BY | FLOR LEANO
What makes you feel so stressed? It could be your deadline, a demanding boss, or big responsibilities that eat up a huge amount of your time. Whatever it is that is causing you to feel irritable, anxious, sad or less productive, try to step out from a stressful situation for a while. Look, 75% to 90% of all doctor visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
Find the perfect stress reliever that works for you because if you won’t, it might adversely affect your health. Here are some suggestions:
Listen to Music
Gentle and slow music is usually comforting and soothing that is why it is an important part of stress management. It can help the mind to slow down and prompt the mind to relax. Listening to music can be a good company when one feels anxious or depressed. And when sleeping becomes elusive because of stress, classical music can be an effective remedy.
Exercise
One way to ease stress is through regular exercise because it has a unique capacity to reduce the levels of the body’s stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the feeling of relaxation and optimism that come with workouts.
Get a massage
If you are not the type of a person who can’t really stick to a regular exercise routine, try getting a massage regularly. The expert hands that apply pressure can relax tensed muscles and reduce body aches. The warmth and aroma of massage oils may also improve mood. When the body relaxes, heart rate is reduced and gives the feeling of calmness. Massage also helps in decreasing the production of stress hormones such as corticosteroids (LDL) while the “feel good” hormones like endorphins increase.
Express your emotions through writing
Bottled up feelings can make you feel more stressed. Write as if you are talking to a friend. Tell exactly what happened and how it affected you. Journaling allows people to express anger, pain or disappointments without fear of being judged. If you want long-term emotional relief, make journaling a habit. Research shows that regularly updating your journal will help you manage stress better. After writing in your journal, it would be a good idea to drink green tea because it contains theanine that does not only make you feel calm but also contains theanine that can reduce anxiety.
Meditation
Meditation can induce a deep state of relaxation and gives a sense of calm, peace and balance. This process may result in enhanced physical and emotional well-being. When you meditate, you can clear away the information overload and emotional tension that build up every day and crowd your mind and cause stress. For a start, you can meditate by sitting in a comfortable place. It would be good to light a scented candle. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly. Clear your mind from distractions, too.
