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Feature: 6 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
As ‘iskos’ and ‘iskas’ and the ‘pag-asa ng bayan’, we carry a lot on our shoulders. Requirements on top of requirements, pressure from our parents, and extracurricular activities are just a few of the things that can cause stress and headaches. Sadly, we can’t escape these horrors but we’ve got some tips that might bring you some relief.
1. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to help relieve stress. You may argue that exercising itself is hard and stressful, but it is proven that exerting physical stress on your body helps greatly to combat mental stress.
According to research, people who exercise regularly are less likely to experience anxiety and stress than those who don’t. These are the reasons behind it:
a. Endorphins: Exercise and other physical activities causes the brain to produce endorphins which is the brain’s feel good neurotransmitter and the body’s natural painkillers. It also helps improve an individual’s ability to sleep.
b. Forgetting the frustrations: After a while of concentrating on your body’s movement, you will find yourself forgetting your irritations and stress, to focus on your task which results to in a clear and calm mind that will help you focus on your next task.
c. Optimism: When you exercise regularly you will feel confident and competent which results to in energy and optimism.
2. Write
Writing is one way to cope with stress and anxiety. Note down what causes you stress or things you’re thankful for. This makes you focus more on positive thoughts and things in life. It is also a way to get things off your chest.
In addition, writing will help you clarify thoughts and feelings. This is also a way of clarifying thoughts and feelings, which helps you understand yourself better. It improves cognitive function, strengthens the immune system, and prevents being a host of illness.
Here are some journaling or writing strategies by Elizabeth Scott, a wellness coach and an author, that you can try:
a. Gratitude Journal
In a journal, you list three or more aspects of each day for which you are grateful for. This one’s is a highly effective strategy because it makes you focus more on the things that are already present in your life.
b. Emotional Release
Writing about your emotional response to events throughout the day is also a way of coping with stress. This is a kind of a reflection on your feelings and thoughts. This also helps you explore a solution and more positive responses when facing troubles in life.
c. Bullet Journal or Personal Planning Journal
This is where you keep track of the things to be done each day. It also helps greatly for in goal-setting. This helps you become more organized.
3. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is a pretty straight forward word. It means a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. This practice helps to combat anxiety inducing habits like negativity and over thinking.
A recent study suggests that mindfulness helps increase self-esteem which in return, lessens anxiety and depression. Try practicing and increasing your mindfulness you may try with these activities:
a. Yoga: Various styles of yoga combine breathing techniques, physical postures, meditation and relaxation. According to Natalie Nevins, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor in California. “The purpose of yoga is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body,”.
b. Breathing exercise: Breathing exercises have a lot more benefits than you think. According to Tim Jewell of Health Line It can help lower your blood pressure, helps you to relax, therefore, lowering the harmful effects of the stress hormone cortisol on your body and it also slows your rate of breathing so that it expends less energy.
4. Listen to music
Listening to music can have positive effects on your mind and body. It can help alleviate psychological stress by helping lower blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of stress hormones.
Classical and soft music is usually soothing. Although, listening to music of your own choice can help too. Nature sounds can also be relaxing, these sounds are often incorporated into relaxation and meditation music.
Here are some playlists on Spotify that you can take a look at:
a. Acoustic Favorites by spotify
b. Chill Hits by spotify
c. Chilled R&B by spotify
5. Spend time with a loved one
While spending time for yourself is good, bonding with a loved one can be better at relieving stress. Being a part of a social network gives you a sense of belongingness and self-worth. You could bond with a special someone, your family, friends, or even your pet!
Physical contact and being with people close to you help increase oxytocin, a brain chemical that promotes a positive mood, and decreases cortisol, a stress hormone released by adrenal glands. It also helps in lowering the blood pressure and heart rate.
Having a pet or someone close keeps you active and provides companionship. which can help reduce anxiety that leads to stress.
6. Use calming scents
Using essential oils or lighting scented candles that has soothing and calming properties may help reduce your stress.
Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extract, it is proven to help physical, mental and emotional health by promoting better sleep, managing physical pain, easing discomfort, treating headaches and migraines, etc.
If you want to try aromatherapy, we compiled few of the most popular calming essential oil scents:
a. Lavender
b. Frankincense
c. Citrus
d. Rosemary
e. Geranium
f. Eucalyptus
g. Ylang-ylang
h. Peppermint
i. Lemon grass
j. Tea Tree
We cannot avoid stress in our everyday lives, especially because of our school work. But these are simple ways to relieve you from it. Try these hacks and give yourself a break because you deserve it! //by Ria Amano and Angel Dizon
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