. This is something normal.

Just try to support your stress level with the right foods, an omega-3 supplement, and by being aware of your mood. Try to help yourself out when you can.

Do You Have Work, Money, Family, Or Self-Fulfillment Issues?

Earlier, I was listening to London Grammar‘s version of the song “Bitter Sweet Symphony” By The Verve.

This song sums up exactly what I am trying to say here, and it also presents a realistic idea of what life is all about…

“Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life,
Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to the money then you die.
I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down,
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.” (The Verve)

Life is like a symphony… It has ups and downs. It has some familiar and some unfamiliar moments. It has great pleasurable times and painful dark times. You work for money to pay your bills, and at the end you die. This is regardless of who you are, what you experience throughout your life, the people that come and go in your life, and what possessions you have.

This symphony of life applies to all of us.

You’re not a child anymore. You have worries and sometimes external factors can make you stressed out beyond your control. Do you agree?

Work can play a big role in whether or not you are happy and satisfied at your job. Building resilience at work is not that easy, but it is attainable.

Money can be important too, and the lack of it can bring on anxiety.

Your family members can give you stress, and so can your own idea of self-fulfillment.

Building resilience to trauma is just as important as any other type of stress. It can be done if you truly want to feel stronger and to not surrender your strength to anyone or to anything. A lot of people have bad memories of events, but learning to give these memories the right weight is important.

Remember that regardless of the situation, you’re alive NOW, and life is for the living. Reflecting on the past is OK, but moving forward is necessary.

When these types of stressors occur in your life, you will need to consider being extra good to yourself and changing your reality.

Solutions:

It is apparent that you need something different in your life. In this case, stress will be a positive conduit to make a change.

  • You can find another job or get a second job if you have to.
  • You can avoid toxic people, even if they are family members, and especially if they are acquaintances. Family will be family, and you can learn to “ignore” their comments and tune them out.
  • You can definitely drop anybody who breaks your healthy boundaries.
  • You can avoid people who take you for granted and bring you down.
  • You can say NO to energy vampires and users.
  • You can find people who will contribute positively to your life. Life is indeed way too short to waste it on the wrong people.
  • You can work on yourself and change your life one step at a time. We wrote extensively on the subject, and you can check out the post How To change Your Life In 21 Days (Get Motivated in 6 Steps).

Are You A Caffeine Junkie?

Addicted to caffeineDrinking a lot of caffeinated drinks, such as endless cups of tea and coffee, can play tricks on your mood and psyche. It is a sure way to ensure that you are stressing yourself out more than normal.

Too much caffeine can induce anxiety and sleep disorders, as well as stress. People around you might notice your behavior before you admit to it.

Caffeine is like glue. It binds to your brain’s receptors while not binding with receptors that signal that you need rest. This is why most of us drink coffee to stay alert. Bzzzz…

The problem with this is that too much caffeine can have an adverse effect. One cup of coffee contains close to 120 mg of caffeine. An average consumer drinks about 2-3 cups per day, taking in about 360 mg of caffeine total.

But what about you today? Did you down a double espresso, followed by two x 12 ounces of coffee, and 2 cappuccinos? What about that piece of chocolate and that cola?

As long as caffeine is processed early during the day, and as long as you don’t exceed 2-3 cups per day, it may not have an adverse effect on the body. However, if you drink coffee anytime during the day and at night before you go to bed, then you are probably contributing to your stress level.

Remember that colas can have caffeine as well. This type of caffeine also counts.

Solutions:

It is important to limit your caffeine intake during the day. An average 2-3 cups of coffee is acceptable, but make sure the caffeine is consumed 4 to 6 hours before bed. Be careful with the total amount of caffeine you’re consuming throughout the day.

A better solution would be to switch from coffee to green tea.

One cup of green tea contains about a third of the caffeine found in a cup of coffee, and carries with it amazing antioxidants. We have written extensively on the subject of green tea, and you can check out the post titled 17 Health Benefits Of Green Tea (And The Studies Behind Them).

Decaf Bustelo Coffee – View reviews and check price on Amazon

You can also switch to decaf coffee, as some of the coffee brands taste as good as the regular brands.

Check price on Amazon
Check price on Amazon

My favorite is the decaffeinated Cafe Bustelo brand, which is a delicious Cuban roast that I can always find at my local grocery store.

If you live in South Florida or on the Southwest Coast of Florida like I do, then you probably have tasted delicious Cuban coffee.

Just FYI, even decaf coffee has a trace of caffeine, about less than 2 mg per cup because the caffeine is usually stripped from the bean (there’s no such thing as a decaf coffee bean).

Can Starving Your Body From Food And Nutrients Aggravate Your Stress Level?

Nutritious Foods

Here’s the deal… Stress can be vicious and can create a nutritional mess in your body.

If you don’t consume enough nutrients from food sources, then you will most likely be contributing to more stress in your system.

You will also be indirectly increasing the production of free radicals in your body.

What are free radicals? They are not free goodies like they sound. No.

They are toxic molecules that steal electrons from other cells. How dare they! But they do… This means that they create havoc on the body to the point where your other cells may malfunction and die.

This is why people who are under a tremendous amount of stress age more rapidly and appear to be in poor health.

Solutions: 

Make sure that you’re eating nutrients throughout the day, and enough to sustain your body’s cellular needs.

Instead of worrying about a job, work, money, or a fight with a partner, worry about maintaining a healthy routine during the day.

Vitamin E – View reviews and check price on Amazon

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Check price on Amazon

Another idea is to add certain nutrients to your body to counteract any free radicals that may form during your stressful times.

 

These includes foods rich in vitamin C, and beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A), and vitamin E.

Pick foods with life in them that carry some of the nutrients you need to sustain a good overall body function.

  • Foods that are rich in vitamin C include Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli, oranges, and strawberries.
  • Foods that are rich in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, and dark leafy vegetables like spinach and romaine lettuce.
  • Foods that are rich in E vitamin include sunflower seeds, almonds, sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, and olive oil.

If you don’t want to eat 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds each day to get about 85% of your vitamin E allowance (and add an extra 200 calories to your regimen), then consider consuming vitamin E in capsule-form.

If you want to find a good grade of vitamin E at your local health food store, try to get one without soy and with real sunflower seeds (this is the natural source of vitamin E).

Could It Be Because You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep?

Not getting enough sleepThis is perhaps the easiest concept that everybody understands.

The connection between grogginess, crankiness, stress, mood swings and Night sleep is AS clear as day.

If you don’t get enough sleep, you will feel tired and stressed out the next day, correct?

But why are you having a hard time sleeping at night?

It’s really a vicious cycle of stress, overthinking, not having good sleep habits, eating the wrong foods or drinks before going to bed, and not having the correct soothing and inviting environment to help you fall asleep.

Solutions: 

In addition to eliminating caffeine 4-6 hours before bed, and maintaining better eating habits during the day, there are certain products that can help you fall asleep.

One of them is called “book”. I’m just being funny… many people don’t even have one book.

Any topic that has no connection with your life will do, like a book on the history of bees, or the secret life of donkeys will do (wait… this actually may be very interesting to me! So… I will stick to the subject of bees).

Other options would be getting products that can help you get your stress level under control during the day and sleep better at night.

For physical products, I like to use scented candles, take hot baths with bath bombs or Epsom salt once in a while. I am an extreme Zen lover, so I calm myself down with aromatherapy and a neck and back Shiatsu massager after a long day at work. I also use my heavy duty foot massager at my home office as I work on my computer.

When I’m ready for bed, I use my iPad with a thick dark cover that shields the light emitting from it. I cover all lights emitting from devices and I tune in to long YouTube monotonous lectures (I will not mention names), and poof… I’m zzzz out. I usually turn the volume down very low to the point where I can barely hear the audio, and I drift off to sleep. I’m asleep in as little as 10 minutes.

I find that if I occupy my mind with other things than my thoughts, I fall asleep much faster. Give it a try!

Final Thoughts On How To Deal With Your Stress Level

Stress can be a pain in the behind. You definitely don’t want to be the most stressed out person in a room full of others. Stressed out people may be annoying to other people around them, so it’s important to get things in check.

Try to constructively help yourself with ideas on better habits, nutrition, and Zen techniques to help you reduce your stress levels.

Stress can be bad, but stress and resilience can be good.

Being a stressed out person is good sometimes. Stress is a way to tell you that something is wrong and something needs to change.

Don’t judge yourself on being stressed out. Embrace the idea that your stress is a fact of life, but learn how to defeat it, or at least keep it under control when you can.

Express your stress with creativity, laughter, and other activities like sports, or playing music, and share your feelings with people you trust.

The goal of a successful life is to focus on what really matters: Positive human relationships, happiness, and health.

Stress? That will come and go.

Be well.

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