If you are like the rest of the world, you probably want to know how to reduce stress in your life. Having too much stress in life can be very harmful and even lead to health problems such as cardiovascular disease and depression. Stress has a ripple affect (both mentally and physically). The key to successful stress management is, first, to help decrease (or totally avoid) most of the ripple effect, and second, to keep the initial effects that result from stress in the past.
Some people feel stressed because they are not getting enough sleep. This can lead to increased anxiety levels due to lack of sleep. Try to eat a good meal, get some exercise, and sleep a lot. If you cannot sleep more than a few hours a night, see a doctor, who can prescribe you prescription sleep aids. Avoid stimulants like the popular caffeine-based beverages that make you feel stressed out, because they do not help you relax and relieve stress, but instead increase stress levels.
A healthy diet and exercise regimen will also help. Eating a healthy diet will help you feel fuller longer and exercising releases endorphins, the “happy” hormones, into your system. In addition, if you have trouble sleeping, try taking up yoga or meditation. These forms of exercise are excellent stress reducers.
If you do get overly stressed, there are things that you can do to combat the physical symptoms. A good self-help program, such as Panic Away, will help you identify and work through your stress response. The challenge is that some people may have a hard time changing their beliefs about themselves, others may be hard-core believers. If your belief system is holding you back from success, take a mental scan and change the beliefs that are holding you back, one at a time.
How to reduce stress levels, through exercise, diet, meditation, yoga, and self-help programs, all play an important role in how you feel. Exercise helps you build muscle, which reduces stress, and meditation allows you to calm your mind and body. When you eat healthy, you feel full, which improves your mood and decreases stress. Healthy diet habits also contribute to healthy self-confidence, because eating a healthy diet leads to less intake of unhealthy foods. Taking frequent breaks from work and other activities also helps.
It is possible for you to handle stress and anxiety, if you learn how to manage it in different ways. Taking short breaks, eating healthy, and engaging in physical activity, are effective strategies. Meditating and making lists of things to do when you have a stressful day, can also be effective ways to reduce your stress and anxiety. Reducing stress and anxiety through these strategies, are just some of the many ways that real food can help you manage your stress and anxiety.
Glenn Freiboth writes about how to reduce stress.
