Our top tips for managing stress
Isn’t it annoying when someone tells you to “stop stressing”? 😒 If only it were that easy! Managing stress levels and not allowing it to affect your daily life is tricky, but it’s more simple than you may think it is 🤔.
What stress does to your body
First, let’s take a look at how stress affects your body. Stress disrupts and upsets many of the functions your body performs on a daily basis.
· It can suppress your immune system, so you might find yourself feeling under the weather quite regularly. 🤒
· It can upset your digestive and your reproductive systems.
· It increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke as it can raise your blood pressure.
· It speeds up the aging process. 👴
· It can rewire the brain to the point where you start experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
· It can result in pain in your body.
· It can contribute to weight gain or weight loss.
What stress does to your decision-making
Did you know that stress can make you more prone to high-risk decisions? 😲Our ability to make decisions is dramatically affected by chronic stress, neuroscientists 👩🔬 have found. When we’re stressed, we tend to want to rush through life 🏃♀️💨 , and as a result, we might choose a high-risk, high-payoff option in even the most minor decision-making scenarios.
Techniques to manage stress
Now that we know just how dangerous stress is in terms of its impact on your body 🕺 and brain 🧠, let’s discuss some of our top recommendations for dealing with stress in a healthy way.
Do some deep breathing
If you’ve ever researched 👓 how you can relieve stress, you’ve probably come across this one before. It might seem silly, but simply controlling your breathing can do wonders when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Deep breathing 🧘♂️ encourages your body to relax and regulate stress. This turns into a state of deep rest. It also sends more oxygen to your brain, which can calm certain parts of your nervous system.
We suggest that you try belly breathing. You can do this by making sure you are sitting or lying down comfortably, closing your eyes, placing one hand on your tummy and one on your chest. Take a deep breath through your nose and feel your belly rise. Then breathe out through your mouth and feel how your body relaxes. You can repeat this exercise until you feel more relaxed, and you can do it as often as you feel you need to.
Get a little exercise in
We know that it’s sometimes difficult to squeeze physical activity 🏋️♀️ into your routine when you are stressed out. Often, it is the fact that you have very little time for yourself that’s causing your stress.
But, even as little as 10 minutes ⌚ of exercise a day can improve your body’s capacity to cope with stress.
Exercise also boosts your mood naturally, and who couldn’t use a little mood-boosting from time to time? Physical activity releases all the good stuff into your body, like endorphins and endocannabinoids, which all help you deal with stress (and pain) better. Exercise also improves your sleep – and sleep has a huge impact on your ability to manage stress.
Gain control over your inner voice
In my opinion, there’s nothing that causes stress more than the little voice inside our heads 💬. It can say (and repeat) the most upsetting things that can really turn our days upside down ⤵.
It may not feel this way, but the good news is that you are actually in control of that inner voice of yours 😍. It comes down to becoming more aware of what you are saying to yourself and then replacing those negative thoughts with positive ones. This is also known as positive self-talk.
We know that becoming aware of your inner voice and changing what it says is not the easiest technique to master, but it can make a difference when coping with stress.
A few extra tips
Now, let’s get into some of the more unusual things you can do to relieve stress.
- Drink a glass of orange juice: Vitamin C can reduce your stress levels. 🧃
- Give your pet some love: Having a furry friend is a great way to reduce stress, particularly when giving them affection. The unconditional love that pets give can help you to feel happier and more relaxed. 🐶
- Eat something crunchy: Eating crunchy food can promote relaxation. Snacks like carrots, granola, or nuts are a good place to start. 🥕
- Put your dancing shoes on: We’re serious, play your favourite jam and get moving. It refreshes your mind and boosts your mood. 👯♂️
It doesn’t matter what it is that’s stressing you out; following these techniques can really make a difference in your life. When it comes to stress, we have various treatments to help you cope better, including massage therapy and empowerment therapy. Contact us to find out how.
