hrive
By Holly Alastra, RD, MSC, LN
How to Deflect Deadly Stress
My aim is to live a stress-free life. But, truth be told, I am not there yet. I grew up with a Vietnam Veteran father who had undiagnosed, but very evident, post-traumatic stress disorder. The rest of the family tiptoed through the mine field, never knowing when he was going to explode. Throughout my childhood, I experienced chronic high levels of stress that shaped my brain, making me more prone to anxiety and depression. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame my dad for my problems. He was once an innocent victim, too, shot in the head no less. But my childhood no doubt played, and sometimes still continues to play, a big part in my reaction patterns. For several years, I dealt with my strong negative emotions by overeating. My eating problems helped me deal with stress, but left the rest of my life a mess. In order to overcome my food addiction, I had to learn new behaviors to cope with my negative emotions. But even more than this, I had to rewire my brain so that I no longer created stress through my thoughts and actions.
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