The world has been in flux over the past couple of years with shifts taking place in our lives affecting the way we work and our attitudes towards personal fulfilment and health.
Now that many of us have experienced working from home, or even extended sabbaticals from work, we’ve had time to reflect on the different stressors in our lives and how they have been affecting us daily.
Today is National Stress Awareness Day: a day founded by UK based organization International Stress Management Association to bring awareness and provide information on how to cope with and prevent everyday stress, especially in professional settings.
They define stress as the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures placed on them (both mentally and physically).
When these pressures continue on for prolonged periods unchecked, that’s when they start to lead to ill-health.
Stress will always be here, but using some tools and techniques to counteract these moments will go a long way towards improving your overall health.
Eat and Drink Your Way to Better Health
Having a balanced healthy diet contributes to a stronger body and a healthy immune system to help fight off stress.
Exercise
Regular exercise and a healthy diet puts your body in the best position to fight lines and stress. On top of that, regular exercise also releases endorphins which are natural feel-good compounds your body releases that contribute to feeling content. Try yoga, weight-lifting, or running.
Meditation
Sounds hard to just sit in one place in silence without your phone or TV? It doesn’t have to be! Think about how nice it feels sometimes to just space out and daydream. Meditation can start off as simple as that – start with just a few minutes of uninterrupted time to just take a break and think about nothing in particular. Taking time out for yourself to relax goes a long way to putting you in a better mood (it’s why we take vacations after all).
Limit Alcohol and Drug Use
Alcohol and drugs like nicotine and caffeine are fun – we use them to alter our moods and take the edge off. Like food they affect our health, but in excess they chemically stress us out. Limit your intake and notice the increased energy you feel when you do.
Switch it Up and Assert Yourself
Sometimes, it’s the people, places and things in our lives that can agitate us or bring us down. Aggravated by someone? Tell them how you feel. Don’t like your job? Make a plan to exit and move onto something more fulfilling. Little lifestyle changes can contribute to an improved state of well-being.