Managing Stress
From time-to-time we all find different parts of our life stressful and will undoubtedly all have experienced or will continue to experience different symptoms of stress. While we all crave a stress-free life, free from worry and nagging doubts, a degree of stress is necessary to keep us motivated and enthusiastic. By finding the right balance, this will help you lead a healthy, active lifestyle and cope with stress in a positive way.
We’ve put together five stress-reducing tips to try out whenever you need a little respite from a hectic day. These tips will not change the situation but they may just change the way you react and enable you to change your relationship to the cause of stress.
Laughter Is Good For You - Having a giggle or a real good chuckle reduces cortisol, a chemical that indicates stress in the body and instead increases mood elevating endorphins which make you feel a whole lot better instantly.
Get Some Fresh Air – When you are feeling overwhelmed with stress – get outdoors into the fresh air and go for a short brisk walk around the workplace or neighbourhood. A walk around the block can help clear your head, giving you a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of calm on a stressful situation.
Drink More Water – Water needs to be 80% of your fluid intake daily. People often feel stressed because they do not drink enough plain old water. Too much of drinks such as coffee, coke and alcohol are not good as they release adrenalin which in turn increases your stress levels.
Put The Kettle On - Alternatively have a cup of tea – flavoured tea and the infusion of the scent is enough to make you immediately unwind. For those needing a caffeine fix, tea contains a wealth of antioxidants great for our health and wellbeing. It also contains an amino acid called theanine which brings about a relaxed but alert state of mind. They don’t call tea a ‘pick-me-up’ for nothing!
Breathe Deeply – Sit back and take four or five deep breaths using your lower abdominal muscles to start instantly de-stressing.
