In this article, I’m going to cover a handful of tips and methods that you can implement into your every day life which will help you better deal with stress and even prevent stress from invading into your happiness.
1. Breathe Deeply. Practice Breathing Techniques Regularly.
A lot of people seem to overlook how easy and useful this tactic can be for relieving stress, especially in the heat of the moment. I know, the advice “take a deep breath” may seem cliché. But it really does hold true when it comes to stress. Take a minute or two break from life to focus on your breathing. Sit up straight and close your eyes if possible, and put your hand on your belly.
Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath of air start in your abdomen and progress it’s way to the top of your head. Next, reverse the process as you exhale through your mouth. It’s been said that deep breathing counters the effects of stress by slowing the heart rate and lowering the body’s blood pressure. Buddhist monks have been known to be very conscious of deliberate breathing during meditation because of this.
Another method you can use it to sit up in your chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on top of your knees. Breathe in and out slowly, with deep full breaths while also concentrating on your lungs as they expand and contract in your chest. Many doctors and researchers have actually found that shallow breathing is consistent with increased stress and deep breathing fills your blood with oxygen and in turn helps to center your body and clear your mind.
2. Meditate For A Period Of Time In The Morning And Evening
It should come as no surprise to you that meditation is an excellent way to help relieve your stress. When performed correctly, it should release your mind and allow you to focus on peace. Many people struggle with meditation at first, because it can be a little tricky. And in all honesty, it does take a little bit of time to learn.
There’s many great articles and even courses on how to meditate, but you can easily get started by simply sitting in the corner or somewhere peace, closing your eyes and listening to music or soaking in the sounds around you. Some meditation guru’s will even encourage you to listen to those natural sounds during the process, and to even burn some sort of incense to help break the stress that’s present in your body.
3. Listen To Music That Promotes Your Chilled Out Mood
Listening to the right music is super important when you’re trying to reduce stress in your life and find your inner balance. Some music can in fact heighten your stress levels when you listen to it. One type of music that researchers have proven to help stress levels is “baroque” music. This music is based around a tempo of 60 beats per minute, which coincidentally is about the rate that our heart should be.
Baroque music has actually been shown to increase the alpha waves in both the left and right sides of your brain which assist in improving your learning ability, calmness and even your creativity. Because of this, many corporate trainers have now incorporated this style of music during memory training sessions to better assist their students in improving both their comprehension and their memory.
Of course, you should focus on the kind of music that you like and which brings comfort to you. So this point will different depending on who you are and what your tastes are.
4. Exercise, Even If It’s Just For A Minute Or Two Each Day
Listen, exercising doesn’t have to be power lifting at the gym or training for some sort of marathon event. A simple short stroll around the office or block, or even just standing up to stretch during a break at work can often times be just the immediate stress relief you need in some situations. Getting your blood flowing releases endorphin’s and can actually improve your mood almost instantaneously. If you find that you have more time to exercise, that’s even better.
They say that exercising for 30 minutes per day is one of the best things you can do for both your mind and your body. Not only does it help you keep fit, but it also gets the blood pumping around in your body. While you’re doing exercises, there’s chemicals being released from your brain that can elevate your mood.
5. Make It A Point To Eat Right With A Healthy Diet
Studies have linked that stress levels are directly impacted by a proper diet. The problem is that when we’re overwhelmed and stressed out, we often ignore healthy eating habits. This results in eating sugary, fatty snack foods as a quick pick-me-up to satisfy our hunger and even our mood. Try to avoid sugary snacks and plan ahead if possible.
Fruits and vegetables are obviously a great choice, and fish with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to help reduce the symptoms and levels of stress. This means that a tuna sandwich is truly beneficial to both your mood and your brain as well.
6. Try To Drink At Least Eight Glass of Water Per Day
I’m sure you know this already, but without water, humans and most living things can’t survive. After all, it’s been said to be one of the most precious resources that we possess on the planet. With that said, to maintain your health, most doctors and medical professionals will recommend a MINIMUM of eight glasses of water per day. This means PLAIN WATER.
As in flavored water or coffee certainly does not count towards that goal. You’ll truly be amazed at how much better you feel and less stress you become as you hydrate more every day.
7. Limit Both Alcohol AND Coffee Consumption
Alcohol and coffee are both considered great sources of stress, seeing as they both increase the heart rate and make us more prone to stress situations. If you can, try to limit the amount of coffee and alcohol that you consume each day, and you will almost certainly notice that your level of stress will decrease. Some researchers say that consuming one to two glasses of alcohol like a red wine, per day, can be a healthy choice.
But since we’re focused on reducing stress, it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor or physician to check if this is the best decision for you. Another thing to be cautious about is that caffeine can often give you a “high” which
you will become dependent on over time. This certainly won’t be beneficial towards reducing the amount of stress that’s present in your life.
8. Schedule Breaks Throughout Your Day
We all know how stressful work can be, whether it’s the environment, the coworkers, or the tasks at hand – it can all add up rather quickly. One of the biggest blunders that people make in their work life is to neglect taking breaks throughout the day to refresh the mind. In actuality, there’s no real legal business on the planet that will require anybody to work 24 hours per day non-stop.
Researchers have actually proven that if you don’t schedule at least 1 hour for a break every day, you’re far more likely to have health issues over a prolonged period of time. Always remember that life is truly short in the grand scheme of things. Don’t waste all of your time on work. Take the time to go out and enjoy your day regardless of
where you are. Make sure that you schedule a number of (short) breaks during the work day.
Even if you just take that time to go outside for 5 minutes to get some fresh air and a drink. That sort of break will help you to clear your mind and allow you to prepare yourself to tackle the rest of the work for the day.
9. Identify At Least One Good Thing That Happened Today
This will definitely sound a bit generic in terms of advice and tips, but it’s such solid advice that if you haven’t started doing this, you really should consider it. Every evening all over the world, families and / or friends congregate in the evenings or after work and vent about their day and the events that it was made up of. However, instead of creating a negative atmosphere from the moment you walk in the door and sit down, try starting off on a different note.
Do this by exchanging good news and things that were positive about your day. It’s really not difficult at all to address the good things that happened in life, and as a result, you’ll find yourself more grateful for the things you have. You’ll also find that you’re better able to face stressors and other unfortunate occurrences in your day.
10. Be Prepared (Prepare For Tomorrow And The Future)
It’s true that nothing can be more stressful than walking into a situation being completely unprepared. That’s why you should invest some time every day towards getting ready for the following day. This could be as simple as drafting up a short to-do list and even cleaning up your environment and living area before you settle down for the evening.
Knowing that you have all of the different bases covered means that you’ll be far less likely to fret about things that need to get done in the evenings or when you’re not busy with work and other stuff. By better preparing yourself and organizing your life, you’ll give yourself a better sense that you’re fully in control of the situation and can handle it. This truly does set a positive tone for the day, evening, and future days, which in turn can help you to get far more accomplished.
