Do you like stress? Surprisingly, some people do. They often confuse it with motivation and excitement and are mostly oblivious to the negative effects of stress.
The possible result? A burnout, or a breakdown of mental or physical health!
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What is stress?
Stress is a reaction to an internal or external stimulus. This reaction is mostly unwanted, as affects our mental equilibrium and our behavior. It affects our health and our overall well-being. You can read about the causes and effects of stress here.
To avoid the negative effects of stress, you need to de-stress yourself once in a while, to keep yourself emotionally, psychologically, and physically fit.
5 easy ways to de-stress yourself
There are certain practices that you can perform in your day-to-day life to get instant relief from stress. They are:
1. Take a deep breath
When you are in stress, it is advisable that you breathe deeply to provide relaxation to your mind and your body. When you breathe deeply, you are taking in a large amount of oxygen into your body. This is good for your system as it relaxes the muscles of your body. In yoga, a practice called “Pranayama” or controlling of the breath is used. Prana means breath. Breathing is vitally important as it keeps us alive and energized. Using this technique in yoga helps to relax the mind and the body by controlling your breath. This is one of the wonderful to de-stress yourself.
2. Go for a 10 minutes walk
When we are in stress, we often do not know what to do because we have no option but to continue to live in the situation which is causing the stress.
An ideal way to de-stress would be to walk for 10 minutes walk nearby. Walking releases hormones that make us happy and also elevates our mood. It will also help us to keep our mind away from stress and helps us to concentrate on the beauty around us.
3. Listen to music:
Music has therapeutic properties. It helps to soothe your nerves and has a calming effect on the body.
Many studies have proved that music helps to lower your blood pressure and stress by releasing feel-good neurochemicals called dopamine. When released in the brain, these neurochemicals help to reduce stress and have a calming effect on the body.
So, when you are in stress, definitely listen to music!
4. Do craftwork
Craft helps to soothe anxiety and stress.
In craftwork, we use our fine motor skills to design a dress, crochet, or knit a sweater. The repetitive moments of the action or movement, or a sound or word help to control the thoughts that may trigger stress in a person. In craftwork, the person is engaged in doing an activity that is repetitive and that does not involve day-to-day stress.
5. Treat yourself. Have a chocolate
Eating chocolate of your choice helps to soothe your nerves and is a great way to de-stress. It has been found that eating or drinking something sweet decreases your stress level considerably.
Sweet food or drink releases Glucocorticoids, a beneficial hormone in our brain. These hormones help to relieve a person from stress and also improve the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat.
One word of caution here: Glucocorticoids are also related to increased abdominal obesity and a decrease in the immune functioning of the body. Hence, it is advisable that you limit yourself to me candy or a small drink to avoid obesity.
So if you are feeling stressed, then try these out and let us know whether they helped you. Please also share any tips that you might know to de-stress yourself that can help our readers.
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