5 Tips to Reduce Stress

How can I reduce my stress level? We’re all bound to experience levels of stress at one time or another in our lives. Further, stress is undoubtedly a universal experience. We all experience stress in different ways. Unfortunately, stress can have a multitude of effects on a person’s physical, mental health; as well as their overall quality of life. If it isn’t managed effectively, stress can create health issues. For example, headaches, high blood pressure, or indigestion problems. It can also negatively impact a person’s mood, emotional reactivity, and personal relationships.

Here some strategies that can help you reduce stress.

1. Practice Self- Care: Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to make and dedicate time to doing the things you enjoy. Like previously mentioned in our article The Importance of Self-Care, this can be anything from reading one of your favourite books, taking a long bath, or practising yoga. Given our busy lifestyles, it’s too easy to forget about ourselves. In times of stress, self-care is something that can help ourselves recharge and re-energize.
2. Nourish Yourself: Spend some time thinking about your current eating habits. Have you been overeating or under-eating due to stress? Have you been skipping meals, picking up fast food, or resorting to eating junk food more often. Our bodies, and minds, need a balanced, nutritional diet to feel energized and ultimately, better cope with everyday stressors.
3. Reach Out: During moments of high stress, it’s important that you reach out to your support system.  Spend quality time with positive people, rather than isolating and withdrawing yourself. Comparatively, it’s also important to assess your current relationships to see if there are ones that are more emotionally harmful than boosting.
4. Get Physical: As you may know, exercise has a multitude of benefits for a person’s physical and mental health. Moreover, there’s no doubt that it would also help reduce a person’s stress. Although engaging in exercise can seem daunting at times, it doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous. Getting physical can be anything from taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work, going for a walk with your dog, or going for a bike ride with your kids. Regardless of what you do, exercise releases ‘happy hormones’, also known as endorphins, which are known to naturally improve a person’s mood and immune system.
5. Practice Gratitude: Finally, when you’re feeling stressed, it’s easy to focus on all the negativity that is around you, and subsequently forget about all the good. Stress is undoubtedly overwhelming at times and it’s difficult to remain positive when you’re feeling burnt out. Like many of the suggestions listed above, it’s important to set aside time to practice gratitude. Despite life’s stressors, there’s always beauty to be seen and found, even though it may not come to mind right away.

References

• Mayo Clinic. (2016). Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior.
• Moninger, J. (n.d.). 10 Relaxation Techniques That Zap Stress Fast.
• Robinson, L., Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2016). Stress Management.