Guided meditation is a great way to distract yourself from the stresses of daily life. Maintain physical exercise and good nutrition. Stress and anxiety can affect the way you breathe, which has flow effects on the way your body and mind feel. Breathing deeply a few times can help slow your breathing and heart rate, relax your muscles, and calm your mind.
If you haven't tried mindfulness, meditation, or relaxation exercises yet, there's no better time to start. Scientifically proven to help reduce and control stress, and promote mental well-being, these tools are useful when experiencing stress and as prevention tools when you feel good. There are many programs, websites, books, and apps to help you practice these exercises, including the free resources below. Learning to manage stress requires practice, but you can (and need) to do it.
Here are 10 ways to make it easier. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. In addition, exercise will improve your mood. But you have to do it often to make it worthwhile.
So how much should you exercise each week? Focus on setting fitness goals that you can meet so you don't give up. Above all, remember that doing any type of exercise is better than doing nothing. Walking, strength training, kayaking, hiking, and spinning classes are just a few different examples of ways you can relieve stress. Virtually any form of physical activity can act as a stress relief.
Even if you're not an athlete or out of shape, exercise can be a good stress relief. In addition to having physical health benefits, exercise has been proven to be a powerful stress reliever. Food As Medicine Education Director Kathie Swift, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, EBQ cites the connection between the gut and the brain for stress relief. Coloring books for adults have gained popularity, and for good reason, coloring can be a great stress reliever.
Social contact is good stress relief because it can be distracting, supportive, and helping you tolerate life's ups and downs. To relieve stress before bed, try some relaxation techniques (see below) and disconnect from technology as much as possible one hour before bedtime. If new stressors test your ability to cope, or if self-care measures simply don't relieve stress, you may need to seek reinforcements in the form of therapy or counseling. Listening to or playing music is a good stress relief because it can provide mental distraction, reduce muscle tension, and lower stress hormones.
