different stress personalities

this month's 'shape' magazine has an article on 'what's your stress personality?'. It didn't occur to me until the end of the article that I'm a different stress type in different situations or even a combination/accumulation of stress types. here's an outline of the 4 stress types and you can figure out yours too.

1. never feel anxiety- until it manifests as mystery aches and pains
= in detach and-and-shut-down mode
(tend to turn to sleep and comfort foods)

medical reason:
nervous system functions at chronically low levels so you become emotionally flat.

solution:
keep a mood journal. Regularly jot down your feelings and you can better recognise when pressure is building so you can relax before you fall sick. also, try yoga to help you tune in to your body

2.under stress you panic thinking about everything that needs to get done
= in overdrive
(prone to insomnia and colds)

Medical reason:
overactive sympathetic nervous system (part that turns on the brain's emergency responses) pumps out more cortisol (the stress hormone) that the body can process so you are on constant alert.

Solution:
do aerobics exercises like running or kickboxing to help you blow off steam because it lowers cortisol levels.

3. under stress you have a short burst of energy but burn out.
=dash-and-crash personality

Medical reason: parasympatheric response (the part that turns off the fight-or-flight reaction) kicks into overdrive and suppress the chemicals that keep you alert which then lead to fatigue.

Solution:
Centre meals around protein rich food like eggs, its and chicken as they are high in the amino acid that's needed to make you feel alert.

4. Under stress you are fearful and avoid confrontation
= fried-and-frazzled type
(higher risk of hives and allergies)

Medical reason:
Insufficient amounts of the stress hormone cortisol and a spike in norepinephrine (chemical that keeps you alert) leave you feeling overwhelmed and nervous. It also triggers inflammation.

Solution: eat plenty of foods high in omega3 like fish and walnuts ti reduce inflammation. Do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise such as pirates three times a week to ramp up your energy.

In my usual life I am a number 4. I dislike confrontations and always want to be peaceful. But in golf I used to be a 1 but maybe I'm more of 3 now. When I first started on this journey 3 months ago I was uber optimistic and had no stress so I was kind of in detached and shut down, until I started to ache in my feet, my arms, my wrist.

When I was studying in melbourne I exhibited a lot of type 2. I'd be panicking all the time. Especially when exams were coming up or assignment due dates were near. it showed because I would bite my nails till they were so short they hurt. HAHA

These days I feel more of a 3. I get really energetic and then I crash. It might be because I've gotten hungry or my energy was due to a sugar High. energy is good !