De-Stress Yourself!

Everyday, we face stress. From the time we wake up till the time we close our eyes at night, we face stress in one way or another. As working adults, the moment we wake up, the clock starts ticking and we literally go through a personal rush hour in getting ready for work and to work. Once we’re on the road, we face the jam stress and once we’re at work, we face the various other stressors at work. On the way home from work, we once again face the mad traffic jams and by the time we reach home, we are completely stressed out! The helpless feeling we face by not being able to control how stress affects us will in the end impact on our systems negatively, be it mentally or physically. And so I say to you, take control of your stressors! Do yourself a favour and de-stress yourself! Here are a few easy steps that could help you tremendously throughout your day.

1. What you are is what you eat.
Let’s face it, most of us love to eat. We live in a country surrounded by a variety of food sources available to us 24-7. However, this is where we have to take precaution. We may not realise this but a good nutritional diet plays a huge part in combating stress. In stressful circumstances, vital nutrients that help to battle stress are quickly depleted. Therefore we have to constantly replace these vital nutrients by eating a healthy diet.

Good nutrition supports the adrenal glands, which greatly helps in your battle against stress. Stress shrinks your adrenal glands, and a healthy diet helps to maintain good adrenal function. Your diet should consist of the following:

Whole grains and high fiber food
Beans and legumes
Fruits and vegetables
Moderate amount of lean meat
Low fat dairy products
Fish
Nuts, seeds and their oil

Also in response to stress, our bodies start to crave for certain addictive “stuffs” which are supposed to maintain the stress levels in your body. These include smoking, caffeine, alcohol, sweets and salt. Try and avoid these at all costs! Have you seen people who are heartbroken? The first things they zone on are chocolates!

2. Stretch those muscles!
Wake up in the morning, stretch! Feeling stressed? Stretch. It will do you a world of good! Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress.

3. A cuppa tea?

Tea, whether black or white, helps. Studies from the University College of London have shown that people who drink black tea before engaging in a stressful task perform better than those who don’t do so. This is because their cortisol levels (which is the steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands) drops.

4. Indulge in some time-out!
Be it Facebook or YouTube, just take some time out from work or from your studies for a few minutes. Facebook time-outs are usually overlooked by employers as they understand the need for their employees to de-stress for awhile. That little joy in conversing with friends over a favourite network can greatly de-stress a person. Watching a few funny videos and laughing or listening to soothing songs on YouTube will decrease the levels of stress.

5. Vent out your frustrations.
Sometimes it’s good to talk to friends or colleagues and vent out your frustration. It’s ok to depend on others for emotional support. This is considered healthy. Repressing your emotions can impact negatively on you emotionally. If it helps you more to blow of some steam, then go to a private corner and just say #*%$ it! Try not to do so in the company of other people or children, of course. But yes, sometimes swearing privately does help.

6. Retail Therapy!
Indulge yourself in some shopping! Sometimes pampering yourself is a good way of saying bye to stress. According to most women, going on a shopping spree in stress mode is therapeutic because they start feeling good by buying things they fancy without a list

So folks, change the way stress affects your life and take control. These few tips may help you greatly in your endeavours to battle your stressors in life. Good luck!