We all need a little stress in our lives; it keeps us more productive and alert, and helps us to maintain a well-balanced life. However, long-term or chronic stress can be a big problem in people’s lives. It can have a huge impact on their ability to deal with day to day issues and activities, making even the smallest of tasks difficult to handle. It is also extremely bad for your overall mental health, and your physical health too since it can lead to weight gain (or loss), difficulty sleeping, ulcers, heart issues, and more. Reducing your stress down to normal levels is essential, and here are some ideas on how you can do it.
Massage Therapy
A massage is something that has been used for many centuries as a way to relax and de-stress, and this might be the reason why it is so popular – everyone has heard about a massage’s ability to promote that special feeling of well-being. When you have a professional massage, the hormones in your body start to balance out. You will have less cortisol (the stress hormone) rushing around, and more serotonin (the happy hormone). Your mood will automatically be boosted and you will feel much less stressed by the end of the massage.
Pain is something that always causes a lot of stress, especially when it means that mobility is affected. Massage can be good for relieving pain too, as it allows the muscles to move more freely, so along with the feelgood chemicals and hormones, the lack of pain – or at least a reduction in pain – will also make you feel a lot better.
Meditation
Meditation is usually linked to spiritual or religious practices, but it can be used to de-stress anyone at all. The point of meditation is to allow the mind to be as clear as possible so that you no longer concern yourself with the past, the present, or the future, all of which can be stressful when you think about them for too long. Truly relaxing in this manner and ‘zoning out’ effectively takes a lot of practice, especially if you are used to being stressed and find it hard to let go. However, over time meditation can be an extremely effective way of clearing the troubles in our minds and making us feel more relaxed and happier in general.
Medical Marijuana
Stress can sometimes be diagnosed by a medical professional, and it is seen as a mental health issue. If this is the case for you, you may be prescribed medical marijuana to help you. This will depend on your state and its laws regarding this, of course. The medical marijuana will help to relax both your body and mind, and the hormones that we mentioned above are re-aligned. If you think that your stress levels need medical intervention, then it is certainly a good idea to see your doctor and ask them about medical marijuana. Click here for more information because it is always a good idea to go armed with all the facts.
Exercise
Exercise is something you should be doing on a regular basis because it helps you to maintain a healthy weight, plus it keeps you fit and healthy in general. However, exercising is also good for reducing stress, so it is even more important than you might have thought at first. When you are exercising, you tend to be extremely focused on what you are doing – this means (much like with meditation) you are not thinking of anything else that is worrying you, and you are effectively giving your brain a break from the things that are causing you the most stress. Your brain then tells your body to stop producing cortisol since clearly everything is all right again, and you will be less stressed as a result.
Soak In The Tub
When you have had a truly stressful day at work, or something just hasn’t gone right at home, you might like the idea of a long soak in the tub. That is, in fact, an excellent idea, and one that will help you feel so much better when you get out again. The hot water increases the blood flow around your body, and that will make you feel soothed and relaxed – as a bonus, it will also reduce any pain or inflammation you might be feeling. Being more relaxed and feeling less pain means that less cortisol will be produced, which is a good thing altogether.
Visit A Sauna
Don’t feel guilty about taking some time to be by yourself and really enjoy some relaxation in a spa where you can be pampered. The sauna, for example, is an excellent place to become less stressed. Firstly, the very nature of the sauna means that you need to sit still and quietly – you are all but forced to relax. Sitting and doing nothing may not be healthy over long periods of time, but every now and then when you need to calm down and slow down, it is the ideal way to relax. Not only is the fact that you are doing nothing a good thing when you are feeling stressed, but a sauna can be good for your health in general too. Saunas are able to provide relief to those who suffer from breathing difficulties and arthritis, for example.
Breathing Exercises
The more oxygen you have in your body, the better your body (and brain) will work, so it is important to continue to breathe deeply. However, when you are anxious or stressed about something, you may find that – without realizing what you are doing – you are taking much shorter, shallower breaths. This means that not enough oxygen will be getting to your organs, and you will feel even more unwell because of this. When you feel this way, it is important to stop everything and concentrate only on your breathing so that you start taking much deeper breaths. This way to you put your breathing and your body and mind back where it should be, and reduce your feelings of stress at the same time.