Things You Can Do to Reduce Stress Before It Gets the Best of You
Constant stress, whether from having to deal with a fussy toddler, or a tormenting teenager, an unhappy marriage, a traffic daily commute, or heavy workload, can put a toll on your body. It has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including mood, appetite, and sleep problems, and even heart issues.
When you feel overwhelmed, your body floods with hormones that increase your blood pressure, elevate your heart rate, boost your energy and prepare you to deal with the problem. Although it’s a natural reaction, too much stress can cause a serious impact on both your professional and personal life.
What Are the Signs of Stress?
The signs of stress can range from fatigue, headaches and stomach aches, to muscle tension, heart attacks and even death. When you’re under stress you also become more vulnerable to picking fights with the ones you’re closest to, meaning it can impact your career, relationships and your life in general.
The great news is that there are things you can do to help you manage stress. You can learn to deal with it instead of allowing it to stop you. Try out a few of these simple and proven ways to de-stress yourself.
How Can I Avoid Stress?
Access Your Stress Triggers
What are the things that really stress you out? How do you handle them? Answering these questions may help you find possible solutions. And when you cannot eliminate every stress trigger in your life, you can at least remove the ones that you have influence over. For example, is your morning commute the main cause of your stress because of the traffic? Ask for a flexible schedule where you’ll be coming in earlier or arriving later so you can avoid most of the hectic traffic.
Diffuse Pure Ylang Ylang Oil
One of the main benefits of aromatherapy is its ability to relieve stress. If you are new to it, the practice involves inhaling the scent of essential oils that are extracted from plants to improve health and well-being. Research has shown that the olfactory system directly affects the part of the brain that regulates emotion. This explains why smells can trigger memories and elicit feelings, both positive and negative. Aromatherapy can aid in reducing stress and anxiety to engage a general state of calm. One of the best essential oils for stress is 100% pure ylang ylang oil.
This oil is well known for helping relieve stress and depression, the reason why it’s one of the most commonly used oils in aromatherapy. Research on its aroma showed that it helps stimulate the nervous system and repairs any damage it has suffered. It also has an uplifting effect on the mood, inducing feelings of joy and hope.
So, whenever you’re feeling down or stressed, fill your home with the rich and sweet scents of the ylang-ylang pure essential oil. To create a relaxing atmosphere, add a few drops of the oil to your diffuser. Aside from smelling good, its rich aroma will also promote a calming effect. When away from home, you can apply a few drops of the oil to the back of your neck for a calming and uplifting effect. To enjoy all these benefits, you need to make sure the oil you get is pure.
Purity is a vital element of the quality essential oil and the main factor in its effectiveness. To ensure you buy a pure ylang ylang oil, check if the brand places special emphasis on guaranteeing the purity and potency of their oil. A reliable brand will make sure the oils they sell go through a series of tests that determine the purity and the safety.
Exercise
Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym or investing in a fitness tracker to monitor your fitnessprogress. A short walk around the block, or simply standing up to stretch during a break at work, can give you immediate relief in a stressful situation. When your body moves, endorphins are released, improving your mood almost immediately.
Listen to Music
When facing a stressful situation, listening to calm music may help you take a break. Relaxing music causes a positive effect on the brain and body, can lower blood pressure, and reduce cortisol – a hormone linked to stress. We recommend listening to classical music, but if it isn’t your thing, you can try listening to nature or ocean sounds.
Practice Art Paint
Art painting is another great way to help reduce stress. When you paint, you engage a different part of your brain and you get focused on what you are doing. This helps you clear your mind, allowing you to approach problems from a fresher perspective. Some people say that creating art is equal to meditating.
When you concentrate on what you’re doing, you generally shut yourself from any unwanted thoughts as you are completely immersed in the activity – you’re in a state of flow. Essentially, you’ll be driven in a near state of meditation, which eliminates your negative toughs. This will put you in a relaxing state of mind, minimizing your anxiety level.
Did you know that colours help uplift your mood? According to studies, colours such as blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange can brighten your mood. So, using such colours to create art can get your mind relaxed and slowly start relieving you from the daily stress. To get started you won’t need a lot of artist paint supplies, just some paint, brushes, and paper.
As a beginner, I would suggest you start with acrylic paint. Oil pain tends to be more expansive and more complex, while acrylic is a more affordable and forgiving medium. You’ll also need a set of paintbrushes, in which case it’s best to buy a variety of sizes. And making sure you are working with the right paper can make a difference, so get some art paper.
Once you get all your artist paint supplies, it’ll be time to start creating. Painting might be harder than it looks, though you can easily find some tips and tricks online to help you get started. Just remember that it should be about creativity and relaxation and not perfection.