One this is for sure – stress is a fact of life. There will always be situations or people that provoke you and cause you to feel agitated. These things are not going to go away any time soon. However, you can learn ways to lessen their effects on your health and your stress levels. Diet – Watching what you eat is an important part of dealing with stress. Certain foods like cinnamon have been proven to lower blood sugar levels and can help in the fight against other diseases such as diabetes. Similarly, foods such as olive oil and nuts have high levels of monounsaturated fats, which help protect your heart. Eating these foods will leave you feeling safe in the knowledge that you are being good to your body, and will help lower stress levels.
Breathing – By breathing all the way down from your diaphragm rather your body will take in more oxygen, which has a calming effect on the body. Extra oxygen pumped to key areas of the brain and heart help to relax the body and alleviate stress.
Meditate – This ancient spiritual practice is a proven method of combating stress. You can start simply by shutting yourself away from the outside world for as little as 5 or 10 minutes a day. Clear your mind of worries and try to visualize your problems as tangible objects that have wings – and then watch them fly away!
Sleep – The body needs a full 8 hours of sleep every night to be healthy. As well as sorting out the everyday debris that floats around in your mind (some scientists believe that dreams are the bodies way of disposing of useless information), sleep will restore your muscles and organs to full strength, ready for the day ahead.
Although stress cannot be removed completely, these steps should help you to feel more relaxed with everyday life. Practice the breathing and meditation techniques on a daily basis, and remember to have fun with them!
