Stress is said to be the biggest killer. While stress can be a healthy process for dealing with life-threatening ‘fight or flight’ situations, many of us get stressed over things that aren’t at all life-threatening. Relieving stress when it isn’t necessary can help to prevent it from wearing down your mind and body. Living with chronic stress could be leading to depression and anxiety, as well as increasing the risk of heart disease and strokes – by finding ways to reduce stress, you could protect your mental and physical health. Here are several ways to relieve stress.
Get enough sleep
Sleep and stress can both impact each other. You’re less likely to get stressed when you’ve had a good night’s sleep and you’ll find it easier to get to sleep if you’re not stressed. Make sure that you’re getting enough hours of sleep – on average, you should be getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
Be physically active
Exercise can also help to reduce stress by flooding the body full of feelgood endorphins. Because stress helps to prepare our body for fight or flight, exercise also helps to offer the release of energy that we need. Any form of exercise that gets your heart racing could be enough to fight stress.
Book a massage
Chronic stress can lead to tight muscles. A massage can help to relax these muscles and fight achiness. Massages also similarly help to release endorphins around the body, helping to flush out cortisol (the stress hormone).
Try herbal stress-relief
There are many herbal remedies for stress relief that could be worth trying. Medical marijuana has become a popular form of herbal stress relief – you can now buy products such as cannabis e liquid to help beat stress. Ingredients like lavender and chamomile are also effective at reducing stress levels.
Take a hot bath
A hot bath is also a great stressbuster. The heat from the water can stimulate nerve endings and flood the body with endorphins, while the buoyancy of the water helps to relax muscles. A hot bath in the evening could be perfect for helping you destress before going to bed.
Meditate
Meditation helps to clear your mind and reduce stress-triggering thoughts. You can meditate by finding somewhere quiet and closing your eyes. Your car or a toilet cubicle could be the perfect place to escape to at work in order to meditate (work is common place where many of us get stressed).
Listen to music
Music can also help to release endorphins and relieve stress. You can combine listening to music with other stress-busting activities such as meditating or exercising. Curate a playlist of songs that you enjoy that are guaranteed to help you relax when you’re stressed.
Give yourself a break
You can stop stress from getting severe by giving yourself a break when you need it. If you’re approaching a burnout at work, tell your employer and take some emergency time off. If parenthood is stressing you out, arrange a babysitter for the night and treat yourself to some ‘me time’.
