We are in stress constantly, be it at home, workplace, with friends stress has just become an integral part of our lives and in long term this can affect our mental stability, health, productivity and relationships. Taking some time off, de-stressing your body, soul and hormones will help you rejuvenate and enhance your attitude towards life. Has stress been holding you back? If it has, this is the right time to switch everything else off and snooze your mind. Here are eight ways you can reduce your stress and make it less debilitating for yourself:

• Breathe

First breathe, let go of everything happening at the moment and take some quality time to breathe. Inhale, exhale! If you are looking for an instant relief, this will be your life saver. Stress can affect your respiratory and heart rate, the body is conditioned to breathe faster during the stress response. A couple of minutes of deep breathing will ease your body.

 

• Eat Better

Be mindful of what you eat, it’s not that you should be eating greens all day every day. Eat fruits for desserts, try to follow an 80-20 rule. Replace your carbonated/bottled juices with tea, coconut water or buttermilk. There are healthy options that taste way better than junk food. Having a balanced diet and eating clean food reduce the negative effects of stress on your body and help in building a strong immune and nervous system. Being too stringent with your diet can contribute to stress, it’s completely fine to have some sugar or junk cravings.

 

• Exercise

Move your body, whether you love it or not. Regular exercise is directly linked to better mood and coping abilities. Exercise reduces anxiety, negative thoughts and stress and boosts your spirits and positive energy. It reduces the levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. People who exercise regularly tend to have better sleeping and eating patterns. A 5-10 minutes’ walk is better than nothing. Keep moving your body to feel the difference!

 

• Find A Hobby

Indulge yourself in some activity, keep yourself engaged with your favourite activity. Dancing, singing, drawing, gardening which ever you love, Get going with it. If you have a major stressful day or event ahead spend some time doing your favourite activity. Having a hobby can increase your motor skills, sharpen your memory and boost your confidence level.

 

• Keep A Gratitude Journal

Everyone has something to be grateful for every day, keeping a gratitude journal will help in overall functioning of your body and mind. Be thankful for small things you get to do in a daily basis and maintain the journal for all day, all week and all month. You will feel the difference. A gratitude journal will keep you positive and happy and this in turn improves your relationships in personal and professional space.

 

• Organise

Get rid of the clutter in your wardrobe/house to clear your mind. Simple act of clearing things out can ease your mind. Try to be more organised, have schedules, plan your day ahead and stick to your plan of action. Last minute tension and scrambling can be avoided. It keeps you calm, relaxed and happy.

 

• Sleep Better

After a long exhausting day all you need is a good night’s sleep. Your body deserve the rest and sleep it seeks. Stress and sleep are interconnected, stress can adversely affect your sleeping patterns, lack of sleep can increase stress levels. Have quality sleep, fix a bed time and abide to it.

 

Megavarshini S G