Stress is a part of life, and, according to scientists, essential for the survival and success of a species. Millions of lifeforms have evolved over millennia due to environmental pressure, including humans.
It helps us avoid danger, solve problems and even think in new and revolutionary ways. Most importantly, stress is the body’s alarm system. It tells us when something is wrong, and when we need to protect ourselves.
However, too much stress, as a result of a face-paced lifestyle, can trigger many physiological responses that can be harmful to your health. Weight gain, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even death, are just some of the side effect stresses can have on the body.
Here are 7 stress management tips to ensure your physical and mental health.
7 Stress Management Tips for Better Physical and Mental Health
Don’t Bring Your Work Home
Some people work to live. Others live to work. We all know a workaholic or two in our lives; those who bring the office back with them.
There is more to life than your career, or promotions, or pleasing your boss. If your work is slowly draining your life, try to find an escape hatch. Opportunities come in many forms.
Our time on earth is tragically brief in relation to the greater scheme of things. Human history is a mere blink compared to how long our planet has been around.
You don’t want to spend the best years of your life behind a desk, do you? Before you know it, you’ve passed your prime and will no longer be able to do what you love or miss out on quality time spent with your loved ones.
That is, if the stress doesn’t kill you first.
Try Journaling
There is a quote by Graham Greene I came across long ago that still rings true in my mind till this day:
“Writing is a form of therapy. Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic, and fear which is inherent in a human situation.”
Journaling is a healing activity. So, invest in a cheap notebook, a good pen and scribble your sorrows away.
Whether it’s trouble at work, your kids driving you insane, or anything else that may be troubling your mind. Let the pages take the brunt of your anger and frustration—writing can be super cathartic if you let it.
Cultivate a Hobby
This tip resonates with the previous one, and is one of the essential tenets of stress-relief. You need to have an activity that you can truly immerse yourself in—body and soul.
Occupying yourself with a truly enjoyable pastime can distract you from your worries and even boost your health. One study showed that enjoyable leisure activities can have a positive impact on psychological and physical wellbeing.
Try to find a productive and creative hobby; something to enrich your mind. If you struggle with finding a good hobby, try something simple like art or gardening. Opt for hiking or jogging if you want to make your hobby a healthy activity.
If your child is older and less likely to throw tantrums, you can ask them to join in on your hobbies as well. After all, even children need some stress-relief; more so after being in lockdown.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are an effective way to quickly lower your blood pressure, resulting in reduced cortisol levels in the body.
Deep, mindful breathing sends a message to your brain that you’re in a safe and comfortable environment. This shuts down the emergency ‘fight or flight’ response, which is the major cause of stress in the human body.
Deep breathing also floods the brain with oxygen, restoring your focus and clarity.
There are plenty of breathing exercises you can do, but the easiest one involves inhaling through the nose and out through the mouth. You can incorporate these exercises into a brief meditation session as well.
Catch Up on Your Sleep
Stress has a way of affecting your sleep, and lack of sleep can aggravate stress. It’s a vicious cycle. This is why tip number 1 is such an important first step if you truly want to manage your stress.
Leave your work problems where they are; at work. Otherwise, they will haunt your nights and keep you up well into the wee hours. Insomnia and adulthood are unfortunately an inevitability in today’s fast-paced career-obsessed world.
However, sleep loss doesn’t just make you tired and cranky during the day, it also comes with health risks. Sleep loss causes weight gain, poor memory, mood swings, weakened immunity, and high blood pressure.
In order to manage your stress, you first need to pay your sleep debt. Sleep debt is simply the hours of sleep you didn’t get throughout the night.
A typical adult needs between 7 and 8 hours of sleep. Studies show that it can take up to 4 days to pay one hour of lost sleep.
All in all, you will need up to nine days to eliminate sleep debt altogether. So, if you’re one of those people who has chronic sleep issues, deal with it immediately.
It may just save your life.
Do Some Light Cardio
20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day can be a good stress-busting technique.
Exercise releases endorphins, those feel-good hormones that induce a state of euphoria. Endorphins are important for mood regulation and can help you fight off depression.
You can go jogging, do star-jumps, push-ups and even rope-skips. Anything to get your blood pumping is sufficient to help your body fight off stress.
It’s generally better to start your workout early in the morning before you start your day, preferably outdoors. As an added benefit, getting some sunshine can actually help you sleep better throughout the night.
Alternatively, if you’re at work and need a pick-me-up, you can do some stretches.
Stretches increase blood flow to the brain and reduces tension in the muscle. It sends the same signals to the brain the way deep breathing does—by shutting down the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Maintain a Stress-Free Diet
There are certain foods that trigger stress like sugar, alcohol, salt, and caffeine.
Caffeine, in particular, can wreak havoc on your sleep, especially if taken too close to bedtime. But even on its own, caffeine can increase blood pressure and even induce anxiety. These conditions create the perfect storm for a stressful situation.
So, opt out of your coffee for once and try something gentle. We often wake up craving a steaming cup of coffee, but have you ever asked yourself why? It’s likely because you don’t get enough sleep.
If you get good sleep, you wouldn’t be waking up tired and groggy all the time and craving coffee every morning. So that’s another good reason to fix your sleep.
Another way that food affects your stress if by making it harder for you to fall asleep.
You should preferably not have a heavy meal too close to bedtime. 2 to 3 hours is okay. The digestive process generates a lot of heat, which is not conducive to sleep. Your body needs to be at a cool temperature for productive sleep to occur.
Handle Your Stressors
As an adult, your work constitutes your greatest stressor. As a parent, your greatest stressor can oftentimes be your own children.
While work stress can oftentimes be easier to handle, you can’t escape your kids. Little children can easily turn your home from a sanctuary into a war zone. If your kids are prone to tantrums, here are a few ways to deal with toddlers and their tantrums.
On the other hand, if all is well at home, but work has got you all twisted in knots, don’t fret; there is hope.
Handling stress at work is as simple as setting healthy workplace boundaries. Clocking out at the appointed time, reminding your colleagues not to contact you after office hours, and not sacrificing your weekend for work.
Manage Your Stress for a Longer, Healthier Life
Stress is a part of life, but you don’t have to let it consume you. You can have a promising career, be an amazing spouse, and raise exceptional children.
But also, don’t forget to take care of yourself first. If you’re burnt out and exhausted, you are of no use to anyone.
However, don’t let other people be the deciding factor for your own health and wellbeing. Stress can take its toll on the body in many ways.
If you want to avoid the medical bills, manage your stress now. Your future self with thank you later.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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