Breath in- breath out! Ways to relax and avoid everyday stress

Stress is a normal part of life. Occasionally, you’re going to find yourself in a rut, and you’ll feel stressed out for one reason or another. Sometimes the cause is going to be work, while other times it’s going to be school or family troubles. It’s just one of the many ways our body reacts when it feels overburdened in some way.

As normal as stress might be, it mustn’t be a daily occurrence. If you’re constantly stressed out and feel that you never get a break from it, this can be detrimental to your physical and mental health. If you can’t affect your main causes of stress, you might want to work on how that stress makes you feel. Here are some ways to curb stress and help you relax while you’re going through things.

• Take a walk

It might seem like a pretty condescending tip, but just walking it off can do wonders for a stressful day. Giving yourself a couple of minutes to walk around aimlessly will help relieve tension and give you an opportunity to clear your head. It’s not so much an exercise as it is a relaxing stroll.

Whenever you’re feeling like the stress has reached a boiling point and you don’t know what to do, start by taking a walk around the block. If you don’t know where to take your walk, aim for some green surfaces like a local park. Enjoy the fresh air and try to get away from your problems, at least for a moment. It’s a simple, but effective way to reduce stress and rejuvenate your mind.

• Enjoy some relaxing scents

Aromatherapy has long been linked to a reduction in stress and anxiety. Part of the reason for this is because our sense of smell is strongly connected with several emotional centers in our brains. Introducing a relaxing scent can have a very noticeable impact on your current mood. In fact, aromatherapy has been shown to quickly relieve stress and put people in a relaxed state of mind.

There are many different products that can act as aromatherapy agents. Some people prefer scented candles with very stimulating scents. They also provide some warm lighting, so you can further relax during the night. Essential diffusers are another great option for those that want a stronger and more impactful scent. You can even use the smell of body and skin-care products that you enjoy. There’s no real limit to what can act as a good aromatherapeutic. As long as it has a pleasant and stimulating scent, it’s going to have a positive effect on your mood.

Keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution. You’re only going to stay relaxed for a short time until you get used to the smell. There’s nothing that scents can do about the underlying causes of your stress. However, they can put you in the right mindset to go and solve your current problems. Being able to unwind for a second can give you the clarity you need to get things done.

• Get creative with art

Sometimes, it helps to get in touch with your creative side. This is especially true when you’re feeling anxious and stressed out. There’s something about being able to express yourself in an artistic way that relaxes people. If you’re looking to vent your frustrations, art might just be the solution you needed. The best part is that you don’t even have to be good at making art for it to make you feel better.

You can also choose from any art form that you please. Take your pick and use it to express yourself in one way or another. People have different ways of expressing their frustrations and stress in their art. Some will try their best to focus on making it according to their exact vision, while others go the route of pure expression and creating a chaotic mess of it. Both can produce some vivid and visceral artwork that reflects how they feel. Nobody can tell you how to express yourself, so go wild with your ideas. Not only would it help you cope with the stress you’re feeling, but it would also produce something you could appreciate for quite a while.

• Cut the coffee

There’s a wide variety of factors that can lead to a buildup of stress. One of the most commonly overlooked factors is the consumption of coffee. Despite being the most widespread drink in the world, it doesn’t exactly have a perfect track record. Coffee isn’t a very powerful stimulant, but it’s a stimulant all the same. There are many benefits that come from drinking coffee, which is why the consequences are often overlooked. Drink enough of it and you’ll find that it has quite a few downsides.

Other caffeinated drinks are even worse. You might have noticed the current prevalence of drinking energetic beverages. They are chock-full of caffeine and are very prone to increasing anxiety and stress. Not to mention, they also contain tons of sugar, which has a stimulative effect of its own in large doses. It’s important that you keep your caffeine intake low if you want to better manage your stress levels. This means avoiding excessive amounts of coffee and energy drinks. Certain types of tea should also be drunk in moderation. This includes green and black tea.

• Exercise regularly

Physical activity has long been used as a tool to curb stress. Exercising has been shown to dramatically decrease stress hormones and cause relaxation. You might be feeling worked up while exercising, but the relief you get to feel afterwards is well worth it. Regular exercise has been shown to release endorphins, which help relieve pain and anxiety. Letting off some steam with workouts can take the edge off and help you feel better.

The type of exercise you choose to do doesn’t really matter, as anything that keeps you moving around will help with stress relief. However, you should always aim to exercise outside. The extra fresh air would further help relax and destress you. Riding a bicycle would be the ideal blend of exercise and fresh air. You get your healthy dose of outdoor fun while also getting a pretty good workout.

Getting the right bicycle is crucial if you want to go long distances while riding. If you want to ride on biking trails in nature, you might want a mountain bike. If you plan on riding in the city or using your bike to commute, you’ll need a road bike. There are lots of accessories you can add to your bike to make the riding experience even smoother and more relaxing. Any online bicycle shop will have a plethora of bikes and accessories to choose from, so make sure you figure out what you need for your daily ride. Safety equipment, such as pads and helmets, is crucial if you want to make sure your workouts don’t lead to injury.

• Don’t neglect sleep

Sleep is one of the most important physiological functions of our body. Its purpose is still relatively unclear, but it’s definitely something our bodies require in order to function. You can’t go very long without sleep, whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, even the amount of time you can go without sleep doesn’t come without consequences. When you neglect your body’s natural sleeping needs, you will find that it will affect your mind and your body.

If you’ve ever gone without sleep for excessive amounts of time, you’ll know that it can cause sleepiness, anxiousness, and confusion. These things are often remedied by a good night’s sleep, but that isn’t always the case. Being chronically underslept could lead to some very bad long-term effects. Stress is chief among them. After not getting enough sleep for extended periods of time, you’ll find that you are easily agitated and annoyed at the slightest problem.

It’s important that you keep to a good sleep schedule. Getting an adequate number of hours of sleep every night will keep you feeling well-rested and relaxed. How much sleep you need depends on many factors, but for most people, it’s around seven to nine hours per night. If you’re able to stay within this range for a long enough time period, you can enjoy some of the stress relief that comes with it.

Conclusion

Stress is one of the most pressing problems of today’s world. Young people are working excessively long hours and are put under enormous pressure every day, causing them to feel hopeless and stressed out. Unfortunately, this is a problem that only seems to be getting worse.

While there isn’t always much you can do about the underlying causes of your stress, you can always make sure that the amount of stress you feel is reduced. There are many factors that go into how much stress we feel and how it’s manifested. If you want to reduce the impact of stress on your daily life, you’re going to want to introduce some changes. If you’re out of ideas, some of the above examples might prove to be very effective tools in curbing your stress levels.