Do you ever wish you had a magic pill that could stop your stressed out feelings? Stress can be like an uncontrollable monster at times. We know stess is bad for our health, but sometimes we can’t help getting sucked into the latest crisis at work or home. The following may provide some helpful pointers to get you back to a calm state.
One thing that you can do at work or school to relieve your stress is smile whenever you get the chance. When you smile, you automatically alter your mood from the inside out and make people around you happier. This will create a pleasant aura and help to reduce your stress level.
In order to keep your stress level under control, you might want to consider taking up hiking. This is important because nature can be extremely relaxing in itself. This is also important because you are getting exercise at the same time – taking out two birds with one stone!
Try to get as much sleep as you possibly can during the course of the day, regardless of how much you have to work. Lack of sleep will result in increased stress levels, which can limit your productivity and hurt the way that you feel. Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night to feel your best.
Avoid stress when possible! High blood pressure can be the direct result of too much stress in our lives. It is, of course, natural to experience a short-term spike in blood pressure under stressful situations. Think, for example, about a typical trip to the doctor’s office. Many people experience such as spike under such conditions. Long term elevation in blood pressure due to stress, however, is considerably more concerning!
A fantastic tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to make sure you have good posture at all times. When people slouch, they aren’t getting as much oxygen to the brain and that can make them stressed. Having and maintaining good posture can help you keep your stress levels down.
A great way to deal with stress is to consider drinking more hot tea. Along with the relaxing nature of drinking a warm beverage, many teas contain healthy natural relaxing agents in them that can help to soothe you. Check out a variety of teas and see which suit you the best.
Don’t keep your feelings bottled up inside. You need to let out your thoughts and emotions, or the stress of holding them in can increase your blood pressure and raise the possibility of other health problems. If you don’t have a confidant or friend you can speak to, consider the services of a professional counselor.
One of the easiest ways to reduce stress in your life is by shutting off the evening news. Today’s news broadcasts are typically filled with nothing but doom and gloom, making them anything but uplifting. In fact, they can leave you feeling downright stressed out and worried. Instead, try skimming the news headlines online to stay informed. Just don’t allow yourself to get bogged down in all the details.
An excellent method of lessening stress and feeling better is to have a relaxing bath. Include scented soaps or oils, and luxuriate. Just lay back and listen to some calming music, or read a book. Warm baths are and extremely effective stress relief technique for both the mind and body.
If your life is stressful and hectic, one great way to get some stress out is to take a short nap. A half hour nap in the afternoon after work can make you feel refreshed and ready to continue the day, rinsing away the stress that has built up over the work day.
Stand up for yourself when you need to. For instance, if you have a ton of work to get done before bed and a friend stops by to visit, tell them upfront that you have a busy night ahead and just don’t have time to talk. Or, if your child’s teacher asks you to help with the school play but your schedule is already full, tell the teacher that you appreciate being asked, but that you don’t have the time. Standing up for yourself is one of the best ways to reduce your overall stress.
Don’t be tempted to use drugs, legal or otherwise. While it may seem the most natural thing in the world to turn to alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs to reduce our stress levels, the truth of the matter is that these drugs only escalate our problems. They actually result in heightened stress levels, not reduced stress. We become oversensitized to the very things that are causing our stress in the first place.
Many reports talk about rising cortisol levels and other hormones that increase when we are under stress. These excess circulating hormones, can cause other health problems and it really makes sense to learn useful techniques for controlling, managing or just letting go of stress so that you can get back to enjoying your life.