9 Stress Management Tips to Improve Your Life

It is easy to see why so many people are stressed out these days. Trying to balance home, work, relationships, finances and other responsibilities can make you feel overwhelmed, exhausted and stressed out. Stress is known as the silent killer and causes negative mental and physical symptoms.

According to the American Institute of Stress, 73% of Americans regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress, and 48% percent says stress has had a negative impact on their lives. It is important for our health to learn to combat and keep our stress if we want to lead healthy, productive lives. Click To Tweet

Top Stress Management Tips

Stress can have a huge impact in your daily life. Learning to manage stress is vital to maintaining your physical and emotional health. Managing the stress in your life takes practice, but it can be done. Try these nine stress management tips to help you gain control and keep stress from negatively impacting your health.

1. Step Back and Breathe

We’ve all been in those situations and felt the stress move over our bodies. It could be something happened at work, a fight with a loved one, or your finances are not where you need them to be. Feeling stressed during these situations is natural. When you start feeling stress come on, take a step back from the situation and take a few deep breaths. Ask yourself is worrying and stressing out going to change the situation? Most the time, you will find that stressing out about any situation doesn’t make it go away or easier to handle.

2. Get Moving

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for stress reduction. Stress causes an increase of stress hormones in your body, like cortisol and adrenaline, creating a fight or flight response. Daily physical activity helps metabolize these excessive hormones, balancing your system and restoring calmness and relaxation to your body and mind. You don’t need a gym or any equipment. Just head outside for a brisk walk in some fresh air or start incorporating exercise into your everyday tasks. Start taking the stairs at work, or take a walk on your lunch break.

3. Limit Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol

It is best to avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, but limiting it to special occasions is helpful, too. Alcohol works as a depressant in large quantities, while nicotine and caffeine are stimulants, increasing your level of stress when consumed. Swap out your caffeinated beverages and alcoholic drinks for herbal teas, juice, or mineral water. And, make sure to stay hydrated, which also helps your body better handle stress.

4. Relaxation Techniques

When you are stressed, your muscles tighten up, causing pain and discomfort in your body and joints. Make sure to incorporate relaxations techniques to your everyday schedule. Try listening to some relaxing music while you breathe and get away from all distractions. Learn a positive mantra to help combat stress like I deserve peace in my life, or grant me serenity. Soak in a hot tub or spa each night after you get home from work.The hot water improves circulation and eases sore muscles. It has been shown that soaking in a hot tub or therapy spa for just 20 minutes a day can help melt your stress away.

5. Give Yoga or Meditation a Try

Yoga and meditation have multiple health benefits, including reducing stress and making you feel good. There are many poses taught in yoga that work to calm the nervous system and lower stress levels. Practicing yoga (even at home) for 20-30 minutes a day can help alleviate stress, enhance focus, and keep your body and mind healthy and balanced. Meditation, like yoga, can wipe the stress of the day away. By spending a few minutes each day quieting your mind and focusing on your breathing, you can regain your inner peace and calm.

6. Eat Healthy Foods

You might not know it, but what you eat plays a part in how you manage stress. A well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help you control your moods, and give you energy to get you through the day. Don’t skip meals! If your body needs to be fed, it can cause you to become short-tempered or irritable, which actually increases your stress.

7. Talk to Someone

If things are getting too difficult to handle and stress is overwhelming you, talk to someone. Get your troubles off your chest and vent your problems. You can go to a trusted friend, a clergy, a family member or a therapist. If you just aren’t ready to open up about it, it can also be helpful to write it down, or create a stress diary. A stress diary is a place where you can write down everything causing stress and then, take a look at what things you need to change or manage.

8. Get Some Sleep

A lack of sleep can negatively impact your health and cause stress. Sleeping is essential to staying healthy and stress-free. Unfortunately, for many, stressful thoughts can get in the way of slumber. Try some relaxation techniques before bed, like deep breathing, yoga, or a relaxing soak in your hot tub or bathtub. Stay away from alcohol and caffeine in the evenings and get off your electronic devices at least an hour before bed to give your brain some time to calm down.

9. Learn Acceptance

Learning to accept that things will not always goes as planned is an important part of stress management. When we realize that things are out of our control, it helps us to recognize that the way we react to them is not. Stressful situations are bound to happen, but when we understand that it is a part of life, we can step back for a moment and practice staying calm before making a game plan on how to get through it with as little stress as possible.

Improve Your World With Stress Management

Everyone feels stress at some point in their life. And while it may be impossible to completely avoid it, it is possible to keep it under control by using the above stress management techniques. Remember–managing stress takes time and practice, but if you work to add these tips into your daily life, you are sure to see health improvements and lowered stress levels.

To learn more about how you can better manage stress, Contact Us.