Stress is an inevitable part of our existence. We experience stress from our work, our jobs, our families, our friends, and our own brains. Stress is going to be in our lives no matter what, but we can make an effort to minimize how stress impacts our physical and mental health.
Life is busy, and the last thing we schedule is down time and self-care time. Exercise, spa days, or even just taking a minute to grab a coffee and chat with a friend are things we rarely treat ourselves to, and yet are essential to our wellbeing.
When it comes to stress and our bodies, one traumatic event can have the same effect as a lot of small stressors throughout our days and weeks. Daily stress management and self-check-ins are necessary for not letting stress get the better of you.
Here are a few ways to quickly de-stress throughout your day quickly and easily:
1. Get a hug: physical contact is essential for our mental and physical health. A quick hug from a friend or loved one released happy chemicals in our brains that allows us to rest and relax for a minute. With less than a minute of physical contact you can feel the benefits of physically touching someone.
2. Take vitamins: most of us need to take some sort of multivitamin to balance our bodies. If you are on the go, it can be difficult to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need to keep your body functioning well. Vitamins C and E are especially important for reducing stress and keeping your blood sugar low.
3. Stress eating: no, it’s not a bad thing! Stress eating can actually be beneficial to you if you stress eat in the right ways. Keep away from the tempting snacks like candy or chips. Foods that can help decrease your stress levels include nuts, avocados, salmon, oatmeal, and spinach. These are nutrient-packed foods that assist with your mental and physical health and that will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
4. Keep a journal: writing down your stressors during the day can help you to process your feelings and emotions around that person, conversation, or event. You can keep a notebook with you to write in at work or use one at the beginning or end of the day to jot your thoughts down. Writing can give you perspective, help you solve problems, and give you a necessary space to vent.
5. Bottling up your stress only leads to negative consequences. When you are going through a tough time, talk about it to a friend or close family member. This gives you support and can be a good stress reliever. By getting your problems out in the open you can start to see how they can be solved. Your confidant can add in a different perspective and could help you come up with solutions for dealing with your stress.
We all deal with stress in different ways, but we all have it within us to manage our stress and give ourselves a little bit of a break. When it comes right down to it, we need to learn how to treat ourselves with patience and grace so that we can be happy and healthy members of society.
