SHELF HELP

Staff from your Monroe County Public Library recommend some of their favorites from the collection.

What: “One Brilliant Flame” by Joy Castro

Deadlines. Traffic. Waiting in line. Full email boxes. Politics. Kids. Money. Did I mention traffic? What do these all have in common? Stress. All of these cause stress, and not just a little – a lot. We’ve come to normalize being stressed in our society. In fact, dare I say we’ve romanticized it a little bit?

You tell me: If you met someone who was completely stress-free, how would you feel about them? First, probably a little jealous, but after that, would you not be thinking, “They must not have much of a life” or “They probably grew up with a silver spoon”?

It’s as if being stressed is a badge of honor, a recognition that we are killing ourselves. But it’s okay because if we weren’t, we would be labeled “lazy,” or worse (gasp) “lucky.”

The majority of us are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation, balancing soccer schedules and board meetings, while dodging and weaving the left lane lollygaggers as you open your banking app and transfer more savings into your checking because the price of groceries is absolutely sucking you dry.

Yeah, stress. So romantic.

So now you may be wondering, “So what? It’s stress, it’s normal, what’s the big deal?” The “big deal” is what happens when the body is under chronic stress, with the biggest problem being excessive weight gain. In fact, new research from UCLA has uncovered that stress and obesity are more intertwined than experts have ever thought. Below I have broken down the research. Big thanks to Precision Nutrition for making such an awesome graphic to help make the connection crystal clear.

The premise: Stress can affect multiple “systems” that are involved in weight control.

Each one of these systems has a feedback loop that can affect all the others. It’s these interactions that really cause the bigger problems, and it’s a cycle that is incredibly hard to break.

Biochemistry

Stress may also affect blood chemicals related to weight control, especially leptin, ghrelin and neuropeptide Y, which affect hunger, appetite and fat storage.

Weight Stigma

The researchers define weight stigma as “the sum of prejudice, discrimination and negative attitudes aimed at those perceived as overweight.”

This in itself creates another feedback loop. Obesity leads to weight stigma which then creates … more stress. And on and on it goes.

In part two, I will go into detail about practical and effective ways to cope with stress and ultimately help decrease the amount of stress in daily life. In the meantime, slow down, remind yourself that stress causes quite the mess physiologically, and no matter how irritating the traffic may be, it’s far better than dealing with a stress feedback loop.

Want to learn more? Scan the code to read the original research.

Why: In the 19th century, Key West was the center of Cuban enterprise, exile and intrigue. The cigar industry, and the revolt against Spanish colonial rule, combined to make nearby American territory Cuban in ways that continue to reverberate today. This novel, set between the Ten Years War and the Spanish American War, focuses on a group of young Cuban-American women who are coming of age in this turbulent era. A rich cigar maker’s daughter, a cigar maker and the daughter of a woman who runs a boarding house are an unlikely trio of friends. Their experiences and perspectives illuminate that time in Key West in a way no history book can.

Where: This is available as a print book from the Monroe County Library system.

How: You can request books online by logging in to www. keyslibraries.org and get ebooks and e-audiobooks 24/7 at www. estuff.keyslibraries.org. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register online to get one. Questions? info@ keyslibraries.org

Recommended by: Nancy

Klingener, community affairs manager

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