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Stress can be defined as the sum of physical mental responses to an unacceptable disparity between real or imagined personal experience and personal expectations. It’s the body’s way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness. The events that provoke stress are called stressors. The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. All of the physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment PHYSICALLY. That’s how our ancestors escaped dangerous situations.

Everything has been working perfectly for human beings until the information new era when people are using brain, instead of physical body, to solve issues. In that case, the amount of hormones pumped into the human body seems to be too much and makes people stressful even when stressors no longer exist, which is called stress overload.

How to fight it? Here are some tips:

1. Music
2. Laughters
3. Food/Snack: Try healthy food. Don’t staff yourself up, which worsen the situation.
4. Try a repeat performance
5. Regular exercise works best. Try yoda, jogging, hiking, bicycling, etc.
6. Focus on one’s breath to reduce heartrate variability. This is more like meditation.
7. Avoid interruption: emails, IM, etc.
8. Wash hands
9. Have an exercise when possible

In IT industry, crunch time represents the period of time immediately before a project (or other timetabled item) is due. It is typical for the crunch time to occur between the next-to-last scheduled milestone and the final due date. Depending on how many due dates a project could have, the duration of crunch time could be pretty long in modern IT projects. For example, there could be an internal beta, a public beta, and a final launch. If people are doing extreme programming, the release cycle could be as short as two weeks.

Since crunch time is unavoidable, how could we deal with it? I would like to share some personal experiences here:

1. Get up early. It keeps one’s body clock right enjoying the sunshine. It helps maintain a positive attitude during the long day.
2. Take a morning shower to help the body wake up.
3. Prepare extra clothing for early morning or late evening if one lives in an area with large temperature diference between day and night. Cold will at least cause headache.
4. Take a nap from time to time whenever one feels sleepy.
5. Have enough exercise to keep the blood flow. However, don’t over-exercise to exhaust oneself.
6. Keep energy bars or snacks handy in the working place. Don’t have energy crisis!
7. Have good quality food!

Food is fundamental to a person’s health. However, when people are very busy, they intend to focus solely on the calories and the taste. It is not that easy to eat healthy. Here, I would like to share some tips, especially for IT workers who work long hours.

Eye

1. Lutein: Various research studies have shown that a direct relationship exists between lutein intake and pigmentation in eye. Several studies also show that an increase in macula pigmentation decreases the risk for eye diseases. That’s why spinach, kale, and other greens are good for human beings.
2. Zeaxanthin: It lowers the risk of cataract development and the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. It is the pigment that gives corn, saffron, and other many other plants their characeristic color.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids: It helps keep eyes hydrated while it reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases. One could fine it in coldwater fish like tuna, salmon and sardines, as well as walnuts.

Immune System

1. Zinc: Studies show that significant dietary intake of zinc has also recently been shown to impede the onset of flu. Zinc salts are effective against pathogens in direct application. Both red meat and oyster are full of zinc.
2. Vitamin C: One can find it in orange juice, SoBe, or green vegitables.
3. Galic: It can also help fight off infection, thanks to its healthy dose of the antimicrobial agent allicin. The well-known phenomenon of “galic breath” is alleged to be alleviated by eating fresh parsley. Of course, it is a temporary fix since one cannot keep eating parsley. This is the major medicine when my life becomes hectic and I am lack of sleep due to hardwork.

Memory

1. Blueberry: Blueberry contains vitaberry that shows promise in slowing and reversing brain aging. Further, blueberry helps reduce the risks of some cancers.
2. Egg: Egg yolk is rich in choline, which is vital for building strong brains in womb, and is also important in keeping brain cells functioning throughout life.
3. Water: Human brain is 75-85% water. When dehydrated, one’s attention and concentration can decrease by 13% and short term memory by 7%.

Nerve System

1. B Vitamins: This vitamin family increases serotonin levels in the brain and in turn helps to reaulate reactions to stress. They are essential for healthy nerves, skin, eyes and hair, and for a healthy liver. One can find them in asparagus, broccoli, kale, and spinach, potatoes, bananas, cereal, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, liver, turkey, and tuna.
2. Peppermint: It calms the muscles of the stomach and improves the flow of bile. Peppermint tea is a generally safe way to soothe an upset stomach. Personally, I like white peppermint mocha.