10 ways to Cope with Chronic Stress

It is important to be able to identify stressful situations as they occur. This helps you to work on managing how you react to it. Sometimes what you need to do is close our eyes and breathe in through your nose filling your lungs with air, then slowly breathe out when you feel your stress levels rising.

Use these tips to prevent or reduce chronic stress.

1. Re-balance Work and Home

If you’re spending too much time working, not taking breaks, book an appointment with yourself to enjoy time for fun, either alone or with others.

2. Build in Regular Exercise

Moving your body on a regular basis balances the nervous system and increases blood circulation, helping to cleanse out stress hormones. Even a daily 20-minute walk makes a difference.

3. Eat Well and Limit Alcohol and Stimulants

Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine may temporarily relieve stress but have negative health impacts and can make stress worse in the long term. Well-nourished bodies function better, so start with a good breakfast, add more fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods and sugar, and increase your water intake.

4. Connect with Supportive People

Face to face conversations with another person releases hormones that reduce stress. Search out those good listeners in your life.

5. Carve out Hobby Time

Do you enjoy gardening, reading, writing poetry, spoken words, singing, listening to music or some other creative pursuit? Engage in activities that bring you pleasure and joy; research suggests this reduces stress by almost half and lowers your heart rate, as well.

6. Practice Meditation, Stress Reduction or Yoga

Relaxation techniques activate a state of being in the present moment that counterbalances your body’s fight-or-flight hormones. Consider taking a mindfulness based stress reduction course or practice meditation to learn effective, lasting tools.

7. Sleep Enough

If you are getting less than seven to eight hours of sleep, your body will not handle stress as well as it could. If stress keeps you up at night, investigate the cause and add extra meditation into your day to make up for the loss of sleep.

8. Bond with Your Pet

Clinical studies show that spending even a short time with a companion animal can cut anxiety levels almost in half and produces oxcytocin in your body (happiness hormone).

9. Take a Vacation

Getting away from it all can reset your stress tolerance by increasing your mental and emotional outlook, this can make you a happier, more productive person upon return. Leave your cellphone and laptop at home to prevent you from being interrupted!

10. See a Counselor, Coach or Therapist

If negative thoughts overwhelm your ability to make positive changes, it’s time to book a professional therapist. Make an appointment today—your mental health is just as important as your physical health and your life is worth it.