But not being home as often as I'd like to be for her does contribute to my stress levels, to the point where I feel guilty staying out late at a happy hour when I know she's at home waiting for me. Spend time with your petĪs a single cat mom, I do my best to spend as much time with my cat Nightmare as possible - especially since it's just the two of us living together. Crossing the Queensboro gave me something to focus on without being able to completely check out (bridge bikers are fearless and don't yield), which meant I couldn't fully let my mind wander to the thing that was stressing me out in the first place, and instead had to pay attention to my surroundings - both the rogue bikers and the scenic views of the city skyline. To decompress after a few particularly challenging work days, I walked from my office in New York City home to Queens. "Disengaging from a stressful situation even for just a few minutes can make it much more manageable once you step back in.” “If you can get a break from what’s stressing you out, take it," says Wolfe. Since I was already in motion, I decided to keep walking, head outside and do the whole "clear your head" thing. Out of habit, I still sent out a flurry of angry "I NEED A DRINK" texts, and got halfway to the office candy bowl before realizing that I couldn't have anything from it. Both of those options were off the table when a last-minute deadline sprung up on me during the first week of clean eating and sobriety. Second, I pay a visit to the office candy bowl. When stuff hits the fan at work, my automatic reaction is to first take to my group chat, complain to whoever will listen and start making happy hour plans. Take a walkīear with me here, because I know this one sounds like something out of a cheesy self-help book. Say "OM" How to relax and tap into a zen feeling (almost) instantly 1. From t-shirts that define wine as a "hug in a glass" to graphic tees with pictures of multiple cocktails dubbed "group therapy" to one I came across recently that straight up stated "adulting requires alcohol," managing stress by knocking back a few cold ones is not only considered the norm for women - it's celebrated. In fact, a trip to any women's clothing store will make you feel like the habit actually earns you street cred. Suffice it to say, being a stressed out woman who drowns her feelings in alcohol is not unique. "This makes managing stress while intoxicated even more challenging than it already is when we are clear-headed."Īccording to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it's estimated that 5.3 million women in the United States "drink in a way that threatens their health, safety and general well-being." Meaning, they're frequently well over the CDC's recommended limit of one drink per day - which shakes out to either 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 8 ounces of malt alcohol. “When our blood alcohol content increases, we become emotional - or more emotionally unstable - as we experience impairments to memory and comprehension," Wolfe explains. But somewhere past a few drinks, treating stress with alcohol does become detrimental. Wolfe says it varies from person to person based on factors like our body weight and metabolism. As for the magic number of drinks that allow you to reap these stress-relieving benefits without the negative effects, Dr.
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