5 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
Good ol’ stress. Some of us don’t get stressed all that often, others (like myself) get wound up so tight you might not even remember the last time you weren’t stressed! Being stressed sucks, but do you know all the effects it can have? Not only does it impact your mental state causing feelings of anxiety, nervousness, feeling on the edge of tears, being irritable or quick to anger, but there’s also physical symptoms like headaches, lack of energy, indigestion, muscle tension, etc. In order to deal with stress many people develop poor habits like binge eating (or not eating), drinking, smoking, and watching hours of TV. The worst part is stress doesn’t just effect you, the more stressed you are the more likely you are to take it out on those around you, be quicker to snap at a loved one or yell at your kid. Many people may recognize they’re stressed but fail to follow through with making healthy changes. So here are my favorite HEALTHY ways to help reduce stress levels:
1. Breathe
Seems simple enough right? But too often we get so wrapped up in everything that’s going on we forget to take a moment to breathe. Actually, before reading anymore, why don’t you stop for a minute and take five deep breaths, breathe in for 5 seconds and exhale for 7 seconds…are you done? Feeling a little different? When you breathe deeply it triggers a relaxation response in the body activating your parasympathetic nervous system (secreting hormones that help to depress blood pressure and heart rate). It’s basically like tricking your body into thinking it’s relaxed. So next time things start to feel out of control, take a breath.
2. Food
Eat something! Our brain needs energy (glucose) to function, which we can get from food. But if we haven’t eaten and our levels of glucose get low, our bodies need to make more, activating hormones that can increase those glucose levels. Two of these are epinephrine and cortisol (stress hormones). So not eating can potentially make you even more stressed! The other thing to keep in mind is what kind of food you’re putting in your body. How many times have you grabbed that pint of ice cream after a break up? or a bag of potato chips when you’re bored? It might taste great in the moment but in the long run doesn’t make your body feel great (high calories and low nutrients leave you feeling more sluggish and tired). When you get stressed try eating things like avocados or bananas, both have lots of potassium which is a mineral important in keeping blood pressure low.
3. Movement
Not only does exercise make your body healthy, it’s a great way to just blow off steam. It can also release endorphins in the body, a “feel good” hormone that can helps create positive feelings and reduce pain. My personal favorite is kickboxing (um, punching and kicking things when you’re stressed? yes, please), but if that’s not your jam try something else! Maybe it’s dance, playing a sport, or even going for a walk, anything to get your body moving.
4. Unplug
This is a tough one. The amount of time most of us spend glued to technology because of work, connecting with other people, or even just boredom is just insane. Is your phone always within reach? Are you always on your computer or watching TV? Always being reactive to things means you’re letting life and the stress lead you. Try to take some time to unplug. Leave the phone, TV, emails, work, even for 20 minutes and find something else to do (read a book, draw something, go for a walk).
5. Sleep
When was the last time you got 7 hours of sleep? Studies show that most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep makes it more difficult to deal with all of life stressors, it can make you less patient, and easily annoyed. Even if you struggle to actually sleep giving your body the time it needs to relax and repair is important to reducing stress. Tip: if you have a hard time falling asleep, try using the unplug trick before bed to reduce the amount of blue light (effects melatonin which controls your circadian rhythm).
Reducing stress for some is an ongoing process and a constant battle, but maybe give some of these things a try and see if you notice a difference. I’d love to know what kind of things help you when you’re stressed, leave a comment below! :)