Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Stress

Life can feel overwhelming. Work, traffic, family responsibilities and chores can cause you to feel understandably frazzled. While stress is unavoidable, there are simple things you can do to make it more manageable.

Change Your Mindset
When you’re rushing from one task to another, you may not pay attention to what’s going on around you. Take some time to breathe in fresh air, savor your food and live in the moment.

When life feels overwhelming, friends and family can be lifesavers. Reach out to your loved ones to talk about what’s troubling you. They might be able to help you see things from a different perspective or suggest a solution. If not, they can at least allow you to vent. Sometimes that’s all it takes to feel better.

Meditation or deep breathing can help you take a break from your thoughts and to-do lists. Taking some time to relax, even for five minutes a day, can make it easier to cope when life gets hectic.

Some people say laughter is the best medicine. A good laugh can instantly reduce stress and improve your mood. Take some time to watch a funny movie.

Music can reduce anxiety and lower your heart rate and blood pressure. Listen to soothing music while you take some time to relax. If you like to sing, feel free to belt out the words. That will reduce your stress even further.

When you’re feeling pulled in several directions, it can be hard to appreciate the good things in your life. Keep a journal where you write down things you’re grateful for so that when it feels like everything is going wrong, you can look at the list and be reminded of all the things that are right in your life.

You can easily feel overwhelmed if you try to do too much all at once. Figure out what needs to be done on a given day and which things are less important. Do what you can, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get to everything on your list. Tomorrow is another day.

Take Care of Your Body
Eating a healthy diet can give your body the nutrients it needs to be at the top of your game. Proper nutrition can give you more energy, reduce stress and help you avoid a host of physical problems.

Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Even a walk around the block can be enough to have an effect. As you see how exercise improves your mood and helps you manage stress, you may find yourself looking forward to it and decide to push yourself harder.

Ways to Cope
Dealing with stress is an unavoidable part of life, but there are plenty of ways that you can keep it from getting to you. Taking care of yourself and setting aside time to relax can help you get through the ups and downs of life.