By Ellaine Castillo of Natural News
Autumn 2019 True Natural Health Magazine
If you’ve been getting sick for no apparent reason, you may be suffering from chronic stress.
Most people are so used to being stressed that they don’t think about doing anything to address it. Failing to achieve low stress levels can interfere with the different functions of the body and increase the risk of problems such as insomnia, depression, eating disorders, colds and heart conditions.
Here are some ideas for reducing the stress in your life.
Share your feelings. Instead of keeping your feelings bottled up, share them with at least one person whom you trust, whether it be a friend, family member or therapist. They might be able to come up with solutions to your problems so that you feel less stressed. Even if they don’t, simply having someone listen to your worries can lift a huge burden off your chest .
Keep eating healthily. Many people tend to eat their way through stress, and often opt for processed foods that are rich in sugar, calories and other unhealthy ingredients, and, worse, deep-fried. Foods like fruit, vegetables and nuts can help ease stress levels.
Ensure adequate sleep. To feel more relaxed, people need to have seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Reduce the time you waste trying to get to sleep by following a bedtime routine, lowering the temperature of the bedroom or your body, blocking out light and/or drinking a cup of chamomile tea in the evening.
Relax and recharge. If work or school has been too stressful, try to get away for a break before the stress begins to affect your health. It doesn’t need to be a long and expensive vacation – just put some distance between you and your sources of stress. As the saying goes, ‘out of sight and out of mind’.
Exercise. Physical activity triggers the release of feel-good hormones including endorphins that can do wonders to alleviate the stress you’re feeling. Take a walk past nice scenery so that you can think about something else or do challenging workouts so that your mind will be fully occupied with the effort.
Take up a hobby. Hobbies like gardening, playing musical instruments, making a scrapbook and painting are great for when you want to keep your mind off things. Hobbies also give you a sense of accomplishment that can motivate you to face your challenges.
Meditate. With everything going on around you, it might be a bit difficult to be relaxed. Meditating will help you ground yourself and focus on the present moment so that you don’t become overwhelmed with whatever worries you may have. If you don’t have much time to spare for a full-blown meditation session, you could go for just five minutes of the ‘4-7-8’ breathing practice, in which you inhale for four counts, hold for seven and exhale for eight.
Read books. Instead of checking social media or playing smart phone games, which can only stress you further, read a good book. This can help you relax and keep your mind off other things.
Acquire a pet. Pets are great companions. By just petting or walking a pet or two, you reduce your stress levels. If you don’t want to commit to a pet, you can volunteer at a local animal welfare organisation or go to parks where you may be able to play with other people’s pets.
Sources include:
Arthritis-Health.com
PsychologyToday.com
EatingWell.com
Abridged and edited from a Natural News enewsletter, 18th December 2018. Published under Mike Adams generous policy for not-for-profit organisations.
