All of us lead a very demanding life. With responsibilities, running errands and commuting, it makes you feel a bit frazzled and overwhelmed. When your nervous system is in overdrive and you feel anxious and fearful or angry, it’s your body’s way of telling that you are under stress.
Today we all are constantly running in the emergency mode. And our body and mind pay the price for it. Acidity and inflammation in any of the body parts is a common sign of stress. Whenever your body detects a threat or a high level of demand, it starts sending a distress signal. Sometimes this stress helps you to defend yourself and make you work better. But not always!
When the level of stress increases, our body starts showing signs. Long term sustained stress leads to depression, heart attack, premature aging and sometimes affect our relationships too.
There are broadly three reasons for stress:-
- Work
- Relationship
- Money
Don’t let stress boss you around. If stress left uncontrolled, it puts your health at high risk. Managing your stress early is necessary, otherwise, it becomes chronic and you might need medical help. Read on to know the ten ways to beat the stress and stay healthy in life.
10 Ways to Beat Stress and Stay Healthy
1. Eat right
Eating the right things at the right time helps to manage stress. Due to our emotions sometimes we eat less or more. We need to curb emotional eating in order to beat the stress.
Avoid fried food and aerated drinks, sugary and other pick me up snacks; rather consciously choose to intake fruits and vegetable.
At times eating fish also helps to manage the stress level of the body.
Clean proteins, fruits, and vegetables help regulate the stress-causing hormone in the body.
2. De-clutter
Start with your physical space and then move to your mind. Clean out all the extra junk that you have been accumulating over time. Be minimalistic!
You can do so much more when everything seems to be in order and you have space to move around.
Same goes for de-cluttering the brain, you need to let go of all the harmful emotions and make space for good new memories. Learn to say “NO” to things. The things that you might not need or projects that might overwhelm you.
3. Be Mindful
Once you have de-cluttered your mind and heart, you would see things clearly. So make sure you know what you put in your mind and what actually comes out of your mouth. Be in the present; stop dwelling about the past and future. Examine and evaluate your actions and words. Prioritize your activities.
4. Meditate
Learn to meditate, practice deep breathing and relaxing. It rewires the brain to manage stress. Meditation eases anxiety and controls mood swings. Follow your breathing and your brain will figure it out.
5. Be thankful
Express gratitude, it is not that difficult to say thank you! Appreciate yourself and everything around you. Being thankful helps you feel less overwhelmed.
6. LOL
Laugh out loud, as frequently as you can. Laughter is the best medicine for any sort of illness. Take a break from your work and other normal chores. Just a smile or giggle, can easily uplift your mood instantly and you would feel less stressed.
7. Surround yourself with the right people
Surrounding yourself with the right people is crucial for living a stress-free life. Be around those friends who motivate you, whom you can talk to. People who can guide you and who give out positive vibes are the people to be with. Encouraging words help to bring down the stress level and lighten your mood.
8. Chalk out a plan
One of the best ways to beat stress is to make a to-do list. Prioritize the activities according to their requirements and then work your way through. Accept that not all work can be done in one day. Sometimes making a to-do list can overwhelm you, so make sure it is neat and the work is properly divided in order to curb your level of stress.
9. Listen to music
I always felt that music makes me calm. It can be any type of music, whatever you like. Music indeed gives you a good break and rejuvenates your mind.
10. Workout
Choose any type of work out. Be it yoga, aerobics or even a simple walk; these physical exercises open up your heart and you enjoy the experience. Regular workout leads to less stress. Endorphin production regulates the positive feeling in your body.
In order to break your level of stress, you need to break the emotional pattern that leads you to stress. Stress is not good for your body and mind if any of the above does not help in curbing stress, seek medical help.