Healthy Ways to Manage Stress

Everyone experiences stress -adults, teens, and even children. Stress comes in many forms, whether it be a demanding job, a chronic disease, or even an argument with a loved one. Even stress from positive experiences, such as party planning - can result in the same physical and emotional disruption on your health.

Exercise

The quickest way to relieve stress is to release endorphins through exercise. This can even be something as simple as shaking or moving around. Dancing can also be a great form of stress relief that loosens your muscles as well as clears your mind.

Deep Breathing

Breathing is something we take for granted. We do it all day, every day and yet the fantastic healing powers are so easily overlooked. When practicing deep breathing your relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the nervous system that controls the body’s involuntary functions. Take a breath!

Diet

Eating a well-balanced diet can help you feel better in general. Not only will it help control your moods, but it also helps regulate stress levels. Your meals should be packed full of veggies, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein for energy. It’s important when talking about meals, that you don’t skip meals because it can tend to actually increase your stress.

Take a Break

Meditation, Yoga, Listening to Music, Walking in Nature, Reflection.

Along with a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by carving out “me” time. It is easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle of life that it can seem very overwhelming at times. Making sure to set aside time for yourself to relax and enjoy life.

Hobbies

Reading, Knitting, Crafts, Sports, Running, Movies, Puzzles, Board Games. Doing things that you enjoy is a natural way to relieve stress and find your happy place. When stress has you down doing something that makes you happy even for 10-15 minutes can make a world of difference and help nip that stress in the butt.

Talk about it

If something is bothering you, it is important to let those feelings out. Talking about issues can help lower your stress levels. You can choose to talk to a family member, friends, your doctor, trusted community members or even a therapist.

Talking about it doesn’t always have to involve another person either. Talking to yourself out loud has been proven to help, it’s called self-talk and we all do it! One important thing to remember when engaging in self-talk is to make sure it’s positive and not negative.

Finding the right stress relief strategy for you may take some experimenting, but these are just a few tips and tricks to help.

Keeping stress at a manageable level is very important for your overall well-being. So take some time to ensure you are taking care of yourself :)