Dealing with Stress

Stress. It's a topic I come back to quite often. It's a topic that has even earned itself a category heading in my other blog's sidebar.

I'm always seeking to free myself from the tight clench of Stress (even as I willingly climb into his hand time and time again). I decided to enroll in a two-hour class entitled "The Tao of Stress Management."

The presenter started the workshop by emphasizing the direct relationship between stress and nutrition. He argued that when we eat processed foods, we put unnecessary stress on our cells. He railed against refined sugar, flours, pasta, etc.

Then he moved into a segment about accepting personal responsibility for our stress levels. Ultimately, we are the ones responsible for our emotional state. We create stress for ourselves by being too hard on ourselves, wanting to control things we can, escalating stress, or blaming things on other people. Our reactions to external stimuli determine our stress levels (not the stimuli themselves). It made me feel so silly for all the times I let bad drivers frustrate me on the road. Seriously? Why escalate my stress level over something so stupid?

He talked about deep breathing as one antidote for stress. He discussed the important of breathing all the way into your stomach--really letting your belly expand with each inhale. This particular technique has already worked wonders on my stress levels. If I'm really, really stressed, I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth to release all my pent up emotion. I'm trying to condition myself to breathe deeply as a habit.

He also touched on the importance of regular physical activity. Even though I have personally experienced the beneficial effects of exercise on my stress levels, it still helps to hear the message over and over again.

Because he is an acupuncturist, he also discussed the benefits of acupuncture.

In terms of next steps, here's what I generated during the workshop:

1. Find a natural, whole foods cookbook (maybe this one?)
2. Set aside time to relax every night before bed
3. Practice breathing all the way into my belly
4. Stop complaining
   
5. Do yoga (for crying out loud!)
6. Start taking walks after dinner
7. Take 25 deep breaths as I fall asleep

In short, I loved his closing summary about how to reduce stress in your life: "Breathe more deeply, eat more simply, and move more frequently."

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Natural Healthcare

Ooh, I'm excited about this acupuncture center I found in Houston: The Axelrad Clinic for Natural Women's Healthcare. Here's what their website says:

Restore your natural rhythm and correct hormonal imbalance with safe, natural, hormone-free treatment. We have seen excellent results treating conditions such as menopausal symptoms, menstrual irregularity, PMS, endometriosis, and other common women's health complaints.

Our women's health treatment program is designed to support your body's natural hormonal function and restore the delicate balance of your endocrine system. Using the natural treatments of Acupuncture, Individualized Herbal Therapy, and targeted nutritional support, we correct the subtle disharmonies that are causing your hormones to function abnormally. We have seen dramatic improvements in patients with these and other conditions:

• Menopausal symptoms
• Endometriosis
• Irregular menstruation
• Painful/heavy/infrequent periods
• Premature Ovarian Failure
• Hormonal imbalance
• Stress, anxiety, and depression

Our program that incorporates detailed holistic analysis of your unique constitution, combined with and supported by laboratory testing. It is our view that by combining holistic and scientific we are on the cutting edge of natural women's health care, providing our patients with a high degree of accuracy and efficacy. Your treatment program will consist of:

• A detailed initial consultation to pinpoint the type, source, and cause of hormonal imbalance.
• Development of a customized treatment plan that addresses the symptoms as well as the cause of your hormonal issues.
• Regular acupuncture or Qigong treatments designed to support and encourage proper functioning at every stage of the menstrual cycle.
• Customized herbal prescriptions tailored to your individual needs, targeted to maximize each phase of your cycle.
• A targeted nutritional support regimen that is based on results of laboratory testing and grounded in scientific knowledge and research.
• Mind-body exercises, meditations, and lifestyle guidance based on your unique needs.

The advantage of our program is that we do not use potentially harmful hormones to treat your issues. Taking hormones, while helpful in the short term, does not allow your body to "re-learn" its own natural process. Exogenous hormones merely cover up the root cause of the problem. In our experience, simple dietary, nutritional, and lifestyle changes are often enough to make a significant impact on hormonal output, response, and metabolism. When you use natural therapies such as those we prescribe BEFORE agreeing to take hormonal treatments, you give your body the chance to truly heal. Of course, in some cases hormones may be necessary, but in most of those cases we have seen that lower doses are required due to the body's increased response and improved metabolic efficiency.

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Mid-Month Reflection

Yes, it is way past the "mid-month" point. But in a few short days, I will be reflecting on the past month. I need to do a brief check-in with myself and make sure I'm on track.

Here were my goals for February:

1. I want to do a better job of tracking our spending, using our index-card method. This approach works really well for me, but it's hard for me to keep track of Matt's spending when he goes on an errand. We have a new system for putting receipts in a particular place, so it should get easier. [Phew! We're doing this!]
   
2. I want to completely organize my classroom (i.e., library, curriculum shelves, and closet) and get my word wall up. [I'm trying. I still have a couples days, right?]
   
3. Invite someone over for dinner that we want to get to know better. [Yes!]
   
4. Maintain a happy and content life, despite lots of upcoming potential stressors. [Yeah, I'm doing pretty well with this.]
   
5. Schedule appointments with the doctor and dentist for regular check-ups. [I keep avoiding this. Argh!]
   
6. Undertake at least one home-improvement project (probably getting a consistent fence all the way around our house). [We are making serious progress on this front!]
   
7. Run consistently (four times a week) and do 15 minutes of yoga the other three days of the week. [Running, kind of. Yoga, not at all.]
   
8. Maintain regular posting on three of my blogs. [Yes!]
   
9. Try to consistently eat balanced meals. [Yes!]
   
10. Make another craft. [Well, I've been working on my chalkboard window project, but I haven't finished it yet.]
    
11. Find a marriage counselor so we can make sure our relationship is as strong as possible before we have a baby. [I've been working on this one...]

Okay, I'm not as behind as I thought. I still have a few days to get as much done as possible...

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Entering the "Pre-mester"

My new books arrived at my local library this weekend, and I am super-excited. I pretty much read Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility from cover to cover on Saturday afternoon.

The basic premise is that healthy bodies make healthy babies. I've always loved reading about how to healthify my body/life, so these kinds of books appeal to me. The book also blends ideas from Western and Eastern medicine in really unique ways. I don't know much about more Eastern approaches to medicine, although I am extremely attracted to the idea of looking at health from a more holistic, and systems-based perspective.

Here are my next steps (some of them were ideas from other places, but something in the book reminded me of them):

1. Really track my cycle. I have long cycles (like 40 days), so this process can be tedious. But I need to do it. I really do.
   
2. Get an earpiece for my cell phone. The effects of radiation are still being researched. It's better to be safe than sorry.
3. Look for books about regulating one's menstrual cycle.
4. Practice having orgasms in the missionary position, since that position is apparently ideal for conception.
5. When we are trying to conceive, I should stay put for 10-20 minutes after intercourse to allow the sperm time to do their thing.
6. Don't use lubrication when trying to conceive.
7. When tracking my cycle, I should look for a temperature change of at least four degrees. When I sleep in on weekends, I should take off 0.1 degrees for each extra 1/2 hour I sleep.
8. I shouldn't turn the water so hot when I shower.
9. I should switch to organic tampons.
10. Ask Matt to keep his computer away from his lap.
11. Start taking a leisurely walk every day.
12. Turn our backyard into a relaxing sanctuary.
13. Do back-strengthening exercises to better prepare for labor.
14. Eat "fresh, seasonal, organic food in its natural state."
15. Eat more quinoa, millet, spelt, and bulgur.
16. Order organic chicken feed, since they don't sell it in Houston.
17. Switch to a 3-a-day vitamin rather than a 1-a-day.
18. Get more plants to help with indoor air pollution.

The book challenges parents-to-be to look at the three months leading up to conception as the "pre-mester." They suggest that you "take care of your body as you would if you were already pregnant." Since Matt and I are talking about starting at the beginning of June, we're pretty much on the cusp of this 3-month period.

I know I can be a crazy-planner, but in this case, I think it's totally justified to embody healthy habits before conception. So much affects fetal development, right from the start. The authors also bring up the Chinese idea that "eighty percent is perfection." In other words, it's okay to not be perfect. Everything in moderation.

The book also delves into "fertility types" (tired, dry, stuck, pale, and waterlogged) and includes a self-assessment (as well as an online assessment for free). However, none of the types really resonated with me.

I'm nervous about my fertility because of past experiences. When I started menstruating, I had a very regular, 28-day cycle. Then in college I went on birth control for several years. When I tried to go off of it because I didn't want to be on hormones anymore, my period didn't come back, even after a year. The gynecologist put me back on birth control pills. I didn't question it because I wanted to solve the problem. My period did come back.

A while later, I tried to go off again, and the same thing happened. I went to another doctor who said, "Are you trying to get pregnant?" I explained that I wasn't. She said, "Then don't worry about it. You'll probably have fertility problems when you want to get pregnant, but don't worry about it now."

Argh!

My periods finally returned, but they can range between 30-something and 70-something (when I'm really stressed) days. I need to go to the doctor for a yearly pap smear, so I'm going to talk to her about this situation. I also want to find an acupuncturist (even though it kind of weirds me out).

We'll see what happens. Getting pregnant is the kind of thing you can actively work toward but can't really control.

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Operation Closet Reorganization Part II

Operation Closet Reorganization is in full swing. I actually followed through on my "next steps" from Friday's post. Specifically, I:

1. Got the dimensions of the space we're working with.
2. Made a model of the space on a piece of graph paper.
3. Brainstormed different arrangements.
4. Started looking for organizers.

I also realized that I need to add additional steps in there:

1. Establish goals for the mission: 1) Be as eco-friendly as possible. 2) Ensure that the process induces minimal stress. 3) Keep our tight budget in mind. 4) Create a space that is efficient and effective.
2. Purge the closet (well, "closets," since Matt primarily uses the closet in the craft room), so we get an accurate sense of how much stuff we actually need to store.
3. Make a comprehensive list of everything we need to store in the closet to make sure we create a space for everything.
   

I started with the bookshelf in the deep part of our closet. Currently, we have two smaller bookshelves, with lots of junked stacked on top. I figured it made much more sense to get one tall and wide bookshelf to capitalize on the space. Of course I headed straight to IKEA to find the right bookshelf in terms of dimensions and price and then searched for the same bookcase on craigslist, since a used option would be more friendly on the Earth and the wallet.

Once I was on the IKEA site, I realized they had a whole closet organizing system that could be purchased by the piece and custom-assembled. At that point, I started working with the arrangement and decided I didn't need to look much further.

Of course, I had to compromise on my goals a little (since they can be quite contradictory). Buying new stuff is not eco-friendly. It's also more expensive. However, finding everything at IKEA helps make the whole process less stressful and time consuming and ensures that the final product will be very streamlined and will maximize the available space.

The current configuration (I'm crossing my fingers that I did the math right) will have lots of room for books and baskets (the baskets will hold belts, scarves, and other flotsam and jetsam like bathing suits and leg warmers). We will also hang a hook to the left of the bookcase, so we can hang one of our sleeping bags. I have a down sleeping comforter, so it's better to store them in an open position.

The clothing part will have room for lots of shirts (although I'm nervous that I'll need a stool to reach them!), a row for pants (Matt and I will each have five hooks, and the hooks can hold more than one pair), two small drawers and two large ones, an area for dresses, and two shelves for sweaters and sweatshirts (we can also use some space in the bookshelf if we need to).

The total cost would be under $500, which is not as budget-friendly has I had hoped for, but it will be a lot more convenient to get this project rolling and over with in the same weekend.

I'm nervous that I somehow haven't done the math right and we won't be able to fit everything in. I'll ask Matt to double-check my calculations. I'm also estimating that the clothes part will overlap with the bookshelf for about six inches. It's not a huge deal, but it does mean a small portion of the bookshelf will be difficult to access.

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Closet Makeover: The Plan

Matt and I desperately need a closet makeover. I talked him into setting aside some time to tackle it next weekend.

Fortunately, we have a large closet. However, we aren't maximizing all the space it provides. We try to keep things folded on the top shelf, but we end up throwing things up there and they get completely disheveled.

Here's the plan:

1. Get the dimensions of the space we're working with.
   
2. Make a model of the space on a piece of graph paper.
   
3. Brainstorm different arrangements.
4. Start looking for organizers from IKEA, The Container Store, and local resale shops.

I'm excited! We gave our bathroom cabinets a makeover a few months ago, and I love it. I can't wait!

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A Friend's Book Recommendation

I talked to a friend that I haven't talked to in a while. I asked her how tracking her menstrual cycle was going because we had talked about the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility a long time ago. She highly recommended a new book: Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility.

Per the book's recommendation, she went to a fertility acupuncturist, which "totally changed [her] cycle, cleared up [her] headaches, etc., etc." Although I've always been a little skeptical of acupuncture, I do have a particularly long cycle (ever since I went off birth control years ago), and I would be interested in getting it back on track.

Now I'll just wait for the book to arrive and see if I like it. It's weird to think that Matt and I will probably start trying to get pregnant in the next three to six months.

I'm also realizing that the preconception reading I've done has been pretty haphazard. First, it started with the free books I got at the public library sale. Then it was just from books that I found on the shelf of my local library. I better do a more thorough search to make sure I'm not missing something really good. Let me go see what I can find:

Here's a to-read list:

1. What to Expect Before You're Expecting
2. Making a Baby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Pregnant
3. Fertility and Conception: A Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant
4. Fully Fertile
5. The Fertility Diet
   

I have to be super-careful with all this pre-planning not to stress myself out. Honestly, that's probably the most counter-productive thing a person can do while getting ready for conception...

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