Stress is the body’s response to demands and challenges. It can come from either positive or negative changes in one’s life and affects overall well-being.
A person may experience elevated blood pressure and heart rate as well as emotional instability due to stress. The American Institute of Stress states around 33% of people suffer from extreme stress. While 77% of people reported that stress impacts their physical health, 73% suffer from mental health conditions.
It is possible to deal with stress healthily. In this article, we will discuss how to reduce stress levels. It will help you to manage anxiety and stress properly.
Short-Time Stress Relief Techniques
Any unforeseen incident, a job interview can throw your mental condition off balance. In such cases, you may need to reduce stress immediately. Short-time stress relief techniques come in handy in these moments. A short time stress relief technique should have the following qualities:
- Can be performed anywhere
- Free
- Provides immediate relief from stress
- Doesn’t take much time to master
To get you started, we have listed some short-time stress relief measures:
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is the process of transporting your mind to your happy place. In this process, you guide your mind to imagine yourself in a calm place rather than the chaotic situation you are in.
In the beginning, you can use recordings to guide you into a serene place. You can quickly master this technique. Once you have learned the process, then you can perform it on yourself whenever you feel stress.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness can work for both short time and long-term stress relief.
While meditating, clear your mind from what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. Focus on your “mantra” and chant it for better results. Take deep breaths and imagine your problems are disappearing like the breath you are exhaling.
Simply taking a moment to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell your surroundings can also help. Few minutes of mindfulness practice can give you the positive energy you need to deal with stress.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are one of the most effective methods of reducing stress. You can perform it anywhere at any time. Different people do it differently.
For performing this stress relief method, inhale for a few seconds with your nose deeply. Hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale. Imagine you are inhaling everything positive with your breath and exhaling all negativity. Repeat the process till you feel calm and collected.
Breathing exercise helps regulate your heart rate and blood pressure to reduce the negative health impacts of stress effectively.
Long-Term Stress Relief Techniques
Long-term stress relief techniques help you cope with immediate challenges. These techniques help you develop resilience and improve overall wellness. Therefore, you don’t get overwhelmed when tough challenges come your way. You are able to perform better even under these circumstances.
Here are a few ways to improve stress resistance in the long term.
Yoga
Yoga is a combination of physical movements, breathing exercises, light exercise, and meditation. People regularly practicing yoga can gain several spiritual, physical, and psychological benefits.
Yoga helps in regulating heart rate, blood pressure and calms the mind to manage stress. You can take yoga classes to get started. Also, there are mobile apps and online programs for learning yoga.
Healthy Diet
A healthy diet keeps the body healthy. A healthy body can manage stress much more efficiently.
Many people eat sweet foods when stressed. Eating high-fat, high-sugar foods spike blood sugar for temporary stress relief. When blood sugar level drops, it impacts the body badly and adds to long-term stress.
A healthy diet helps to regulate stress for the long haul. Include avocados, eggs, walnuts in your diet to gain energy, balance, and better mood regulation.
Exercising
Exercise helps in keeping the body healthy and sound. One can achieve proper blood circulation, better heart and mental health conditions with regular exercising. Exercising prepares the body to handle stress effectively and reduce anxiety and depression.
You can join a gym or enroll in a class to build up your habit of exercising. Also, there are mobile apps, fitness trackers to help you with it.
Light Therapy
Natural light is very effective in improving mood and reducing stress. However, often it is not possible to get enough sunlight due to seasonal or geographical reasons. Also, natural sunlight contains UV rays that can cause harmful effects.
In light therapy, visible red light or near-infrared light is used to provide health benefits. You can access this light anytime, and there are no harmful ultraviolet rays.
Light therapy energizes body cells to enhance metabolism. Therefore, the body’s circulation improves, and heart rate and blood pressure can be controlled to reduce stress. Also, light therapy delivers a calming effect to the body and mind. It allows a person to manage stress properly.
Final Words
Stress has destructive effects on your body and mind. It impacts your ability to manage and work. If you often feel stressed, make sure to take up one of the abovementioned stress management techniques.
If you lead a busy life and have less time to exercise or take a class, light therapy is a great way to reduce stress. It gives you immediate relief from stress and helps in keeping your body healthy.
