7 Tips to Reduce Stress After Bariatric Surgery
Undergoing bariatric surgery can be a major step toward controlling your weight, but you’ll still need to cope with numerous challenges on the course of your journey. In particular, you’ll have to deal with the various stresses that might trigger unhealthy or indulgent eating. As such, learning to reduce stress is a valuable key to weight loss.
Here, we’ll go over seven tips to reduce stress after bariatric surgery.
1. Get Organized to Reduce Stress
First, a chaotic living space can be a source of stress for many people, as can a cluttered schedule. By organizing your home, work area, and schedule, you’ll feel more in control of your life, thereby reducing stress while helping you feel more productive.
2. Practice Deep Breathing
During moments when you feel stressed, use deep breathing exercises as a coping mechanism. Just taking a few slow, intentional breaths can help you clear your mind and regain a sense of mastery over your situation.
3. Laugh to Reduce Stress
A major destress tool—and one that’s hardwired into all of us—is laughter. Watch something funny, tell a joke, or call that one friend who always seems to have something hilarious to say. Find easy ways to make laughter a common part of your life, and you should find that stress becomes less of a factor.
4. Manage Your Financial Health
Of the various sources of stress in our lives, finances are among the most prevalent. If your financial situation feels chaotic or uncertain after bariatric surgery, take some time to create a budget and find ways to meet your obligations. Doing so can help you feel more in control of your situation and reduce stress.
5. Do Something You Enjoy to Reduce Stress
Making life all about work is an easy way to feel bogged down. Make time for something you enjoy, even if it’s as simple as walking around in nature, singing to the radio, or doodling in a notebook. If it genuinely makes you smile, it’s worth your time.
6. Get Plenty of Sleep to Reduce Stress
Often, people who are highly stressed are also sleep deprived. Setting a bedtime and respecting it—and having other support you with it—can help you create a healthy sleep schedule. If you still have trouble sleeping, try some breathing exercises before bed.
7. Speak to a Professional Counselor
Many people use food as a stress reliever or source of comfort when faced with anxiety, depression, difficult relationships, or memories of past traumas. A counselor can help you process unresolved feelings and help you cope with stressful events in healthier ways.
Control Your Stress, Control Your Life
We all get stressed out every once in a while, and that’s okay. By using effective coping mechanisms to control your stress, you’ll make great strides toward living a healthier lifestyle after bariatric surgery.
