Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day. Juggling
several tasks can burn you out, leaving no room to focus on your wellbeing. Be
kind to yourself and take moments to destress and reboot your brain.
Here are five
healthy techniques to help reduce stress during your busy day.
Take a break from the stressor. It may seem difficult
to get away from a big work project, a crying baby or a growing credit card
bill. But when you give yourself permission to step away from it, you let
yourself have time to do something else, which can help you have a new
perspective or practice techniques to feel less overwhelmed. It’s important to
not avoid your stress (those bills have to be paid sometime), but even just
20-minutes to take care of yourself is helpful.
Exercise. The research keeps growing — exercise
benefits your mind just as well as your body. We keep hearing about the
long-term benefits of a regular exercise routine. But even a 20-minute walk,
run, swim or dance session during a stressful time can give an
immediate effect that can last for several hours.
Smile and laugh. Our brains are interconnected with our
emotions and facial expressions. When people are stressed, they often hold a
lot of the stress in their face. So, laughs or smiles can help relieve some of
that tension and improve the situation.
Get social support. Call a friend, send an email. When
you share your concerns or feelings with another person, it does help relieve
stress. But it’s important that the person whom you talk to is someone whom you
trust and whom you feel can understand and validate you. If your family is a
stressor, for example, it may not alleviate your stress if you share your works
woes with one of them.
Meditate. Meditation and mindful prayer help the mind
and body to relax and focus. Mindfulness can help people see new perspectives,
develop self-compassion and forgiveness. When practicing a form of mindfulness,
people can release emotions that may have been causing the body physical
stress. Much like exercise, research has shown that even meditating briefly can
reap immediate benefits.
Source: American Psychological Association