Stress is a feeling that every person has dealt with at least once in their life.
Living with high levels of stress can put an individual’s entire life at risk. The pressure of stress can affect your emotional equilibrium, as well as your physical health. It narrows your ability to think with clarity and function effectively everyday.
Effective stress management helps you manage unwanted stress in your life, so you can feel happier, healthier, and more productive throughout daily routines. Everyone has a different way of managing stress, which is why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Tip 1: Identify the source of stress
While it’s easy to identify major stressors, pinpointing the sources of stress can be more complicated. It is easy for individuals to overlook how their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours contribute to everyday stress levels. If you are constantly worried about work deadlines, maybe it is your procrastination rather than the task itself, causing stress. Until you accept your responsibilities for the role you play, your stress will remain to feel overwhelming.
Tip 2: Healthy Diet
The benefits of eating health foods extend beyond your physical health to your mental health. Having a healthy diet incorporated within your daily routine helps lower levels of stress, lower blood pressure, and build a stronger immune system. Although sugar and junk food can seem more appealing when you’re under a lot of stress, it is best to stay away from these types of foods.
Antioxidants are good to add to your diet as well. They protect your cells against damage that stress can cause. You can find them in a huge variety of foods like beans, fruits, berries, vegetables, and ginger. Some nutrients that are known to help lower stress levels are Vitamin C, Omega-3 fatty acids, and Magnesium so it is important to incorporate these into your diet.
Tip 3: Sleep
A common side effect of stress is that you may struggle to fall asleep. Lack of sleep can also add to your stress level. It is important to exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, remove caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime, set a proper sleep schedule, and try not to use electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime. In general, your room should be dark, quiet, and cool. Your bed also plays an important role. Your mattress should provide support, space and most of all, comfort.
Tip 4: Physical Activity
Physical activity should be incorporated into your everyday routine. Whether it is a full body workout routine, or just a small walk to the store nearby, It helps improve your sleep which leads to better stress management. People who exercise regularly tend to get a better deep sleep which helps renew the brain and body to have energy for the next day, leading to less stress.
Exercise also seems to put people in better moods. A reason for this may be that it stimulates your body to release a number of hormones like endorphins and endocannabinoids that help reduce pain, and improve sleep.
Tip 5: Relaxation
A form of exercise that can also be used for meditation is yoga. The type of yoga that focuses on slow movement, stretching, and deep breathing are best for lowering your anxiety and stress. Meditation can lower stress and anxiety, as well as improve sleep, energy levels, and mood. Deep breathing creates a state of deep rest that can change how your body responds to stress. It sends more oxygen to your brain and calms the part of your nervous system that positively affects your ability to relax easier.
Following these 5 tips to reduce stress and incorporating them into your everyday routine will help you have increased levels of endorphins, a stronger immune system, and much lower stress levels. It is normal for individuals to feel stressed sometimes, but it is important to not allow the stress to overwhelm you and affect your daily lifestyle.