Lower Your Caffeine Intake
Caffeine can give you that morning jolt you need to get going, but too much can also increase anxiety and stress. While some people can have multiple cups of coffee or tea, other people may feel jittery after just one.
Caffeine is not just found in coffee and tea. Chocolate and many energy drinks also have a high amount of caffeine. If you want to feel less stressed, try lowering the amount of caffeine you have every day and see if that helps you feel more relaxed.
How To Better Cope With Stress In The Moment
Pay attention to these signs. It is important to recognize the physiological signs of stress and address these symptoms in the moment to alleviate the potential harmful effects, Dr. Sieka says.
The goal of stress management here is to acknowledge the feeling and then dial down those physiological changes and approach the challenge rationally with your mind , explains Melissa Dowd, a licensed marriage and family therapist and the San Franciscobased therapy lead at PlushCare, a virtual health platform.
If your reaction to stress sticks around even after the trigger is gone , short-term stress can become chronic, Dowd says.
Stress that is not handled well and continues without relief can lead to chronic stress and contribute to physical concerns, such as headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and high blood pressure, and mental health problems, such as irritability, depression, anxiety, and substance use, Sieka says.
Dowd says some people are more prone to chronic stress. This can be due to genetics, life experiences, and unhealthy coping mechanisms, she says.
Its good to have a few tricks up your sleeve that can help you de-escalate stressful situations quickly, such as squeezing a stress ball, distracting yourself with fidget spinners, cueing up a mindfulness app, and trying deep-breathing exercises.
Stress Can Make You Gain Weight
People are likely to consume 40% more food than they normally do in stressful situations. When surroundings prove stressful, its natural that an activity as immersive and personal as eating is what humans take comfort in.
In fact, this is something thats so innately and primitively human that it hasnt changed since the ancient times of hunter-gatherers. In the olden days, harsh conditions meant that humans had to eat as much as they could when food was available, so they could have better survivability during times when food was scarce.
When stress makes you eat, its your emotions rather than your body dictating how much food you need. Not to mention the fact that when youre stress-eating, its usually not the celery sticks you reach for, but rather indulgent comfort food such as ice cream which are high in sugar.
Stress-induced food cravings and feelings of guilt after eating are typical signs of stress eating.
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Tips To Manage Stress
In todays society, stress and change often are thought of as the same thing. Stress is a physiological and psychological response to situations the body and mind find to be overwhelming. We often ask ourselves how we should manage stress. There are many ways people manage stress and reduce the overall stress of day-to-day activities. With the fast pace of work and home, and being constantly inundated with technology and still wanting to have time to connect with those around us, our lives can feel overwhelming and stressful at times.
Manage how you live with these five tips to feel less stressed:
1. Use guided meditation.
Guided meditation is a great way to distract yourself from the stress of day-to-day life. There are many guided meditations available on the internet that can help you find 5 minutes of centered relaxation.
2. Practice deep breathing.
Deep breathing is a great way to reduce the activation of your sympathetic nervous system, which controls the bodys response to a perceived threat. Deep breaths taken in to a count of five seconds, held for two seconds and released to a count of five seconds, can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce the overall stress and anxiety you may be experiencing.
3. Maintain physical exercise and good nutrition.
4. Manage social media time.
5. Connect with others.
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Tip : Recognize When Youre Stressed
It might seem obvious that youd know when youre stressed, but many of us spend so much time in a frazzled state that weve forgotten what it feels like when our nervous systems are in balance: when were calm yet still alert and focused. If this is you, you can recognize when youre stressed by listening to your body. When youre tired, your eyes feel heavy and you might rest your head on your hand. When youre happy, you laugh easily. And when youre stressed, your body lets you know that, too. Get in the habit of paying attention to your bodys clues.
Observe your muscles and insides. Are your muscles tense or sore? Is your stomach tight, cramped, or aching? Are your hands or jaw clenched?
Observe your breath. Is your breathing shallow? Place one hand on your belly, the other on your chest. Watch your hands rise and fall with each breath. Notice when you breathe fully or when you forget to breathe.
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What Are The Behavioural And Emotional Effects Of Stress
When you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including anxiety, irritability or low self-esteem, which can lead to becoming withdrawn, indecisive and tearful.13
You may experience periods of constant worry, racing thoughts, or repeatedly go over the same things in your head. You may experience changes in your behaviour. You may lose your temper more easily, act irrationally or become more verbally or physically aggressive.14 These feelings can feed on each other and produce physical symptoms, which can make you feel even worse. For example, extreme anxiety can make you feel so unwell, that you then worry you have a serious physical condition.
Stress Can Make You Look Older
Premature ageing is a key indicator of stress. And its not just because of the eyebags from a lack of sleep. Stress has been scientifically proven to reduce the length of telomeres, the structures on the end of chromosomes that make it more difficult for new cells to grow.
As such, stress can lead to the classic signs of ageing that you want to avoid as much as possible. Some of these signs include wrinkles, weak muscles and poor eyesight.
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Get Mental Health Support In Virtua Primary Care
Virtua Behavioral Health offers mental and behavioral health services in 13 Virtua Primary Care offices throughout South Jersey. To help meet patients’ mental and emotional health needs, our primary care physicians refer their patients to licensed clinical social workers who work within the practice. These licensed professionals provide a range of psychotherapy services, including cognitive behavioral therapy and marital counseling, and treat conditions including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, mood disorders, and substance abuse.
Get Your Heart Pumping
Not only will regular exercise relieve stress but it can also improve concentration and mental awareness two things that are vital while studying for your degree. Tiring yourself out with exercise will also improve your sleep, which further reduces stress levels. You dont need to go all-out to get the stress-relieving benefits of exercise, though, as psychologists have shown a 10-minute walk can be as effective as 45 minutes of rigorous exercise. Even better, it doesnt really matter what form of exercise you choose as anything will be beneficial. Getting outside for some cardio would be a great way to boost your mood, but equally a yoga break will help relax the body and mind for your next study session.
You can read more about some great tips for an efficient workout at home.
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Tip : Identify Your Stress Response
Internally, we all respond the same way to the fight-or-flight stress response: your blood pressure rises, your heart pumps faster, and your muscles constrict. Your body works hard and drains your immune system. Externally, however, people respond to stress in different ways.
The best way to quickly relieve stress often relates to your specific stress response:
Overexcited stress response: If you tend to become angry, agitated, overly emotional, or keyed up under stress, you will respond best to stress relief activities that quiet you down.
Underexcited stress response: If you tend to become depressed, withdrawn, or spaced out under stress, you will respond best to stress relief activities that are stimulating and energizing.
The immobilization or frozen stress response
Quick Stress Relief At Home
Entertaining. Prevent pre-party jitters by playing lively music. Light candles. The flicker and scent will stimulate your senses. Wear clothes that make you feel relaxed and confident.
Kitchen. Ease kitchen stress by breathing in the scent of every ingredient. Delight in the delicate texture of an eggshell. Appreciate the weight of an onion.
Children and relationships. Prevent losing your cool during a spousal spat by squeezing the tips of your thumb and forefinger together. When your toddler has a tantrum, rub lotion into your hands and breathe in the scent.
Sleep. Too stressed to snooze? Try using a white noise machine for background sound or a humidifier with a diffuser for a light scent in the air.
Creating a sanctuary. If clutter is upsetting, spend 10 minutes each day to tidy. Display photos and images that make you feel happy. Throw open the curtains and let in natural light.
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Be In The Moment With One Of Your Senses
Sight, smell, sound, and tasteyou’ll be amazed how quickly the stress melts away when you focus on just one of them. Eat something that you crave and savor each bite. Light a scented candle and breathe in your favorite scent. Listen to a beautiful piece of music and let it take you away. Look at something beautiful in your surrounding that makes you stop and stare.
You also can practice the 5,4,3,2,1 technique. Name 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things to touch, 2 things you smell, and one thing you taste. Engaging your 5 senses is a great way to ground yourself in the present moment and take your focus off your stress.
If one method doesn’t work for you, try another. Learning to cool down takes practice. Be patient with yourself, and you will reap the benefits.
Get A Good Nights Sleep
Sleep is essential for good mental health. It can help reduce stress and anxiety. Additionally, it can improve mood and cognitive function.
Make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. This may mean going to bed earlier or taking a nap during the day. Whatever you do, make sure to get enough rest!
Additionally, there are many things you can do to improve sleep quality. For example, try to avoid caffeine before bed. You should also establish a regular sleep schedule. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Also, make sure to create a relaxing bedtime routine. This can include reading or taking a bath.
The weekend is a great time to relax and release stress. There are many different ways to do this, including exercise, spending time with friends and family, and relaxation techniques. Try one of these activities this weekend and see how you feel. The bottom line is that your mental health is important. Make sure to take care of yourself!
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How To Manage And Reduce Stress
Here, we would like to start, by giving you an introduction to what stress is, what the signs of stress are, what simple steps you can take when feeling stressed and provide practical advice for preventing it, to show why we are passionate about moving towards a less stressed nation.
How To Release Stress: 13 Ways To Tackle Stress And Feel Better
Stress is something you may have gotten used to-a result of lifes demands and the need to keep soldiering on. Well, stress without relief can become distress, harming your life in irreversible ways. As such, its important to be well-educated on how to release stress.
From leading to problems such as early ageing, heart problems and mental health issues, stress is a silent killer that can reduce your productivity and general quality of life. Knowing how to release stress can drastically improve your life, perhaps even helping you drop a few kilograms and make you look younger!
That said, we know how difficult it can be to release stress. With modern-day commitments, not feeling stressed is a challenge in itself. Not to mention that its something that takes a fair bit of practice. Heres why you need to keep stress at bay, and how to do it.
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Learn To Tell People No
Sometimes we try to spread ourselves out too much, saying yes to every request and invitation. Learn to say no and only accept invitations for the events you really want to go to or help out when its necessary.
When you have too much on your plate, you can feel stressed and may start experiencing anxiety and depression when you cant deliver on every commitment.
Learn Stress Management Techniques From A Trusted Therapist With Docvita
If you have tried these stress-busting techniques and its not getting any better, it might be time for you to reach out to a trusted therapist for help. We atDocVita have various specialists from different fields that can help you manage and cope with your emotions better. All you got to do is hop on to DocVitasbook from therapist page and book your session.
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Talk It Out With A Friend
When youre feeling stressed, take a break to call a friend and talk about your problems. Good relationships with friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle.
Theyre especially important when youre under a lot of stress. A reassuring voice, even for a minute, can put everything in perspective.
Quick Ways To Reduce Stress
Taking care of your long-term mental and physical health is an important part of stress management. However, there isnt always time to take a nap, hike a fourteener, or read a novel. Thus, here are 25 ways to reduce stress in five minutes or less. From eating chocolate to meditating, there is a quick stress-relieving tactic for everyone.
1. BreatheSlow, deep breaths can help lower blood pressure and heart rate. Try pranayama breathing, a yogic method that involves breathing through one nostril at a time to relieve anxiety. The technique is supposed to work the same way as acupuncture, balancing the mind and body.
2. Listen to Music No matter what the song, sometimes belting out the lyrics to a favorite tune makes everything seem all right. If youre in a public place, just listening to music can be a quick fix for a bad mood. Classical music can be especially relaxing right before bedtime.
3. Take a Quick Walk When youre feeling overwhelmed or having trouble concentrating, go for a quick stroll around the block. Youll get the benefits of alone time, physical activity, and a few minutes to gather your thoughts.
4. Find the Sun If its a sunny day, head outside for an easy way to lift your spirits. Bright light can be an effective treatment for people who suffer from depression, and can even cheer up otherwise healthy people.
8. Rub Your Feet Over a Golf Ball You can get an impromptu, relaxing foot massage by rubbing your feet back and forth over a golf ball.
12. Be Alone
Also Check: How To Eliminate Stress Eating
Technique #2 Body Scan
Most of us ignore the signals our bodies are giving us throughout our day. This skill enables you to check in fairly quickly with your body to make adjustments or gather important information about your feelings.
To do a body scan, it is easiest to be sitting or laying down with eyes shut. Starting at the top of your head, notice the way your scalp and forehead feel. Then move down to notice your face, and so on. Mentally check in with each portion of your body in turn.
If you come across an area that feels tense, simply linger there to take a relaxing breath, loosen the tension, and then continue on until you make it all the way down to your toes. This process can take as little or as long as youd like.
Surround Yourself With Friends And Family
Having a support system is extremely important for your mental well-being. Friends, family, and community can help you get through stressful times in a better way. Its so important to have that support from someone when everything seems to be crashing down. In those cases, you need to have the strong support of people who uplift and support you.
Though you may feel like isolating yourself in times of despair, its definitely not advisable. Instead, you should call your friend or family member and pour your heart out to them. If you dont have your family and friends with you, you can join a support group. Support groups are a great way to connect with like-minded people and share your feelings and emotions. Another way to relieve your stress is to join a charitable trust as a volunteer. Having a bigger purpose and contributing to it can be a great way to relieve tension.
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Snag 15 Minutes To Yourself Every Single Day
When youre dealing with coworkers, friends, a partner, and kids all day, every day, it can be helpful for your stress to just take a few minutes to yourself each day. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes of me-time every day, the AHA suggests, and do whatever you want. You can simply sit in your car and breathe deeply or listen to music before you go inside for the night or spend that time on your porch with a cup of coffee in the morninganything that helps you relax.
