Dealing with stressful situations has become a regular part of our life. Unfortunately, too much stress can have negative and long-term consequences on our health – numerous mental and physical disorders are caused by stress. Psychosomatic disorders result as a body’s reaction to stress. Psychosomatic manifestations of stress can even cause some significant organ damage. There are some also serious stress-related ailments like high blood pressure, gastric ulcer, thyroid problems and reoccurring headaches.
Stress management includes different techniques that can aid in coping with stress more efficiently. While medications relieve stress and anxiety, they can have some side effects and leave you susceptible to addiction. Dealing with stress naturally, without any pills, is a safer and often a more effective approach.
Before going any further, it’s crucial to analyze your situation and identify leading causes of tension and stress. Sometimes a small change of habits can have a great positive effect on our health.
Once you have identified your stress inducer, check out these natural and easy ways to beat stress:
- Being more involved in nature and going outside can reduce stress. Our jobs and life habits have forced us to spend more time in closed spaces. But, going out for a walk and enjoying beautiful nature landscapes has a calming effect.
Studies have shown that walking barefoot in grass can help relieve some stress and tension. Green is a color often found in nature. It is thought to relieve stress and help heal your mind. In addition, sun exposure increases the level of serotonin in our brains and serotonin is a hormone of happiness.
- Not only will regular exercise improve your physical condition, but it also has significant effects on your mental health. Find a workout group or a running buddy – they can act as a motivator and also provide you with some extra company for those days when you need the boost. Yoga has also become a popular form of exercise and relaxation. Exercise releases endorphins into the brain. The more endorphins released, the happier you feel.
- Healthy food is a great way to get your mind and body appropriately aligned. Eating healthy meals regularly is a major step to a stress-free life. Eating little and often is the best way. Foods that successfully boost your mood are blueberries, avocado, carrots, oranges and grapefruits, seeds, dark chocolate. Some herbs like valerian and catnip also reduce the symptoms of stress.
Avoiding too much caffeine, smoking and drinking will also help to relieve stress.
- There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep. Good and regular sleep plays an important part in stress relief. Little sleep makes us cranky and tired. Establish a regular sleep cycle, this will ensure that you feel fresh and rested. Children with autism have difficulties with some aspect of sleep, which can also lead to anxiety, burn-out, and stress. However, there are sleep solutions that have been proven to help children with ASD.
Avoid sleeping pills if possible, you can develop a reliance on them which inhibits your ability to naturally fall asleep.
- Massage is another great way of treating stress. Massages relax tight and painful muscles, enhance circulation and lower stress levels. Sometimes, you might have built up tension that you do not even realize causing you stress.
After a good massage, you’ll feel reborn. There are many different anti-stress massages with herbs and oils. Also, some self-massage techniques for neck, shoulders, and head will ease pain and relieve tension.
- Spending more time with others can be very relaxing. Talk to a family member, friends, colleagues or an intimate partner when you feel like a whole world is against you. Friendly, casual talk is calming – not to mention, when others make us laugh it can help. Laughter is the best medicine. Laughter decreases the level of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine.
- Probably the most important step is to organize yourself. Finding the right work-life balance seems difficult. However, you should invest time and energy into achieving this goal.
If you’re having a hard time, don’t feel embarrassed to ask others for help. If you can, avoid things that are causing too much stress. Evaluate before you make a final decision. Plan your day or week ahead and always make some time for yourself and people you care about. Most importantly, stay neutral and don’t stress over things you can’t control.