Stress is a very normal, but potentially dangerous aspect of human behaviour. Stress likely evolved in humans as a response to dangerous situations, and in these cases it is an important survival mechanism. However, left unchecked, stress can have a negative impact on an individual's emotional and physical health. In fact, stress has been associated with a number of conditions including anxiety, depression, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and more. As such, it is important to effectively manage stress. Fortunately, there are many safe and natural means of reducing stress.
- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle - One of the best and easiest ways to manage your stress levels is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy and getting regular exercise are proven methods to reduce stress and to improve your mechanisms for coping with stress. Even just 30 minutes of walking after a difficult day at the office can help you forget that day's challenges and relieve the associated stress. Moreover, eating well ensures that you have the energy and nutrients you need to feel your best so you'll be more prepared to tackle stressful situations.
- Practice Meditation or other Mind-Body Exercises - Focused meditation and breathing gets your mind off stressful situations and replaces them with positive thoughts and feelings. Meditation doesn't just mean sitting in a quiet room and chanting; indeed, any repetitive activity including walking, swimming, painting, or knitting has meditative properties. Ultimately, you want to focus on being relaxed and visualize yourself in a positive state. Breathing deeply will also have a calming effect so that you can relieve tension and feel calm.
- Avoid Stressful Stimuli - Wherever possible, you should avoid stressful stimuli. You can avoid those people who cause you stress, and you can take control of your environment. For example, if you feel stressed because your team is losing, turn off the TV and change your activity. Also, learn your limits and how to express them to people. One of the biggest mistakes people make that leads to stress is taking on more than they can handle. If you're getting slammed at work, you might not want to take responsibility for planning your family reunion. Sometimes in order to deal with your own stress, you need to learn to say no to others.
- Achieve a Healthy Life Balance - Life is about more than just work. Coincidentally, work is often the main source of stress for people. If you want to be truly happy and stress free, you have to find ways to achieve a healthy work-life balance. If your work requires long hours, that's fine, but try to take time for breaks during the day. A short walk in the afternoon can revitalize you and help you reduce your stress. Also, make plans to enjoy your favourite hobbies and activities during your down time so that your whole life doesn't revolve around work.
- Try Sound Therapy - Research today suggests that sound therapy can have powerful effects on relaxation and stress levels. Sound therapy is specifically designed to target brain areas associated with relaxation. These therapies calm the nervous system, reduce heart rate, and even improve sleep. Moreover, sound therapy is versatile so you can take it with you wherever you go; you can listen in the car, in the office, or at home before bed.
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