Americans are experiencing severe stress. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Suicide Lifeline program, a national call-in line for people thinking about suicide, saw a jump in calls from 39,000 in 2008 to 54,000 by mid-2009, according to a congressional committee report. One symptom of stress is weight loss. If you are losing weight due to stress, you should seek out ways to reduce your stress levels, as stress-induced weight loss can lead to other illnesses.
Hardwired for Stress
Stress has been the companion of human beings since our species first appeared on earth. Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuropsychologist at the Wellspring Institute, in an essay titled, "Taking in the Good," explains that anxious feelings are hardwired into human beings, because if the first humans had failed to duck "a predator, a natural hazard, or aggression from others of their species--wham, no more chances to pass on their genes." Modern human beings have brains genetically biased towards stress, which can cause a loss of appetite that leads to weight loss.
Effects of Stress
The effects of ongoing stress are explained in an essay, "Stress can become a serious illness," posted on an Australian government website, the Better Health Channel. If you are experiencing constant feelings of anxiety, you may develop many symptoms, including weight loss or weight gain. Stress accompanied by continuous weight loss can lead to fatigue, activate eating disorders such as anorexia, plunge you into depression and conceal or aggravate weight loss caused by preexisting illnesses such as cancer.
Nutrition and Exercise
You can determine if your weight loss symptoms are serious by consulting a checklist offered by MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Visit your physician for a check-up. Your doctor can refer you to a dietitian or nutritionist, who can help you create more nourishing and tasty meals. Consult an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer for help in designing an exercise program that will enable you to rebuild your weight in a healthy manner.
Psychological Help
Stress accompanied by weight loss often signals the onset of an emotional illness, such as depression. Ask your physician to recommend a therapist who can help you find ways to reduce the number of anxious thoughts that are fueling your stress and replace them with more positive thoughts. If you are uncertain whether you are depressed, HelpGuide.org supplies a detailed list of symptoms.
Meditation and Visualization
Another way to reduce your stress levels is exploring various forms of secular and spiritual meditation practices. A Mayo Clinic overview, "Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are," suggests many varied forms of meditation, including walking meditations for people who are too physically restless to sit still. If you would like to try spiritual forms of meditation, such as contemplative prayer, Beliefnet reviews meditation and prayer techniques from numerous faiths in a survey, "A World of Meditation: Contemplative Practices From Many Faiths."
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