On-going stress can cause a negative impact on your health, which makes it necessary to alleviate it as soon as possible. The reasons why you experience that nagging headache or suffer from sleeplessness might actually be as a result of stress. Here to help you manage stress, are a few tips to help lead a more happy and healthy life:
- Exercising
Engaging in exercises regularly is one way to help relax the body and the mind. Working out also helps improve the mood (think endorphins). The catch is you have to do it regularly so as to reap its consistent benefits. Some common exercises to engage in include swimming, jogging or engaging in sports that help bring your heart rate up. Just moving your body every day can help reduce stress levels.
- Eating Well
Another tip to managing stress is eating a well-balanced diet regularly. Eating well helps you feel better generally and provides you with sufficient energy to power through the day. It also helps bring your moods under control. So what should your diet comprise of? It should include vegetables, lean protein, fruit, and whole grains. Also, skipping meals altogether can create moodiness and actually increase your stress level.
- Opening up
Talking about your problems also helps bring down your stress levels. As such, if something is bothering you, it might be a good idea to speak to a family member, your friend, your therapist, doctor or a trusted clergyman. If you are not able to seek the attention of any of these, you can also engage in self-talk. This involves talking to yourself, but in order for it to be effective, work to keep it positive.
- Do Away with Triggers
Try and get to the bottom of your stress so as to bring it to a halt. It might result from school, your job or your commute, or someone in your life bringing you down. Once you identify the root, see if you can come up with ways to eliminate the causes or at least reduce their effects to your life. If you are unable to find the cause of your stress, then keeping a stress journal might be a great idea. Jot down the occurrences of your stress and try to come up with a pattern. After that, come up with ways to alleviate or get rid of it.
- Engage in Hobbies
Hobbies are great for managing stress as they are activities that you enjoy and that make you feel good and this helps relieve stress. The good thing about hobbies is that you don’t need tons of time so as to engage in them. Even as little as 15 to 20 minutes will work. For that reason, try and engage in activities such as reading, doing puzzles, watching movies, listening to music; pretty much anything you enjoy doing and it will help manage stress.
There are many more ways to reduce stress in your life. Whether you choose to surround yourself with more positive, motivating people, or living a “glass half-full” type of life, your stress can be controlled. If it’s getting out of hand, seek professional help, and make it a wonderful life.
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Dr. Kevin Crawford