Stress Management Techniques Can Reduce Flu Stress

The mental and emotional stress caused by the presence of the new H1N1 influenza can be controlled, and there are steps you can take to reduce anxiety and improve your psychological and physical health during this outbreak, says Josh Klapow,the author of  Living SMART: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever.

He says coping is rooted in thinking clearly and balancing emotions so that a person can function normally at work, at home and elsewhere.

Klapow's TIPS for coping with swine flu include:

- Keep a cool head. "This flu is an enemy we cannot see, and the fear created by that is palpable. Don't let it carry you away. Stay calm, eat healthy, get enough sleep and strive for a routine balance in life," Klapow says.

- Maintain perspective. "This involves a lot of self-talk or coaching oneself," Klapow says. "Remind yourself often that swine flu is a very mild illness, and though some tragic cases occur, most people are not developing serious disease to the point where they have to go to the hospital."

- Take simple action. "Get a grip on your anxiety and stress by doing something. The small personal actions do work in terms of protecting you and the public from getting sick. This helps transforms worry into productive worry," Klapow says.

- Focus on facts. "Make sure the information that your hearing is credible and accurate, not rumors or misstatements about flu and disease," Klapow says. "It's like a reality check. If you get sick, remind yourself you might be sick for five to six days, and then you'll get better. This keeps anxiety from spiraling."

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Learn To Manage Your Stress.

You Are What You Eat

One of the things you start to notice when you get into raw in a big way is that you get some verrry funny looks in the supermarket. Why? Well, the average trolley might contain a small collection of fruit and veg in amongst all the packaged cooked food staples. Yours, meanwhile, will be creaking under the weight of piles of fresh fruits and greens of numerous varieties - and not a lot else!

I remember the days when fresh foods used to be the supporting act in my shopping trolley and diet, secondary to the loaves of bread, packs of pasta, rice, potatoes, ready meals, dairy products and various synthetic 'treats'. But you know what? When you truly realize the meaning of the phrase 'You are what you eat' there's only one kind of shopping trolley you want, and it's the one that makes people look at you like you're off your trolley!

So next time you go shopping, remember that the foods you select to eat will literally become YOU. Your body cells are constantly being replaced, and they are built of whatever you choose to feed yourself. So the question is, do you want to be made of dead, denatured, processed non-foods or fresh, live essential enzymes, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other vibrant, life-giving stuff?

What a lot of people struggle with when they get into raw foods is the sheer volume of fruit and vegetables you have to procure and eat. Convenience food didn't get its name for nothing: it doesn't weigh much or take up much space, and you can just tear open the packet and gulp it down in a few mouthfuls while on the hoof. Such food has had the fibre and water removed, while fresh fruit and veggies have these essential components intact, and this is why you have to get used to dealing with such large volumes when you make these foods the basis of your diet.

But guess what: your body needs these things that the food processors have deemed dispensable. They're not optional extras; not if you want to feel your best.

Before you get into raw food, you may throw a few spinach or lettuce leaves on a plate next to main attraction, the "real" food; now the entire head of lettuce or the whole bag of spinach becomes the main attraction of the meal, garnished with delicious dressings and any tasty bits and pieces you choose to throw in. This is the nutrition our bodies expect: water-rich fresh foods - pure and unadulterated.

That's not to say the body wants only these foods, but it is certainly happiest if at least 50% of what you eat is in this category. So next time you go shopping, load up your trolley in the fresh produce aisle and discover how you feel when you give your body what it really wants. Start gradually, take whatever time you need to work up to this level, and be warned: it will change your life!

by Sarah Best, the editor of Get Fresh! magazine