Article Tags: 10 tips | stress reduction
Stress appears in our lives in so many forms prompted by many circumstances and it plays a major role in our health. These tips obviously don’t cover such a large and importnat topic in detail, but they offer handy ways to reduce stress before, during and after it arises.
- Nutrition – Avoid too many stimulants like caffeine and excessive sugar. Focus on high-nutrient natural foods to keep the body nourished and relaxed. Artificial chemicals may create increased toxicity and inflammatory stress.
- Supplements and Herbs—as needed, support the body and its organs: e.g. for the adrenals use vitamins B and C; plus benefit from herbs like licorice root, ashwaganda, and Siberian ginseng; or support for liver through body detoxification (giving the liver a little rest) along with various nutritional products, such as alpha-lipoic acid or milk thistle herb containing silymarin.
- Exercise—Regular physical activity offers a great program for stress reduction. There are also many valued “internal exercises” as tai chi and qigong.
- Social support—with a listening, caring friend or family member; with more significant issues, a licensed therapist or counselor could be helpful.
- Behavior Modification—learn how to replace undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through positive or negative reinforcement. Similarly with your thoughts – practice rethinking—seeing a challenging situation differently and visualizing the desired outcome.
- Attitude—How do you look at life? Make positive changes to support your mood and energy level. Check our my resources on Attitude within the 5 Keys to Staying Healthy
- Meditation and Breathing—deep breathing aids relaxation and stress reduction programs/methods such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
- Prayer—as with meditation, tune into what’s right and best for all; as your belief in any higher power. The main prayer might be, “Thy will be done through me.”
- Laugh—watch a funny movie or TV show. Your sense of humor is a great stress reducer.
- Connect with Nature—take a short walk – fresh air, trees and water can help us calm down and rebalance.