Yes, we have all heard the same old story: stress is an inevitable part of life. There’s no way to avoid it, and some people even say that a little bit of stress can actually be good for you. You may not want to believe it during times of tension, but stress can sometimes help force us to take a step forward when we might otherwise hesitate. So, rather than fight against your anxiety, why not take control of your stress and have it work for you instead of against you?
The first step to controlling your stress is to recognize why you’re feeling tension or jitters. Some common stress triggers include births or deaths, a big move, a new job, or a new relationship. It’s perfectly natural to experience a bit of anxiety when our lives change. We all experience a bit of stress as we grow older and have new experiences. However, if you feel chronically stressed and overwhelmed, there are lots of things that you can do to make yourself feel better.
Unfortunately, not all of us have the time to take a nice, leisurely stroll to relax. The thing about relaxing is that the thought of taking time out of your day to wind down can cause even more undue stress! That’s why we’ve come up with ten quick and easy tips on how to de-stress no matter where you are or what time it is. After all, the last thing that you need is to make yourself stressed out about relaxing. Take a look at our ten steps to achieving bliss and calmness:
- Swap your cup of morning joe for a mug of ginseng tea. A chemical compound in ginseng has been shown to boost your metabolism, in addition to soothing your morning nerves.
- Turn on the radio. Listening to soothing music while you work or prepare for your day can help reduce high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate.
- Not meaning to sound like your grandmother, but…sit up straight! Good posture allows your body to take in more oxygen and perform better during stressful activities.
- Are you obsessing about a rude remark from a co-worker? If so, think acupressure. With your thumb and index finger, gentle squeeze the rest of your fingers all over. For some added relaxation benefits, rub some lavender oil on your hands, which can relieve anxiety and tension headaches.
- Visualization and positive imagery has been shown to dramatically reduce stress. If you’re in an anxiety-provoking situation, picture yourself on a sunny beach or exotic retreat.
- There’s really nothing better than giving a stress ball a good squeeze. Keep a soft ball at your desk at all times.
- Get moving. Exercise has been proven to reduce your stress levels by boosting the levels of feel-good serotonin in your brain. So next time you’re thinking of taking the elevator, try the stairs instead.
- Go ahead and indulge yourself with a glass of red wine. Any type of red wine contains antioxidants that reduce the amount of stress cells in your body.
- It’s a well-known fact that stress can cause breakouts on your skin. However, there is a natural cure for stress-related acne: honey! The pride and joy of bees everywhere is a moisturizer, antioxidant, and antiviral. Just spread a thin layer on your face, let it set for a few minutes, then wash it off with warm water.
- If you sometimes have trouble sleeping, get out of bed and do a relaxing activity, such as light yoga or meditation to calm your nerves until you are ready to hit the hay.
If you practice relaxation and change your old unhealthy, stress inducing patterns into new and self comforting patterns, you will see a big difference in your life. Like all things, don't expect changes over night. All things take a little time, so be kind to yourself and relax!
