We would all like it if our lives were free of stress. Failing this, we should at least try to reduce the stress in our lives. Here are 5 ways of doing just that.
Take Your Health Seriously
Our psychological and physical health are both intimately linked; if one is in poor condition, the other will inevitably follow. Therefore, if you want to reduce the amount of stress in your life, your first target should be your general physical health. Ensuring that you are eating a well-balanced diet is a very important, and often overlooked, component of a stress-free life.
As well as making sure you are eating properly, make sure that you are getting enough exercise and spending a reasonable amount of time outdoors. Both of these have been proven to significantly lower stress.
Learn to Relax
We live in a very fast-paced world where people expect things on demand. As a result, it can often feel like there are less and less opportunities for us to unwind and relax on a day to day basis. It is important that you set aside some time each day for yourself. No matter what your job, you should also make sure that you get some kind of break during the week.
There are many things you can do to help you relax when things start to get really stressful. However, different techniques will work for different people; there is no single magic bullet for stress. Some people find that taking a bath is all they need, whereas others practice mindfulness every day in order to keep their stress levels low.
Sleep Properly
Sleep deprivation has a number of detrimental effects on our physical and emotional health. Sleep deprivation is associated with higher levels of stress, which in turn makes it still harder to get to sleep. The effects of sleep deprivation can only be reversed by making up for the deficit. This takes some time as chronic sleep deprivation cannot be undone in a single night.
Turn off all your electronic devices when you are in bed. Make your sleeping area about sleeping and remove any sources of unwanted light or noise so you aren’t disturbed during the night.
Find a Hobby
Having a hobby will give you something to turn your attention to when things do start to get stressful. A hobby can be anything you like; it might be collecting something, or it might be learning a skill. Many people find that having a creative outlet is helpful when trying to control their stress, so if you’ve always wanted to learn an instrument but never taken the plunge, now’s your chance.
Persevere
One of the biggest sources of stress for most people is their professional lives. The challenges faced by the average worker have changed a great deal in the last decades as technology has transformed industries and made some of the humans involved redundant.
If you are able to persevere through the hard times, you will reap the rewards later. As per this article on Daniel Handler – better known as Lemony Snicket – his first book was rejected 37 times before finally being published.
Living a less stressful existence is easy if you are willing to put the effort in. Find some healthy, creative outlets and distractions from the stress in your life and break its grip on you for good.
