Whether we like it or not, stress is a part of our daily lives. From work and school to family and bills, everywhere we turn there seem to be stress-inducing subjects. Even things we love can cause us stress; for me personally, despite the fact that I love school and all my classes, the words “midterm” and “final” can cause me minor heart attacks.
With busy lives, it may seem like there’s no hope in reducing your stress levels, and the thought of trying to do so may even be somewhat stressful, but there are a bunch of small habits you can easily adopt which can help in reducing your stress. This is not to say that all stress is bad though and that you must get rid of all the stress in your life, as described in an earlier post Why YOU Need a Little Stress in Your Life!, but too much stress is never good. Follow a few of these simple steps to help destress your life!
Just a Few Minutes
Although it may seem like if you just power through and get the job done your stress will disappear, this thought process could actually be harming you. By refusing to take a break you’re tiring yourself out and causing unnecessary tension, which in turn can cause yourself even more stress without you even realizing it. If you instead decide to take just a few minutes and do something for you, when you return to the “real world” you will have a clear head and be more relaxed, which can help you to focus better and get the job done quicker. A few options: 5-15 minutes of meditation, 15-30 minutes of yoga or exercise, a walk around the block, a 15 minute nap, or something else of your choosing! Taking that time out of your busy day will help you maintain a healthier level of stress and feel better about yourself.
An Apple a Day
The saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may be used on children to get them to eat healthier foods, but everyone should keep that idea in the back of their minds. Eating healthy has countless benefits, the biggest being to your health. When stressed, many people eat more, and what they are eating tends to be unhealthy junk food, while others just don’t eat at all when they’re stressed instead. Both of these decisions can be extremely unhealthy, not just for your body, but your mental health. Your brain needs healthy food to function at an optimum level, so when you’re stressed eating a healthy salad or an apple can help you to feel better and think more clearly. When you eat healthier, your body thanks you for it and you will feel energized and less stressed.
Another Look at Stress
Eating healthy and taking some time to relax are two great ways you can help to destress your life, but if these aren’t working for you check out some of the great courses OpenSesame offers on stress. Do you know that you’re stressed but don’t know where it is coming from? Before you can destress you need to be able to recognize where the stress if your life is coming from so you can work on it. But what if the stress in your life is being caused by something you can’t control? Learn how to deal with stress when life gets out of your hands.
Sometimes its as easy as taking a deep breath or closing your eyes for five minutes, but times stress cannot be gotten rid of so easily. Do you have any stress-relieving tricks? Share them with us in the comments below!