Stress is hard on the mind and the body no matter if it’s in the moment or chronic stress. When it comes to mental health, most of us make the mistake of choosing to ignore it and keep all the emotions bottled up—thinking that they will all just go away on their own. But they don’t. Stress builds up until you take a step forward to manage it.
We have all experienced stress at one point in our lives. Busy schedules, lack of communication between family, and workload have made stress common in everyone’s life. But common doesn’t mean normal! No one should take their mental and emotional health for granted. You should vow to take small steps every day that can help improve your mental health and manage your stress levels.
Today I’m sharing 7 things that I do to help reduce my stress levels:
Whenever stress surrounds me, I start to organise things around me. Preeta Ganguli, a therapist and wellness consultant, said, “Taking out time and removing all the things that you don’t need, can really lift some weight off your shoulders and will instantly reduce your stress level.” So scan your room and get rid of everything that is unwanted. It could be anything from a tiny bottle to big items.
Brew and nosh on peppermint tea to destress after a long, tough day. When it comes to emotional well being, there is nothing that works better than peppermint tea for me. Why? Well, according to research by the Journal of Medicinal Plants, the scent of peppermint tea can help induce relaxation. This study also highlighted that peppermint tea can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and chronic stress. So enjoy a cup of peppermint tea to boost your mood.
Do you remember when we were in school, we would take our bags, lay out uniforms and be ready for the next day the night before? Do the same when it comes to work and other tasks. When I’m stressed, I try to prepare a to-do list, choose my outfit for the next day, schedule my tasks and even set reminders. This helps to make me feel more centered.
Music is a therapy which helps to manage mental health woes. I tried several meditation techniques during the lockdown and even after that, but if there is one thing that stuck with me, it is music meditation. Believe me or not it de-stresses you in no time and without much effort. You can even dance while listening to your favourite track.
Also, read: Rest is not just about sleep. Your body needs these 5 important kinds of rest
Sometimes a friendly conversation is all it takes to relieve some stress. If you have a trusted friend you can confide in, talk to them about your stresses. That helped me.
But if that doesn’t work for you, you can journal to express your feelings. Keeping a diary of your stress levels help you identify your triggers and figure out how to better manage them.
Yes, you are irritable, you hate everything that’s happening around you. That means your body will release cortisol in large amounts. Trust me it is not worth it. So instead of that, take a break, take a deep breath and take a nap. A power nap does no harm. It clears your thoughts and improves your decision making abilities.
Squeeze that stress ball. You can use squishy toys to vent your frustrations. Stress ball is the best and easiest way to control your stress levels. If I can’t find something to manage my stress, I turn to a stress ball. It helps ease my stress and guess what? It turned out to be the best option.
Though some of these steps if you follow may seem small and insignificant, it definitely made a huge difference.
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