Be careful how you voice this problem. Well-meaning friends and family members will suddenly get ultraconcemed. They tell you to relax, take it easy, breathe deeply, go out for long walks. You smile through gritted teeth. Don’t these people know how busy you are? You have no time for all this namby-pamby relaxation nonsense. You have to get on.

Stress is dealt with in various topic in this web site, but right here, right now, is there anything you can do to elevate your mood? At least so you don’t snap at friends when they give you all that advice on destressing.

Heding

Well, one thing you can do immediately is balance your blood sugar levels. Don’t panic! Put thoughts of diabetes and daily injections out of your mind. You can do this through what you eat and once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s like falling off a log. We all have to balance our blood sugar levels to a greater or lesser degree, depending on how our body handles the sugar (glucose) in the blood. Very simplistically, sweet things or fast energy­releasing foods will send your blood sugar levels soaring high like a rocket and then crashing rapidly down again once the hormone insulin rushes in to lower the sugar in the blood. The trick is to choose foods that sustain you. Dense, fibrous foods such as lentils do this rather than sweet or starchy foods like gluey white loaves of bread or potatoes. Eat slow energy-releasing carbohydrates, or protein with slow energy-releasing carbohydrates, which will raise blood sugar levels slowly.

So, what effect does wildly fluctuating blood sugar levels have on mood? Well, in case your partner hasn’t told you already, this can make you irritable, grouchy and fatigued. Not great things to aspire to if you want to handle your stress better.

Allergy, Allargy Everywhere

Food intolerances, referred to by some as food allergies, seem to be all the rage these days. Generally speaking, an example of a food allergy is if you fall down gasping when you eat nuts. A food intolerance can have loads of different effects on the health, but you may feel anything from a general unwell feeling to aching joints. It may also affect your mood. If you suspect you might have a problem then visit a nutritionist.

Fat Head

Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are called essential fats because they are. Essential that is. Your body’s hormones and your brain run on them so if you make sure you’re getting enough. Sources of omega-3 fats include flax and hemp seeds, whereas omega-6 fats come from oily fish like sardines, mackerel or salmon. The brain is more than 60% fat.

Food and Mood

An easy way to improve how you deal with stress is to reduce the amount of tea and coffee you drink. These contain stimulants that only make you more hyped up and tense. Try cutting down on those lattes and see how you feel.

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