Stress and asthma
I just read an interesting little paragraph in Reader's Digest magazine. It was talking about a new book that had come out, called Stress Less: The New Science That Shows Women How to Rejuvenate The Body and Mind, by Thea Singer.
The article talks about repeated stress, and how most people know that it puts them at higher risk of multiple diseases. But here's the quote that caught my eye, "What we didn't know till now was that it actually physically ages us - all the way down to the DNA in our cells...Chronic stress literally gnaws at our DNA- it's tips or "telomeres" to be precise- speeding up the rate at which our cells age by an alarming ten years or more." YIKES!
I had heard that research years ago on one of the national news stations, but it's good to hear as a reminder.
So, what do we do as asthma moms? Find what works for you to relieve stress:
* lunch out with friends
* movie night with hubby or friends
* watching a funny movie
* getting a massage
* getting a pedicure or manicure
* chatting online with friends or on the phone
* deep breathing, relaxation exercises, guided visualization
* etc, etc
Everyone's different, you need to do whatever helps you relax. We have to take care of ourselves because who else will? And we need to be healthy and happy if we're going to take care of our kids and asthma problems.
I have 2 sick kids at home with asthma, I think I'll do my relaxation CD tonight. Ahhhh......