Ever felt like you just can’t seem to relax after a demanding week? It’s difficult to unwind because stress triggers your body’s fight or flight response: your adrenaline starts pumping, your heart beats faster and your blood pressure rises. Long-term overexposure to stress can cause increased risk of health problems such as anxiety, depression, heart disease, weight gain, and memory and concentration problems.
Today, stress and anxiety have become an imperative part of our daily lifestyle and it seems impossible to avoid it. Therefore, it pays to know how to cut down the anxiety and stress levels in order to stay productive and active throughout the day. Once you have found ways to manage your everyday stress, it becomes a lot easier to live with. So, without further ado, allow me to discuss 7 proven ways to manage your stress and anxiety.
Regular Exercise
It goes without saying that exercise has proven, again & again, beneficial in cutting down the effects of stress and anxiety. The psychological benefits of exercising have a neurological basis. When you follow a regular exercise schedule, it really helps in bringing down the stress hormones of the human body such as cortisol and adrenaline. The best part is that it helps stimulate the production of natural painkillers of the body (endorphins & mood enhancers).
Laugh a Lot
Well, it won’t be wrong to say that laughter is the best antidote to the both stress and anxiety. Physicians across the world are supporting the view that humor really comes handy in lightening your load, inspiring hope, and connecting you to others. Laughter boosts your immune system, relaxes you and enables your body to release hormones, such as endorphins, that stimulate emotional and physical well-being. It is simple, find small reasons to laugh during the day, and you’ll feel less stressed at the end of it.
Take Some Time Out
You are surely familiar with the saying – All work no play makes Jack a dull boy. When you are leading a one-sided life, you increase the risk of stress and anxiety related illnesses. It’s important to try to find a balance and have in mind the bigger picture. Spend more time with your friends and family, it’s really helpful to get through the stressful times. Studies show that spending joyful moments with friends and family helps people release oxytocin (a natural stress reliever). Friends and the moments spent with them will make you feel good about yourself as well.
Taking routine breaks during your working hours will also help in cutting down stress levels in the office. Take a two-minute break to walk down to your friend’s cubicle.
Eat Healthy
Many people when they feel stressed turn towards food to deal with their emotions. And unfortunately, most of the times, the food they eat is high in fat and carbs. In those times, remember that there are healthier options out there that can help you boost your ‘feel good’ chemicals in your brain. A combination of regular exercise schedule and healthy food can really help cut down the anxiety levels.
To make your body able to beat anxiety, it is important to have a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin B, and eat only low-processed foods & sugar. Vitamin B stimulates mental health; Omega- 3 is known to bring down anxiety and whole-grain carbs surge serotonin levels. Make sure you include the following food in your regular diet – spinach, avocados, whole grains, salmon, yogurt, nuts, asparagus, oranges, almonds, Blueberries, milk.
Listen To Soothing Music
When you listen to soothing and relaxed music, it really helps in relaxing your body. Whether you are listening to soothing instrumental music or songs with lyrics, they induce the relaxation response by lowering down the blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones.
You can easily find soothing music on the Internet, but its best to listen to music you love. Just make sure you are not listening to aggressive music.
Have Sound Sleep
You need apt sleep to cut down anxiety and stress levels. Not many people are aware of the fact that if you are not having sound sleep, the ability to manage stress gets compromised. Sleep helps regenerate our energy levels, bring down stress, and improves your health. And here is how to sleep better:
- Eat right – Consume food or supplement rich in magnesium and calcium. It helps in relaxing your body & muscles and prepares you for sleep. You should eat green vegetables during dinner and even a warm glass of milk before bedtime on occasion – it will help you in getting a much-needed dose of magnesium and calcium.
- Exercise over stimulants – Avoid caffeinated drinks before bedtime. Exercise can only energize your body but also improve blood circulation, while caffeinated drinks can have many negative side effects. When you exercise you also burn energy and sleep better.
- Avoid alcoholic drinks – While alcohol may sometimes help you to sleep, it will not be a quality sleep. For a proper rest, avoid alcohol.
Meditate
By now, you must be well aware of the advantages of meditation. But, scientists are also discovering that meditation helps in surging the grey matter in the brain, essentially rewiring the whole body to stress less. Studies have continuously shown the positive effects of meditation on mood, anxiety, and symptoms of stress.
Author Bio: Emma Brown is an extensive and experienced web-writer. I help people to have the most informative and appealing online presence. Content writing is my passion and Scaling Expectations is my basic motto, I live up to. I am a Mass Communication post graduate and written several article for sites like meliopharm.
