When we think about being healthy, we ultimately think of two things; our daily diet and how much we move (our exercise). One huge area that needs our attention is establishing and practicing Natural Stress Relieving Tips. We’ll look at 10 ways to relieve stress on a daily basis.
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Another natural stress reliever; the beach. People flock to beaches all year long; learn 6 health benefits to why we should visit the beach.
Stress: Good or Bad?
We often think of stress in a negative light. However, stress can be both beneficial to our everyday life and physically/mentally harmful.
Natural Benefits of Healthy Stress:
- It increases our productivity.
- Keeps us motivated to finish projects and tasks.
- Gives us energy and triggers our creativity.
- Instinctive warning sign; flee from danger.
- Allows for better focus.
Detriments of Unhealthy Stress:
- Focus on self and becoming irritable with others
- Physical harm; heart issues, digestive difficulties, constant muscle tension, increased blood pressure, and weakened immune system.
- Excessive fatigue
- Increased anxiety
- Not able to focus on one task.
Yes, stress is both good and bad. It can also go very quickly from a stress that allows us to be more productive to one that gives us increased anxiety. We can not ignore stress, and we must be preventative on how to relieve stress.
Personalities that feel more negative stress
Do you know of certain people and personalities that get overstressed easily? I’m raising my hand too! I might just be one of those personalities.
- Type A personalities are more competitive, more time conscious, task driven, and often an overachiever. This type of personality can experience more stress.
- Genetic Make-Up. We are born with the innate reaction to feel stress in uncertain situations.
- Provider. You are responsible for providing shelter and food to those you love.
- Constant Sense of Urgency. If this describes you, then you often feel the affects of negative stress.
Read more on Type A and Type B Personality Theory here. We have both in our family, so we found this article fairly accurate and humorous.
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10 Natural Stress Relieving Tips
Exercise. Find an exercise you can learn to enjoy. Our body needs to move for many reasons: better heart health, improved muscle tone, releases “happy” hormones, clears our head from busyness, and burns calories.
Music. Listening to music can relax you, give you energy or even relieve anxiety. Releasing Stress Through the Power of Music has encouraging research and suggestions.
Write it Down. Journaling is useful for reducing stress, “getting out” negative thoughts, recording daily events & emotions, and tapping into your creativity. Keeping a “gratitude journal” allows us to think positive and cultivate a thankful heart.
Find Humor. Chose to laugh! Tell a joke, share funny events from your day, and learn to laugh with others.
Develop a Hobby. Develop a hobby or two that brings you joy. Be willing to try new activities and develop new skills in life. Favorite stress-relieving hobbies: fishing, hiking, tinkering, baking, painting, quilting, reading, gardening, yoga, raising animals, photography, and camping. How Picking Up a New Hobby Relieves Stress by Stephen Gans, MD.
Stress Relieving Tips Continued:
Take Time for Problem Solving. Set aside time to address problems and stressful areas in your life. Brainstorm ideas to solve the problem and find solutions. It’s time well spent!
Set aside alone time. Get away by yourself for a few moments. Read a book, walk the dog, plan your week, or practice yoga. Enjoy the quiet, set aside your phone, and purposefully relax.
Pause social media. Un-clutter your mind and emotions by taking social media time outs. Take time to be mindful of not comparing yourself to others and allow yourself to be more creative and confident.
Bake, Cook, or Clean. “Stress cleaning” or “stress baking” is a real thing. It allows for us to be mindful, be productive and relieve stress.
Nourish your brain. Take care of this vital organ in your body! Eat nourishing foods like green vegetables, wild-caught fish and berries. Exercise. Chose to think positive & be grateful.
4 Simple Steps to Eliminate the Anxiety in Your Life by Dr. Daniel Amen (the brain doctor).
Natural Stress Relieving Tips
Action plan: Read through the 10 tips listed above and write down at least 3 tips that you would like to make part of your life.
Set aside time in your day/week for stress management. Your health is worth it and so are the relationships in your life.
After a month, re-evaluate your stress relieving tips. Were they effective? Switch out a few tips or add more to your life.
Remember: not all stress is negative. It’s just important that we manage it and have a plan. (I’m speaking from personal experience here!)
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My Personal Plan
I’ll share the tips that I apply to my life because pursing better health goes beyond eating good food.
- Exercise. Stretching, yoga, and walking my dog every day.
- Hobby. Baking, sewing, camping and especially hiking.
- Problem solving. I like to evaluate my day planner, talk life over with my family members, and solve problems together.
- Stress clean. I’ve done this since I was a teenager. It’s usually a closet, a few drawers, ceiling cobwebs, you name it! It feels good and relieves stress.
How about you? Share in the comments which tips you want to incorporate into your life. Or the tips that you find successful.
Pursing Better Health Together,