Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
Everyday stress can pile up and become something that keeps you from being you and living life to its fullest
Here are some tips to help take the stress off and live it up!
- Laugh! Laughing out loud has been shown to reduce stress both mentally and physically.
It stimulates your heart, lungs and increases endorphin activity in your brain.
It also has been shown in the long term to help improve your immune system because it helps release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses.
For a quick laugh try watching your favorite funny video or for a longer laugh try watching a comedy.
- Meditate. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
Another great benefit is that it helps gain perspective and increase your awareness of the present moment.
I try to take 5-10 minutes a day and do yoga, stretch, listen to some soothing music or even sit in silence (I know that’s a hard one!)
- Drink Tea. In two recent studies, participants that drank tea after doing a stress test showed lower levels of stress than before taking the stress test.
One of the researchers from the study, Professor Andrew Steptoe, stated: “…our study suggests that drinking black tea may speed up our recovery from the daily stresses in life.
Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal.
This has important health implications, because slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease.”
One way that I have found this helpful is by drinking a cup of tea before bed to help unwind. I even add some meditation in there too.
As the saying goes, there are not enough hours in the day, but taking time, even 5 minutes, can have a huge impact on stress levels.
Try implementing one of these (or all of them) into your day to help make your stress level go down and enjoyment of life go up!
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Poliquin Group, and Medical News Today