Recently I saw a neighbor whom I had seen for many months. She had gained a great deal of we weight, which surprised me, as she had always been very careful about her eating and exercise. I wasn’t going to say anything but she brought up her weight gain. She told me that the business she and her husband ran together had not done well the previous year. Things were better financially now but the stress of the previous year had left her 20 pounds heavier. “We were working all the time because the money just wasn’t coming in. I barely had time to sleep, let alone cook. My exercise routine was shot because I was so anxious.  But things have turned around and now I am going to start taking care of myself again.”

Her remarks left me wondering if spending time on one’s health, that is, eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, and spending a few minutes each day to relax and unwind, were luxuries that many of us cannot afford.  All of us dump our normal routines when faced with a crisis: Who would stop at a gym when a loved one is in the emergency room? But what happens to our good eating and exercise routines when, as so often happens, we are faced with chronic problems rather than emergencies? The child who is having trouble at school, the new boss from hell, the dear relative going through several rounds of chemotherapy, the mother who is developing Alzheimer’s: These stresses take their toll in time, stress, sleep and weight gain.

Yet many of us feel that we don’t have the right, or the time, or the energy to take care of ourselves in the face of these ongoing problems. But if we don’t take care of ourselves, who will?  Not eating right, skipping all exercise, and not getting enough sleep will not affect our health if we go back to our regular routine after a week of so. But months of ignoring our own needs, as in the case of my neighbor, can leave its toll.

The answer should be that self-care—taking care of your own mental and physical needs—must be a basic part of your day regardless of the stress that life imposes on you. If getting food in the house is a problem because there is no time to go to the supermarket, ask a family member or friend to help you. If your area has on-line food shopping use it. It may cost a little more in dollars but will bring the healthy foods you should be eating into your kitchen. If you can, shop at a food warehouse once a month so you have nutritional staples in the house.

No time to exercise? Can you find 10-1 5 minutes during the day for a fast walk or climbing stairs or hopping on your treadmill? Most people can tease fifteen minutes out of the most stress filled and busy day.  Is sleeping a problem? Consider using relaxation or meditation tapes to calm your thoughts so you are able to fall asleep.

 If you use nutritional therapy along with the tapes you will find calmness coming more easily. Eating a dinner that is high in carbohydrates with very little protein will allow your brain to make the comfort chemical, serotonin. A baked potato, salad and some steamed vegetables followed by a soothing tape ought to make sleep almost inevitable.

If you find yourself waking up often, consider taking a very low dose (0.3mg) of melatonin that will enhance your natural melatonin and allow you to fall and stay asleep. (Don’t take a larger dose. You want to take a dose similar to what your body normally makes.)

Use humor to decrease stress. Try to find something funny to read or watch on TV or a DVD. Laughter is perhaps the best way to help minds relax and feel more optimistic. .

Taking time to take care of yourself will leave you feeling better physically and mentally and thereby making you more effective in handling the problems that never seem to go away. And when they do go away (even if they are replaced by others) at least they will not leave you with the stress of dealing with extra weight, sleep deprivation and no stamina.

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