Stress has become an intrinsic part of life in the 21st century. With the world changing rapidly every day, the competition to find ones niche has never been more frenzied and fiercer.
In this global rat race, people often fall victim to immense stress and chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, most often than not, these mental health issues remain widely unaddressed, leading to life-altering deterioration and consequences.
Moreover, in the current crisis involving the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby millions across the globe are living under a lockdown, learning to cope with stress has become more relevant than ever. Here we have summarised five effective ways to deal with stress.
Stay Engaged
As the saying goes, An empty mind is the devil’s workshop, stress has a habit to thoroughly disturb us when we are not actively engaged in work, whatever it might be. Especially, the current scenario puts this into perspective more accurately.
It is thus essential to find engagement to keep the mind constructively occupied. This work does not necessarily mean official tasks, but could simply be household chores.
Additionally, breaking down the work into small do-able parts also makes the completion of tasks much easier to achieve. Through this sense of accomplishment, the body remains active, and the mind is focussed, thereby making a person better equipped to handle stress holistically.
Make a Planner
Planning goes a long way when it comes to dealing with stress.
- Having a daily or monthly planner lets you chalk out the goals and targets you want to achieve, thereby providing a clear vision of your current standing.
- Moreover, when things get rough, it is always a boost to see what all tasks you have already completed in a planner, thereby allowing you to de-stress to quite an extent.
An organized approach towards tackling problems can work wonders when coping with stress.
Spend Time with Music
Music is a well-known antidote to stress and has been experimentally proved to increase the release of endorphins in the brain that, in turn, alleviates the effects of stress.
Practicing meditation with music or indulging deep frequency tunes can relieve the symptoms of stress to a great extent.
Take up a New Hobby
Engaging in a new skill like learning an instrument, a new language, painting, or anything involving a learning activity can act against stress.
Any new skill requires concentration and also increases the serotonin levels or happiness hormones due to the sense of achievement it brings.
So, take up these social distancing days as your cue to learn something new and fight against stress!
Exercise Daily
It goes without saying that daily exercise is crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Especially when it comes to reducing stress,
- deep breathing exercise
- power yoga
- any form of sports like swimming
It helps to increase the oxygen circulation in the brain, alleviates stress levels to a considerable extent, and brings about overall well-being.
Eat Healthy
It is quite true that You are what you eat.
Eating healthy not only ensures that your body gets all the necessary nutrients but also reduces the free radical levels in the body, thereby leading to improved health. This, in turn, combats the triggers of stress by maintaining proper levels of endorphin and serotonin in the brain.
With an increased affinity towards packaged ready-to-eat food as well as sugar-rich food items, there is a sharp rise in conditions like obesity, which is known to increase stress levels in the body.
Thus, maintaining a proper healthy lifestyle and diet can work wonders towards successfully and scientifically tackling stress.
