Stress levels are rising for many citizens. If you feel that life and your health are out of control, the tips below can help you bring your mental and physical health back into balance.
1. Improve Your Sleep Quality
Proper sleep is critical to good health. You need to have a sleeping area that is both dark and cool. If you tend to sleep with your phone next to you, put your charger in the hall or in your bathroom. Electronic lights can make it very difficult to shut your brain off for proper sleep.
2. Reduce Your Screen Exposure
If you have a particular program that you want to watch, set an alarm so you have a date with your television. If not, leave it off. Too often, our screens can act as magnets, drawing us to sit down instead of get up and move.
3. Introduce More Raw Foods
Try to eat something raw with each meal. Add chopped apples or berries to your morning cereal. If you’re brown-bagging it to save money, make sure there are grapes or an orange to enjoy with your salad. Make sure that dinner includes a leafy green salad or a sliced tomato with balsamic vinegar.
4. Meditate
Many of us are flat-out exhausted. If you don’t have time for a nap, try a 10-minute meditation exercise to refresh your brain. Light a candle so you have something to focus on. Set a timer and simply breathe, watching the candle, for 10 minutes. When a worry or a task runs into your head, push it out until the timer goes off. Meditation can be quite restful and leave you feeling refreshed.
5. Exercise Daily
Make this promise to yourself. No matter what happens every day, you will walk for 10 minutes. Once this is a solid habit, bump it to 20 minutes. This can mean walking up the stairs at work, walking across the parking lot at the grocery store, or walking around the block at lunch. Aim to build up to 30 minutes per day for your heart and mind.
6. Consider HRT
If your energy level has dropped for no reason, it could be that your hormonal levels are out of balance. Instead of fighting this exhaustion and feeling like a failure, find out the source. Simple blood tests can help you determine which levels have dropped and hormone replacement therapy may be in order.
7. Seek Out a Counselor
High-stress levels can leave you feeling terribly isolated. No matter the source of your stress, regular conversations with a counselor may be just what you need to let this pressure go.
8. Learn to Refuse Requests
If you work Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday can quickly become crammed with errands, play dates, and gatherings with friends. Do your level best to block out a few hours each weekend to simply stay put and unwind.
Getting and staying healthy can require the help of a professional. Pushing back against too many appointments takes a different kind of strength. Guard your energy with care and feed your body with the most nutritious foods possible.