Even though something like stress is considered normal, it isn’t necessarily beneficial for your health. Sure, stress is healthy at times. It’s a hardwired survival technique, the body’s fight or flight response, during which you mobilize to take action in a dangerous situation. The body triggers the release of hormones that engage that fight or flight response when it perceives danger, making the body adept at responding to real emergencies.
The problem is when the nervous system cannot distinguish between real danger and perceived danger. For example, real danger is a tiger chasing you, while perceived danger is a work presentation. But stress is highly common in modern day life, and it can negatively affect physical and mental health, leading to one or more of the following symptoms:
- Mood issues, including depression and anger
- Stomach cramps, nausea, and reflux
- Fatigue
- Difficult sleeping
- Decreased immunity and ability to heal from illness
- Disrupted hunger cues and increased fat storage
- Low libido
- Increased blood pressure
Practice Mindfulness
A lot of people find that mindfulness, more specifically mindful meditation, is a solution for stress. Mindfulness is not solely reserved for meditation, though. It’s possible to develop a regular mindfulness practice to help keep stress levels down. You can actively engage in a mindfulness walk, for example, for 15-20 minutes per day. Don’t have that much time? Consider a daily five-minute mindful meditation session to improve resilience when stressful times come.
Keep A Gratitude Journal
Establishing a gratitude practice can benefit your physical, emotional, and mental health. Stress relief is a common benefit of practicing gratitude, as listing things that you are grateful for can put things into perspective. It’s a great practice to write five to 10 things you are grateful for (big or small) every morning. You may find that this practice helps you sleep better as well.
Have Fun
If you only work and never play, you will eventually stress out. It’s common to forget to slow down and enjoy yourself, given the fast-paced nature of life these days. You don’t necessarily have to engage in a “fun” activity; rather, it can be something as simple as playing with your dog, taking a dance class, or carving out time to watch an episode or two of your favorite TV show. Just make sure that you have fun doing whatever you decide to do.
Stay Active
More people are sedentary now than ever before. They either work at home or in an office while sitting, commute in a seated position, and then sit for the remainder of the evening. Are there people who break this mold and remain active? Yes, absolutely, but more people need to engage in regular physical activity. Regular moderate-intensity physical exercise can help fight stress and anxiety in the long-term. Researchers note that sweating through exercise is one of the best ways to remove excess cortisol (the stress hormone) from the bloodstream.
Sleep Well
This can be difficult to do, especially if sleep is something that causes you stress. Since sleep is the body’s way of recharging, it is necessary for optimal physical and mental health. Proper sleep can also build the resiliency necessary for managing stress. Failure to get enough sleep on a regular basis can amplify your stress and decrease your ability to cope with it. That said, chronic stress can make sleeping very difficult, be it falling asleep or staying asleep. Too much cortisol in the bloodstream can cause nighttime wakings. The solution is to remove excess cortisol via some of the methods detailed in this article.
Try Legs Up The Wall Pose
Yoga is a great low-impact exercise that can promote stress reduction. Certain poses, such as legs up the wall, are considered to be stress-relieving poses. It is exactly what it sounds like: you lay on your back and prop your legs up against the wall, which actually promotes circulation from the lower legs back to the heart. During this pose, you can enhance the relaxation by engaging in deep breathing, meditation, or another form of self-care. Consider a gratitude mantra while you stay in this pose for five to 20 minutes.
The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Method
Need to ground yourself during periods of anxiety? You can employ the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique if you direct your focus to the present moment. It can help ground you, making you feel less anxious or worried. Practice the method as follows:
- Identify 5 things you can see
- Pinpoint 4 things you can touch
- Notice 3 things you can hear
- Identify 2 things you can smell
- Find 1 thing you can taste
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
