What are the Best Ways to Deal with Stress?

Coping with stress is a challenging task. It can have considerable harmful effects on mental and physical health. It can cause illness, interfere with work, and ruin friendships. Fortunately, there are several stress therapy solutions to deal with stress.

Here are some stress therapy solutions to consider.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Stress changes the way you digest foods. It increases the use of the nutrients you consume. People with high anxiety will benefit from eating a nutrient-rich diet to avoid a deficiency.

What’s more, certain foods contain nutrients that reduce stress. These include:

• Oatmeal: This comfort food is a complex carbohydrate that keeps blood sugar steady and reduces stress hormones in the brain. It aids with serotonin release and increases relaxation, calmness, and creativity.
• Asparagus: Asparagus is rich in B vitamins which stabilize mood and reduce anxiety and depression.
• Salmon and sardines: These fatty fishes are rich in omega-3s which control cortisol and regulate adrenaline levels.
• Berries: Berries are high in the stress-fighting supplement vitamin C.
• Oysters: Oysters are rich in B vitamins that stabilize mood and relieve anxiety and depression. They also contain magnesium which protects against stress-related diseases like heart attack and high blood pressure.

Journaling

Journaling can be very therapeutic and is well-backed in science. When engaging in this exercise, don’t worry about spelling and grammar. Just let your thoughts flow onto a diary page or a computer screen. You can destroy what you wrote right away or read it later so you can reflect on your feelings.

Meditation

Meditation is one of the most popular ways of dealing with stress. In addition to providing a sense of calm, it also enhances memory and attention, which stress can negatively affect.

One 2019 study on randomized non-experienced meditators ages 18-45 showed that 13 minutes of daily meditation over eight weeks helped decrease anxiety and enhance attention, working, recognition memory, and cognition.

Exercise

Exercise helps reduce stress in the following ways:

• Boosts endorphins: Stress boosts endorphins, but not in the way you want. With exercise, feel-good hormones and endorphins are produced that reduce anxiety and depression.
• Helps improve stress resilience: Exercise produces similar effects to stress. It stimulates the fight-or-flight response. Doing so helps your body to handle stress better. It also protects your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune system from the harmful effects of stress.
• It improves mood: A workout can make you forget the day’s irritations. It boosts energy and optimism so you can stay clear and focused. It also helps you relax.

Breathwork

We’ve often heard of people recommending taking deep breaths to relieve stress. The reasoning is more scientific than you might think.

Stress causes the heart rate to speed up and blood pressure to rise. Controlled breathing lowers blood pressure and heart rate and reduces levels of stress hormones in the blood. It tricks the body into thinking it’s in a calm state.

Many individuals have reported improved ability to manage stressful circumstances following a session of deep breathing.

Talk to People

Talking and processing your feelings can be beneficial to those dealing with ongoing stress. You can talk to friends and relatives to take the burden off your shoulders. If you need more assistance, consider talking to a mental health professional.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Sleep and stress have a direct relationship. When people are stressed, they tend to be unable to sleep. A lack of sleep leads to impaired memory and poor mood regulation, which increases stress.

You can strive to get better quality sleep by:

• Creating a relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom
• Sleeping and waking up at the same time each day
• Turning off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime
• Taking natural sleep supplements
• Limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption

Engage in Enjoyable Activities

Enjoyable activities will take your mind off stress and improve your mood. Take time to do things you like, such as engaging in a hobby or therapeutic shopping trip. If you don’t have a favorite hobby, consider getting one. Music, art, and other pastimes can be beneficial to mental health.

Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

Some people turn to drugs and alcohol as they seem to reduce stress. However, they can harm mental health in the long run, especially if they become addictive. It’s best to find natural ways to overcome emotional issues.

Try the Hanu Health Platform

One of the newer and most effective ways to manage stress is using the Hanu Health app. This science backed tool created by mental health professionals, is personalized to help you learn to help your body regulate its own stress response. By collecting real time data, Hanu gives you feedback and tools to help you. Don’t let stress get the best of you. A combination of lifestyle changes and the Hanu Health app can help you achieve higher levels of emotional wellness.

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