All of us lead a very demanding life. With responsibilities, running errands, and commuting, it makes you feel a bit frazzled and overwhelmed. When your nervous system is in overdrive, and you feel anxious and fearful or angry, it’s your body’s way of telling that you are under stress.
Today we all are constantly running in emergency mode. And our body and mind pay the price for it. Acidity and inflammation in any of the body parts is a common sign of stress. Whenever your body detects a threat or a high demand level, it starts sending a distress signal. Sometimes this stress helps you to defend yourself and make your work better. But not always!
When the level of stress increases, our body starts showing signs. Long-term sustained stress leads to depression, heart attack, premature aging, and sometimes affects our relationships too. There are broadly three reasons for stress:-
- Work
- Relationship
- Money
Don’t let stress boss you around. If stress is left uncontrolled, it puts your health at high risk. Managing your stress in the 24 hours is necessary.
Otherwise, it becomes chronic, and you might need medical help. Read on to know the 15 ways to beat the stress and stay healthy in life.
15 ways to beat stress and stay healthy
1. Eat right
Eating the right things at the right time helps to manage stress. Due to our emotions, sometimes we eat less or more. We need to curb emotional eating to beat the stress. Avoid fried food and aerated drinks, sugary, and others pick me up snacks; rather, consciously choose to intake fruits and vegetables.
At times eating fish also helps to manage the stress level of the body. Clean proteins, fruits, and vegetables help regulate the stress-causing hormone in the body.
2. De-clutter
Start with your physical space and then move to your mind. Clean out all the extra junk that you have been accumulating over time.
Be minimalistic!
You can do so much more when everything seems to be in order, and you have space to move around.
The same goes for de-cluttering the brain. You need to let go of all the harmful emotions and make space for good new memories. Learn to say “NO” to things. The things that you might not need or projects that might overwhelm you.
3. Be Mindful
Once you have de-cluttered your mind and heart, you would see things clearly. Make sure you know what you put in your mind and what actually comes out of your mouth.
Be in the present; stop dwelling on the past and future. Examine and evaluate your actions and words. Prioritize your activities.
4. Meditate
According to Harvard Health Publishing, scientific studies of Indian yoga gurus demonstrate that meditation has several benefits, including:
- lowers your blood pressure,
- reduces adrenaline levels,
- reduces heart rate,
- diminishes the body’s oxygen consumption,
- and change skin temperature.
Learn to meditate, practice deep breathing,, and relaxing. It rewires the brain to manage stress. Meditation eases anxiety and controls mood swings. Follow your breathing, and your brain will figure it out.
5. Be thankful
Express gratitude.
It is not that difficult to say thank you! Appreciate yourself and everything around you. Being thankful helps you feel less overwhelmed.
6. LOL
Laugh out loud, as frequently as you can. Laughter is the best medicine for any sort of illness. Take a break from your work and other normal chores. Just a smile or giggle can easily uplift your mood instantly, and you would feel less stressed.
7. Surround yourself with the right people
Be around those friends who motivate you, whom you can talk to. People who can guide you and who give out positive vibes are the people to be with. Encouraging words help to bring down the stress level and lighten your mood.
8. Chalk out a plan
The best way to beat stress is to make a To-Do list. Prioritize the activities according to their requirements and then work your way through. Accept that not all work can be done in one day. Sometimes making a To-Do list can overwhelm you, so make sure it is neat, and the work is properly divided to curb your level of stress.
9. Listen to music
I always felt that music makes me calm. It can be any type of music, whatever you like. Music indeed gives you a good break and rejuvenates your mind.
10. Workout
Choose any type of work out. Be it yoga, aerobics, or even a simple walk; these physical exercises open up your heart, and you enjoy the experience.
Regular workout leads to less stress. Endorphin production regulates the positive feeling in your body.
11. Avoid caffeine intake
Increased caffeine in the form of coffee and tea increases anxiety and thus leading to stress. It is generally recommended to stay away from caffeine products during the night. This is because caffeine consumption significantly impacts your sleep patterns.
12. Read a book
Books have the potential to transport you to a different world. It is truly a time traveler. Books help you enter a different realm and manage the stress.
13. Resolve to complete a task
Avoid multi-tasking and stick to just one task. Begin with one task and then once you complete it, then say ‘YES’ to another project. Handling various things together puts a strain on your brain leading to stress.
14. Sleep, baby, sleep!
When you are under stress, you need to sleep for an extra hour.
It’s a tried and tested method because your body is under stress; you need to rest a bit more too.
15. Help someone
Helping is a great stress buster. Give back to society, call a friend, and do it together. Help someone and make their day. The sense of satisfaction leads to stress reduction.
To break your stress level, you need to break the emotional pattern that leads you to stress. Stress is not good for your body and mind. If any of the above does not help in curbing stress, seek medical help.
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