9 Ways to Relieve Chronic Stress
Kaliste Kimball
Do I suffer from Chronic Stress?
If you're like most American women, you are probably stressed out. All. The. Time. When you have so much on your plate and there just isn't enough time in each day to do everything, how could we not be stressed out? Right? There are lots of studies that have been done that prove just how bad stress is for you and your mental, emotional, and physical health. In fact, there are so many different symptoms of being chronically stressed out, sometimes you don't even want to think about it, because you don't want to admit that you are neglecting your own health THAT much.If you have experienced 2+ of any of these symptoms for 3+ months, it is likely that you are probably suffering from chronic stress:
- Palpitations
- High Blood Pressure
- Fatigue
- Sleep Problems
- Chest Pain
- Tension (headaches, neck, back, and shoulder pain)
- Skim problems
- Jaw Pain
- Infertility
- Digestive problems
- Menstrual Problems (applies to women only!)
- Sexual difficulty
- Immune Suppression (this means you get sick...a lot.)
- Nervousness
- Anxiety and Panic Attacks
- Depression/Mood swings
- Irritability/Easy Frustration
- Memory Problems/Lack of Concentration (You THINK you have A.D.D./A.D.H.D.)
Yep. So that's basically it. If you have been experiencing at least a couple of these things for a while, you are probably suffering from chronic stress.
Before we get into how you can help yourself, let's talk about what will happen if you try to "solve" this problem conventionally.
The truth is, most doctors don't want to spend the time or energy to SOLVE the underlying cause of why you are sick and feeling bad, so they will just give you a prescription to mask your symptoms. This doesn't mean you are actually regaining your health in any way, it just means you can't feel the symptoms of your sickness anymore. In other words, even though you might be put on high blood pressure medicine or an antidepressant, your stress is not being resolved. It's still as there as ever.
This is why, in the case of stress, a prescription drug is NOT the answer. It is important in the long run to take the natural approach to eliminate stress in your life so you can live to be healthy, old, heart disease free, and depression free.
9 Ways to Overcome Your Stress
To beat stress, you must take positive actions to improve your health. To some, they will think this is impossible because, yes, it requires you to change up your current routine. Get out of your comfort zone and do something different, because honestly, if you have read this far, you probably aren't very comfortable in your comfort zone.
1. Your Diet
The true meaning of the word "diet" just means what you eat. So I'm not saying to "go on a diet," I am simply encouraging you to have a HEALTHY diet. Short and sweet, this means cut back on all processed foods, anything with added sugar, and fried things. Eat more veggies and eat fruit in moderation, and make sure your meats are lean. Fats aren't a bad thing, as long as they are coming naturally from plants/animals and not a product in a product (A.K.A. the fat in Cheetos or in an Oreo Cookie = BAD).
When your body is stressed, it is using a good amount of B-vitamins very quickly, so it is important to make sure you are getting enough. B-vitamins can be found in oily fish, eggs, brown rice, beans, sunflower seeds, and nuts.
One word. Antioxidants. Antioxidants are like little janitors for your cells, cleaning up the free radicals that are created when you are stressed. Free radicals aren't good for your immune system AND they make you age quicker...and I don't know any woman who is excited to see more wrinkles on her face. A good source of antioxidants can be found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and preferably organic when possible. The cost difference really isn't that much, and when your food is pesticide and chemical ridden, it just adds to the free radicals in your body.
Keeping your blood sugar in balance is one more thing that is going to play a big part in stress management. Anything that has added sugar in it or is a simple carbohydrate such as bread or white potatoes will spike your blood sugar and can trigger symptoms of stress. Low GI-scale foods are your friend.
2. Supplementation
This is partially related to your diet, because it is very important to deliver proper nutrients to your body.
- B-Complex
- Your body is using up B-vitamins very quickly, and if your levels are low you are more prone to feeling more stressed, anxious, and depressed. If you are making an honest effort to consume a proper level of B-vitamins in your diet but you just aren't quite reaching it, perhaps a B-complex vitamin will assist you until you can learn to incorporate full nutrition in your daily diet.
- Antioxidants
- If you are taking a multi-vitamin each day, then you should be receiving a proper amount of antioxidants in that, just as it is possible to be receiving a proper dose of antioxidants in your diet by choosing proper foods. One way or another, you need to make sure your body is getting enough vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Your nerve cells need these fatty acids to function properly, and nerve function is oh so obvious in the importance of overcoming stress.
3. At-Home Spa Treatments
There is nothing more relaxing than laying in a hot bath with John Mayer serenading you. Add some nice smelling bath salts or bubble baths and a face mask, and you have a sure-fire way to take your stress levels down a notch. Not to mention, your muscles will feel amazing. Try to make this a once-a-week occurrence for a long term stress relief method.
4. Glass Half Full
Being constantly stressed makes it so easy to be a negative Nancy. It's like you just don't have the time to think positive thoughts anymore. You are always feeling negative, so your thoughts are brought down with those feelings. The truth is that by changing the way you think, you can make a positive impact on how stressed out you are feeling. Any time you find yourself swimming in the down side of things, do a self-evaluation as well as a situational evaluation and think about the positive side of what is going on. Every swap you make, you will find yourself feeling better and better.
5. Zzzzzzzzz....
How much sleep are you getting? Chances are, it probably isn't enough. Try to get at LEAST 8 hours of sleep every night, even if this means watching one less I Love Lucy rerun per night or scrolling through facebook for one less hour at the end of every day. It is a sacrifice you will be glad for, and some brain cells that will be spared. Just because you can stay awake all day from sleeping 5-6 hours doesn't mean you should. It's time to take care of yourself.
6. Make Time for You
What helps you to relax? Start writing in hour-long "you" sessions a few times a week, and take some time to breathe. Whether this is your home spa day or your time to listen to Norah Jones and have ONE glass of red wine and read some magazines, it will be worth it. My favorite ways of relaxation are taking a yoga class at my local gym and focus on my breathing, or taking a window shopping trip to Home Goods or TJ Maxx and dreaming of owning the entire store. Find what helps you relax and do it.
7. Laughter is the Best Medicine
Don't be scared to have a little fun every now and then. If it makes you laugh and smile, enjoy it. Go out with your girlfriends for a night, rent a redbox movie and watch a chick flick, play with your dog. There are so many ways to have fun, just pick one and do it. Exhausted? Can't get up to do anything? Pinterest's "humor" section is my favorite when I am too tired to move...
8. Happy People Just Don't Kill Their Husbands
If you were to be honest with yourself, how much exercise are you getting each week? How about each day? If you feel like you are overwhelmed and don't have time to get some good physical activity in, try just taking a 30 minute walk with your kid or your dog. There really are a lot of options out there for even those who are tight on time, such as Beachbody's workouts Focus T-25 and P90X 3. Both of these workouts are a mere 25-30 minutes long. When it comes to time...there really is no excuse. And if you are drained of energy, taking all of these steps to reduce your stress should power you through a 30 minutes swear session. Remember, exercise creates endorphins. Endorphins make people happy. And happy people just don't kill their husbands.
9. PRIORITIES!!!
This is the last method to reducing stress on my list, but certainly the most important. Everything you do each day, everything you put energy into caring about...it all boils down to where your priorities are. If you are a mom, or even just a mega-selfless person, it is so easy to put YOURSELF at the BOTTOM of your priorities list. My mother always said, "How are you supposed to take care of anyone else if you can't even take care of yourself?" This statement has always proven to be true no matter what situation I can apply it to.
How do you expect to be a good mother if you are always stressed out and sick? How do you expect to be a good wife if you are constantly under so much stress and having crazy mood swings? How are you supposed to be a good student if you can't concentrate and are always having panic attacks? Whatever your purpose is in life, whether it is long term or short term, how are you supposed to fulfill your obligations with the highest amount of efficiency if you can't even function properly?
The first step to taking ANY of these steps to reduce the stress in your life is to make yourself one of your priorities. Realize that your health is just as important as whatever else you care about, because without your health, your quality of life and your quality of performance are going to keep going downhill.
What are you going to do to manage your stress this week?
Keeping your blood sugar in balance is one more thing that is going to play a big part in stress management. Anything that has added sugar in it or is a simple carbohydrate such as bread or white potatoes will spike your blood sugar and can trigger symptoms of stress. Low GI-scale foods are your friend.
2. Supplementation
This is partially related to your diet, because it is very important to deliver proper nutrients to your body.- B-Complex
- Your body is using up B-vitamins very quickly, and if your levels are low you are more prone to feeling more stressed, anxious, and depressed. If you are making an honest effort to consume a proper level of B-vitamins in your diet but you just aren't quite reaching it, perhaps a B-complex vitamin will assist you until you can learn to incorporate full nutrition in your daily diet.
- Antioxidants
- If you are taking a multi-vitamin each day, then you should be receiving a proper amount of antioxidants in that, just as it is possible to be receiving a proper dose of antioxidants in your diet by choosing proper foods. One way or another, you need to make sure your body is getting enough vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Your nerve cells need these fatty acids to function properly, and nerve function is oh so obvious in the importance of overcoming stress.
3. At-Home Spa Treatments
There is nothing more relaxing than laying in a hot bath with John Mayer serenading you. Add some nice smelling bath salts or bubble baths and a face mask, and you have a sure-fire way to take your stress levels down a notch. Not to mention, your muscles will feel amazing. Try to make this a once-a-week occurrence for a long term stress relief method.
4. Glass Half Full
Being constantly stressed makes it so easy to be a negative Nancy. It's like you just don't have the time to think positive thoughts anymore. You are always feeling negative, so your thoughts are brought down with those feelings. The truth is that by changing the way you think, you can make a positive impact on how stressed out you are feeling. Any time you find yourself swimming in the down side of things, do a self-evaluation as well as a situational evaluation and think about the positive side of what is going on. Every swap you make, you will find yourself feeling better and better.5. Zzzzzzzzz....
How much sleep are you getting? Chances are, it probably isn't enough. Try to get at LEAST 8 hours of sleep every night, even if this means watching one less I Love Lucy rerun per night or scrolling through facebook for one less hour at the end of every day. It is a sacrifice you will be glad for, and some brain cells that will be spared. Just because you can stay awake all day from sleeping 5-6 hours doesn't mean you should. It's time to take care of yourself.6. Make Time for You
What helps you to relax? Start writing in hour-long "you" sessions a few times a week, and take some time to breathe. Whether this is your home spa day or your time to listen to Norah Jones and have ONE glass of red wine and read some magazines, it will be worth it. My favorite ways of relaxation are taking a yoga class at my local gym and focus on my breathing, or taking a window shopping trip to Home Goods or TJ Maxx and dreaming of owning the entire store. Find what helps you relax and do it.
7. Laughter is the Best Medicine
Don't be scared to have a little fun every now and then. If it makes you laugh and smile, enjoy it. Go out with your girlfriends for a night, rent a redbox movie and watch a chick flick, play with your dog. There are so many ways to have fun, just pick one and do it. Exhausted? Can't get up to do anything? Pinterest's "humor" section is my favorite when I am too tired to move...
8. Happy People Just Don't Kill Their Husbands
If you were to be honest with yourself, how much exercise are you getting each week? How about each day? If you feel like you are overwhelmed and don't have time to get some good physical activity in, try just taking a 30 minute walk with your kid or your dog. There really are a lot of options out there for even those who are tight on time, such as Beachbody's workouts Focus T-25 and P90X 3. Both of these workouts are a mere 25-30 minutes long. When it comes to time...there really is no excuse. And if you are drained of energy, taking all of these steps to reduce your stress should power you through a 30 minutes swear session. Remember, exercise creates endorphins. Endorphins make people happy. And happy people just don't kill their husbands.
9. PRIORITIES!!!
This is the last method to reducing stress on my list, but certainly the most important. Everything you do each day, everything you put energy into caring about...it all boils down to where your priorities are. If you are a mom, or even just a mega-selfless person, it is so easy to put YOURSELF at the BOTTOM of your priorities list. My mother always said, "How are you supposed to take care of anyone else if you can't even take care of yourself?" This statement has always proven to be true no matter what situation I can apply it to.
How do you expect to be a good mother if you are always stressed out and sick? How do you expect to be a good wife if you are constantly under so much stress and having crazy mood swings? How are you supposed to be a good student if you can't concentrate and are always having panic attacks? Whatever your purpose is in life, whether it is long term or short term, how are you supposed to fulfill your obligations with the highest amount of efficiency if you can't even function properly?
The first step to taking ANY of these steps to reduce the stress in your life is to make yourself one of your priorities. Realize that your health is just as important as whatever else you care about, because without your health, your quality of life and your quality of performance are going to keep going downhill.
What are you going to do to manage your stress this week?
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