Being under pressure, facing significant changes like divorce, not having control of a situation, work deadlines, and having overwhelming responsibilities are some of the things that may trigger stress and anxiety. Of course, there are more to the causes including exam preparation and many more.
And while it’s normal to experience stress, unmanaged stress is chronic and can contribute to heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Worst, it may also bring a toll on your behavior, thoughts, and feelings.
Though you may not control your stress-triggering circumstances, you can always control how you respond to different situations. This article discusses some of the best and healthiest ways to help you manage your stress and anxiety.
So, how can you manage or relieve stress and anxiety?
Exercise
It’s not a must that you have to train for a marathon or lift heavyweight at the gym. No, a simple daily walk, stretch, or dance with a crew can relieve any stressful situation.
So how does exercise relieve stress and anxiety?
Apart from the physical benefits like keeping you fit, stable and boosting your energy, exercise is shown to be a mood lifter. It helps lower your body’s cortisol-stress hormone.
At the same time, it helps stimulate the production of endorphins and serotonin – the feel-good hormones which are the natural mood boosters and painkillers. These brain chemicals would make you feel relieved of your stress and build a positive attitude towards various situations.
Studies have also shown that there are high chances of having a deep sleep or an improved sleep quality after vigorous exercises, reducing stress, depression, and anxiety.
Listen to music
Research has confirmed that listening to listening to upbeat music while you’re overwhelmed with stress can ignite the positive feeling and make you more optimistic in life.
Also, a slower tempo or calm music can positively impact your brain and body. It quiets and soothes your mind, relaxes your muscles and joints. In addition, lower music helps reduce your blood pressure while reducing cortisol- a stress hormone.
Therefore, please select and listen to your favorite songs when you feel overwhelmed with various activities or stressful events. They may help soothe your thoughts and makes you calm, thus help manage your stress.
It’s also worth noting that sometimes people need professional help, if there are serious problems like depression that need to be addressed. In recent years, ketamine depression treatments have shown great promise in the battle against depression
Eat and drink to optimize your health.
It’s common for most people to take alcohol or too much caffeine to help them reduce stress. Alcohol may seem helpful just for a while. But, it might be disastrous in the long run.
Some people also believe overeating is the only way to help them reduce stress. But that’s not the case; any poor diet would cause more stress. For instance, taking more carbs would only spike your blood sugar, crashing your blood sugar. However, foods like avocado, walnuts, eggs are good for energy balance and mood regulation.
Connect and share with friends
The natural way to lower or calm your stress level is to connect with friends and relatives who can listen and help monitor your emotions. Being part of a social network would give you a sense of self-worth or belonging. This can help you during stressful times.
It’s also worth noting that sometimes people need professional help, if there are serious problems like depression that need to be addressed. In recent years, ketamine depression treatments have shown great promise in the battle against depression
Practice relaxation techniques
Taking time to relax would offer the best therapies for managing stress. Here are the techniques you need to consider:
Taking a deep breath
Breathing exercise is one of the simplest stress relievers because you focus on your breathing and nothing else. It helps calm your mind and body for a few minutes.
Mindfulness
Though it’s the ancient way to relieve stress, mindfulness effectively promotes and encourages body, mind, and thoughts of what presently happens around you.
So, find some quiet place and meditate while concentrating on what you see, hear, smell or touch. This helps get your mind off stressful situations. You can increase your mindfulness through yoga and cognitive-based therapy.
Conclusion
Unmanaged stress can negatively impact both your physical and mental well-being. So, you must ensure you connect and share with friends, practice relaxation techniques, do regular exercise and listen to soothing music. These methods would help relieve you of the stressing situations.
