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Stress: We all deal with it, yet we know how much better off we’d be —
both physically and mentally — if we could only get it under control and
nd stress relievers that really work. While stress can be a positive,
motivating factor at times (such as when you’re under pressure to
perform well at work or to ace an important exam), more and more
research shows that chronic stress impacts the body in ways similar to
a poor diet, lack of sleep or sedentary lifestyle.
Let’s face it, the stress we face today isn’t going anywhere, which is
exactly why it’s more important than ever to nd natural ways to bust
stress that work well for us. If you’re up against large amounts of stress
in your life (and who isn’t?), studies show you can greatly bene t from
carving out more time in your busy schedule for things like regular
exercise, meditation, spending time outdoors and keeping up with fun
hobbies.
So, what are the best stress relievers available to us, and how can we
ensure we don’t allow stress to control our lives? If you adhere to the
following eight practices, you’re sure to feel less pressure and better
manage your stress on a daily basis.
Yoga has been shown to have similar bene ts, reinforcing the “mind-
body connection,” improving how people (especially women) feel about
their bodies, helping with sleep and controlling anxiety. A review of over
35 clinical trials that tested the effects of regular yoga on stress levels
and health found that, overall, yoga offers signi cant improvements in
various physical and psychological health markers for the majority of
people. (3)
Looking for an even more impactful way to feel the bene ts of
exercise? Do so while listening to uplifting music. Research ndings
indicate that music listening positively impacts the psycho-biological
stress system, helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system,
improves recovery time, and has bene ts for hormonal balance and
brain functioning overall. (4)
2. Meditation/Devotional Prayer
Meditation and healing prayer are both proven stress relievers that
help people deal with worry, anxiety and nding peace of mind. Best of
all, they can both be practiced conveniently anytime of day, in your own
home and with no therapist, practitioner or program needed, making
them a no-brainer.
Meditation and prayer have been used for literally thousands of years to
improve well-being and connection to others, but today they’re actually
backed up by science as well. Breathing exer
3. Acupuncture
Studies have shown that acupuncture is one of the best stress relievers
for patients recovering from heart disease because it helps regulate the
nervous system, therefore having positive effects on blood pressure
levels, circulation, hormones and other factors. (9)
4. A Nutrient-Dense Diet
The idea behind CBT is this: If you can reframe the way you think about
events in your life — for example, instead of panicking over a job change
you choose to embrace it, prepare as best you can and seize the
opportunity to start fresh — you can literally reduce the stress you wind
up feeling from the event. CBT is useful for training us to avoid internal
causes of stress, such as “all-or-nothing” thinking, jumping to
conclusions, pessimism, having unrealistic expectations for ourselves,
always expecting the worst-case scenario, and feeling guilt or shame
over events that are out of our control. (11)
Making time for connecting with the people around you, spending time
outside and doing things you love with family, friends and your spouse
are all stress relievers that are good for your health in many ways. Social
connection is tied to longevity, since it helps people feel like they’re a
part of something larger than themselves and helps give them
perspective. Being outdoors has some similar effects, reminding people
that they’re one piece of a much larger universe, lifting their moods and
making it easier to get good sleep. (12)
7. Keeping a Journal
Keeping track of your emotions, both positive and negative, along with
the events that can trigger them helps you identify what’s causing stress.
A journal is an easy, effective way to monitor your state of mind
throughout the day, focus on thoughts that cause you harm and gure
out what’s really bothering you when you’re unsure.
A journal can also reduce stress by helping you to stay organized, such
as listing out appointments, household responsibilities, job assignments
or other tasks so you’re less frantic and likely to miss important
deadlines.
Stress can result from changes in your lifestyle (like your diet, exercise
routine or a lack of sleep), your environment (a new job or a move) or
even simply recurring negative thoughts. (15)
In many ways, stress, even the “good kind of stress,” has an immediate
and noticeable effect on the body. For example, have you ever noticed
you lose your appetite when you’re anxious or excited, your palms sweat
when you’re nervous, or you can’t seem to sleep the night before a big
meeting at work or a date you care a lot about?
But below the surface, stress also manifests in the body in multiple ways
you can’t always feel: increasing levels of “stress hormones” like cortisol,
causing blood sugar levels to rise, altering your appetite, getting in the
way of normal digestion by changing the gut environment, and affecting
the way our thyroid glands and hormones works.
tension headache
fatigue (including chronic or adrenal fatigue)
high blood pressure
heart disease
obesity
diabetes
acne and other skin conditions
allergies and asthma
arthritis
depression and anxiety
infertility
autoimmune disorders
sleep disorders
eating disorders
addiction
Cortisol is the principle hormone (although not the only hormone) tied
to our innate “ ight-or- ght” response, which is how the body reacts to
acute stress by either helping us run from the situation or stick around
and ght our way through. When short spikes in cortisol/adrenaline
happen over and over again nearly every day, they cause wear and tear
on the body and speed up the aging process.
So should the goal be to avoid any and all sorts of stress? Of course not
— remember that some types of stress are useful and considered
“adaptive,” while others are “maladaptive.”
For example, exercise and perusing a goal very ambitiously are both
types of stress, except they ultimately bene t the body. Areas of the
brain, including the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex can
pick up on positive stressful experiences and cause “stress-induced
structural remodeling” of the brain, which means you experience
alterations in behavioral and physiological responses to these positive
events. The result is that in the future you’re better able to handle similar
situations because you learn from them, associate them with a reward
and stop perceiving them as threatening.
And when you do that, you’re entire body, along with you mind, bene ts,
leading you to an even better, more well-rounded life.