🌻23 Short Habits to Help Your Body Recover From Stress

Downgrade your stress

Stress can be a debilitating force in our lives, affecting our physical and mental health and our ability to focus and complete tasks.

“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency,” says Natalie Goldberg. With the right habits and lifestyle choices, we can combat stress and help our minds and bodies to recover.

Although taking time to relax and unwind is essential, sometimes it’s not enough. So, get ready to take back control and learn to reduce stress and restore your body’s balance.

“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear,” Steve Maraboli once said.

By making a few small changes, you can feel more relaxed and energised in a short time.

From simple lifestyle changes to activities like deep breathing to hydration and even something as simple as having a good laugh, these short but life-changing habits can make a big difference in your life.

Pay attention in real-time: Be mindful of the present without judgment. You can do this through meditation, deep breathing, or simply taking a few moments to focus on your surroundings.
Learn to say no without guilt: Many people experience stress because they take on too much and don’t have enough time or energy to care for themselves. Saying no can also help to reduce stress by reducing feelings of overwhelm and anxiety.

Take up a hobby: Engaging in a hobby can shift our focus away from work, responsibilities, and other stressors and allow us to connect with our passions and interests. It can be particularly beneficial for those who experience work-related stress or other obligations.

Hobbies provide a way for us to engage in enjoyable and meaningful activities that can help to relieve stress and promote relaxation.

Listen to good calming music: Good music can shift our focus away from stressful thoughts and worries and provide comfort and relaxation. It also slows our breathing and heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and decreases muscle tension.
Practice deep breathing: By taking slow, deep breaths, you can activate your body’s “relaxation response,” which helps slow your heart rate and decrease your blood pressure, leading to relaxation and calmness.

Read also: 10 simple Habits that literally raise your intelligence

Make exercise a priority: Physical activity releases endorphins, natural mood boosters that can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Don’t skip good sleep: Lack of sleep can increase stress and anxiety, so it’s essential to get enough sleep each night. Establish a consistent bedtime routine.

Stay hydrated: Dehydration can increase stress levels. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration increases your cortisol levels. And stress can cause dehydration. It can easily become a cycle.

Connect with others: Spending quality time with close friends and family can help reduce stress levels and improve your overall well-being.
Take breaks often: Our bodies and minds need regular rest and recovery periods to function at their best. We can experience burnout, exhaustion, and increased stress levels when we push ourselves too hard without taking breaks.

Stop putting things off: Procrastination worsens stress, so tackling tasks as soon as possible is important.

Practice relaxation techniques: Progressive muscle relaxation, visualisation, or picturing a person, place, or time can reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Practice self-care: Taking time to do activities you enjoy, such as reading a book, taking a bath, or going for a walk, can improve your overall well-being.

Spend time in nature: When we spend time in nature, we tend to experience lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. That is because nature has a calming effect on our nervous system and can help reduce anxiety and tension.

Limit exposure to stressful situations: Avoiding stressful situations or learning to cope with them healthily can help reduce stress levels.

Identify and challenge negative thoughts: When our self-talk is negative, critical, or self-blaming, it can contribute to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Negative self-talk can create a sense of helplessness or hopelessness.

Practice self-reflection: When you reflect on your thoughts and emotions, you can gain a greater sense of self-awareness, which can help you better understand your stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies.

Seek humour: Laughter can stimulate the production of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. It can help to counteract the negative effects of stress hormones such as cortisol.

Practice digital detox: Practicing digital detox can take many forms, such as setting aside specific times of the day when you don’t check your phone or email, taking a break from social media for a day or a week, or even taking a weekend or longer retreat away from technology altogether.

Minimise overthinking: Repeatedly thinking about the same problems or issues without coming to any resolution or dwelling on negative thoughts or experiences can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and even depression.

Read also: 10 Habits that made me sharper & smarter (must read)

Learn to let go of things you cannot control: When you let go of the things you cannot control, you can reduce the amount of mental and emotional energy you spend trying to change things that are not within your power.

Learn to manage your emotions: When we experience Okintense emotions such as anger, anxiety, or sadness, it can trigger the stress response in our bodies and lead to physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension.
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Contributed by Thomas Oppong

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