The root of my problem

I love reading the major headlines on Yahoo's homepage whenever I click on to the Internet. It is sometimes entertaining, and usually informative, like the headline on Saturday night. Turns out my failure to lose weight is because I'm stressed and stress hampers weight loss!

I read that when women are stressed they tend to eat more thus the weight gain or lack of weight loss. Luckily the story offered up some ways to help reduce stress, and in case you missed it, I'll go over some of the ones I thought might work for me.....or not.

• Listen to steady upbeat music because this will allow the brain waves to keep time and relax you. It recommends you add a playlist titled "Happy Tunes" to listen to on your iPod. That will go right along with my "Eating Music".


• Phone a friend and pour out your troubles and brainstorm over ways to solve those troubles. In turn, listen to a friend's troubles because this will make you feel needed and help reduce stress. So far this week my friends and I found that brainstorming just opened up another whole can of troubles, and listening to others (two with relatives with cancer and one who's dog died) has depressed me and given me migraines.


• Work out for 30 minutes and release those chemicals that dull the physiological effects of stress. Sounded great until I read that the exercise has to be something you really want to do. Uh, exercise and want in the same sentence in my brain? Not happening.


• Have dinner by candlelight because the dim setting releases melatonin, the good-for-you sleep hormone. Cooking wears me out and putting that with the dim lighting... I'd just fall asleep with my head in my plate.


• Get out in the sun. Okay, this is one that might work for me since I've discovered that with my new eyesight reading is way easier outside than it is inside.


• Look forward to something awesome every day. I look forward to bed. Is that the same thing?


• Tape up pictures of amazing days that you've had in the past because looking at those pictures for just ten minutes can stabilize your heartbeat and lower muscle tension. I guess those pictures of Toby Keith on my office wall isn't the same thing because it causes a little different reaction in me...

I'm going to start on these right after vacation. I'll let you know how things go.