“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” – Sydney Harris
We’ve read countless books and spent hours practicing meditation, chasing tranquility. We know that we need to reduce stress levels that come with everyday challenges life throws at us; stress is bad, yet the mere fact that “stress is bad” just won’t sink in with many people.
Namely, those individuals who either don’t appear to be stressed or the ones who are great at pretending that they are not stressed.
In reality, most of the people just don’t pause to realize that they are stressed.
Meaning, how would you know if you are stressed if you’ve been under pressure since your high school – when “stress” turned into norm… where peace of mind sounds like fantasy.
Despite the paths of lives we are coming from, how stressed, tired and suffering from jet-leg… all of us can stand up to reduce our stress levels and lead happier and healthier lives.
5 Simple But Powerful Things You Can Do to Reduce Stress Immediately
1. SPORTify!
Okay, this might sound way too simple and obvious, yet a little cardio now and then and a gentle-gentle stretching and toning such as yoga and pilates would work wonders for your health by reducing your stress levels. Endorphins, aka happy hormones, are released when you get active, which can only mean you get cheerier and cheerier! Give it a go.
2. Start Reading MORE
It’s fair to say that lots of our noses are permanently “glued” to our mobile phones and laptops all day and every day; while is important to work it isn’t that incredible to our emotional and physical health. Staring too much at laptops can cause eye strain, mental fatigue and massive headaches (trust me, I’ve been there). When you head to bed, leave your phone in a living room for a change, and instead of watching TV, read a beautiful book instead.
3. Don’t Hate Broccoli Too Much…;-]
In other words, eat more plant-based food. It’s good for you. It’s more than okay to indulge in your favorite treat now and then, yet day to day you would be astonished by a huge improvement in your emotional wellbeing if you eat more plants and digest more vitamins. Besides, when you choose to follow a healthier diet with fewer nasties: saturated fats and carbohydrates – you will reduce bloating, dull complexion and utterly unpleasant state of lethargy.
4. Someone Has to Invent an Accelerator for Beauty Sleep
I’ve been struggling with chronic insomnia for most of my life, and I cannot stress enough how ridiculously important sleep is for good emotional well-being. Getting at least 7 hours a night will make sure you wake up feeling refreshed, with glowing and healthy looking complexion. Why not trying heading off to bed a bit earlier than usual, so then you can read a book and drift off to the land of Nod naturally…
5. Hydration! Hydration!! Hydration!!!
If you are as bad as me when it comes to drinking more water, then raise your hand, it’s okay 🙂 We just have to remind each other to drink lots of water every day, especially when we are stressed. It will keep your body sells robust and work at their optimal level, as well as keep your brain working hard. Besides, water is great when it comes to keeping your skin clear. Try out water-rich foods as well such as celery, and also drink herbal teas which also contain botanic goodness and do a body/mind detox.
6. Keeping Positive Vibes High
It’s easy in times of high levels of stress to break down a little bit and not know what the best way out of this state is. It’s fine to have a cry if you feel like it; to get it out of your system, but then it’s always beneficial to keep focusing on the positive and work from that. Take a piece of paper and write down one deep positive thought that puts a smile on your face instantly; or a task that you’ve done that day to gently remind yourself that even though things aren’t always perfect in life, you’ve done so many beautiful things and touched so many lives already. Keep your chin up, smile to yourself, take a deep breath in, and out. Everything is okay right now.
photo source | pexels