Don’t Worry, Be Happy after Bariatric Surgery

Posted: Oct 26 in Weight Loss Blog by Staff

After weight loss surgery, the answer to more happiness may be in how well you manage your stress.

Stress isn’t always bad. In fact, we wouldn’t function very well if we didn’t experience any stress. It’s stress that encourages us to develop careers; stress that motivates us to make friends and enter into relationships; and stress that provokes us to take care of our bodies. This type of positive stress is known as eustress, and is great in proper increments. The problem comes when stress goes into overdrive and turns into the more commonly talked about distress.

When you are overwhelmed with distress it can be hard to do just about anything—especially keep up with your weight loss goals.

Just because you have had surgery for weight loss in Naples or Ft. Meyers, doesn’t mean that all of your stressors will suddenly disappear. In fact, you may be facing a whole new source of stress. Opportunities to engage in old unhealthy habits will be lurking around every corner. Friends might call asking you to meet for dinner, or you might be tempted to stop in at a drive-thru after a long day at the office. Falling into traps like these just causes more stress—and if you aren’t careful you might find yourself stuck in the middle of a dangerous (and unhealthy) cycle.

Manage Stress, Manage Happiness

Several studies have correlated good stress management skills with increased happiness. In one study presented at the Western Psychological Association Meeting of 2012, researchers assessed the stress management practices of more than 3,000 participants in 30 countries and found that about one-fourth of our happiness potential is dependent on our ability to manage stress.

So, how can you start managing stress better after surgery for weight loss? That really depends on what helps you relax most. Here are a few scientifically-backed methods that can help you reduce stress:

• Light a candle: Aromatherapy, particularly with the use of lavender, is shown to help reduce stress levels.
• Play some tunes: Music soothes the brain, but you don’t need to listen to classical music to relieve stress. Playing any type of music can help you calm down.
• Get more sleep: If you can, try taking a brief nap to relieve a bit of stress. Ideally, you should be getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Being properly rested will help you manage stress better.
• Walk it off: Exercise of any type can help reduce stress (and will help with your weight loss efforts). Walking is especially great and can be done anywhere. If work is stressing you out, try taking a walk on your lunch break.

To make the easiest transition possible, do your best to implement stress management tactics like the ones above before getting weight loss surgery in Naples and Fort Meyers. By getting surgery for weight loss you are taking a big step towards improving your happiness—managing stress is only going to boost those efforts.