Not all stress is bad. But too much of it can be unhealthy, leading to things like depression, anxiety and anger. Besides seeking professional help, here are some practices you can follow to bring stress levels down for a healthier life:
We treat our smart phones like a social crutch and an extension of our arm; we worry about their ‘energy levels’ more than that of our own. Give yourself some quality digital detox time during your waking hours every day and do something not connected to the www.
Dr Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 Method works and can be practiced anywhere. Get comfortable and close your eyes. Exhale completely, then inhale through the nose with a mental count of four; hold your breath for a count of seven, then exhale slowly to a count of eight. Do this for a total of four cycles. Your parasympathetic nervous system will do the work to bring you instant calm.
Related: 4 Ways Yoga Helps In Your Daily Life
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It helps to be able to truly see the forest for the trees, and understand that what is stressing us out at the moment may be a mere branch we put too much emphasis on.
Research tells us that we can actually smile ourselves into a better mood, and we all know laughter really is the best medicine.
Different musical tempos have been found to impact pulse and blood pressure – pieces with slower rhythms work best for a calming effect.
This we can learn from kids – being able to see the lighter side of life is a true gift and can quickly flip a situation around.
A daily dose of sports-induced endorphins released into our bloodstream offsets stress.
When we are exhausted or feel like we are at the end of our rope, over-thinking an issue is not going to help. Have you ever tried sleeping and letting your subconscious deal with it?
It’s great to be able to leave work and family duties behind and spend some guilt-free time on activities you enjoy…just for the fun of it! Mine’s photography, what’s yours?
It turns what we have into enough, and invites tranquility into our consciousness. Take the opportunity every day to create some space to be calm and still.
Related: 8 Ways To Feel Less Stressed At Work
Text: Sally May Tan, Wellness Whisperer, Founder of Catalyst Health Asia and Amazon Bestselling Author of Wellness The New Luxury. Her book at S$49.00 is available at Times, Kinokuniya, MPH, Amazon and Kindle.