Stress reduction for mind, body and soul

Feeling stressed? You're certainly not alone. Stress is the The epidemic of the 21st century. And because we are all affected by it from time to time, we need to know or learn how to deal with it—for example, through stress management training. However, on a smaller, private scale, we can already do a lot to combat the stress ourselves. If we actively reduce stress or develop healthy long-term habits, we can even largely eliminate stress from our lives.

What exactly is meant by stress these days and why it is harmful to us, you can find out here read more.

Stress damages our body and mind, and changes our emotions and behavior.

Since so many levels of our being are burdened by stress, we can also begin to reduce stress on precisely these levels – that is, in body, mind, and soul…

Mental stress reduction

You know that feeling when you feel somehow unbalanced, but can't pinpoint the exact cause? Sometimes I have days when I feel uninspired and not really motivated to do anything.

This procrastination can also be an expression of stress: Our inner self wants to distance itself from the things that we should (urgently) do.

From my own experience, I can say that I'm much more inspired and motivated to complete my commitments when I fill my procrastination time with activities that stimulate my creativity. This allows me to mentally distance myself from my stress for a while while simultaneously recharging my batteries to tackle my commitments.

Three things that help reduce mental stress are:

• Digital Detox:

Put your phone away for a few hours, or even take a longer social media break. We're bombarded with information via Instagram and the like, and our heads are spinning. We can't relax. Sure, it's easy to let it bombard us and procrastinate. But using your phone can actually increase our stress levels—partly because we're constantly seeing other people's "perfect" lives. Putting your phone away and using your time more effectively can reduce inner restlessness and calm stressful thoughts.

• Read a book:

How about reading a book again? Now that your phone isn't nearby, you can fully immerse yourself in the story and take a break from your everyday life. Many of my friends (and I'm not excluding myself) keep saying how much they'd love to read more and how sad it is that they no longer have the time. Take the time! A study found that reading lowers our cortisol levels and boosts our mood. Reading calms us down and helps reduce stress.

• Practice a creative hobby:

If you're not much of a bookworm, it might be worth revisiting your favorite childhood hobby. Creative hobbies have a multitude of positive effects, and listing them all would be beyond the scope of this article. However, it should be noted that hobbies like painting, crafting, sewing, playing an instrument, photography, etc.increase self-esteem and reduce worries and depressive thoughts (Reynolds, 2000).

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Physical stress reduction

Stress is a physical process (more on this in this Blog entry). And because stress can have significant effects on our bodies, it makes sense to reduce or alleviate this stress in the same way. Here, too, there are various ways to reduce stress:

• Do sports:

You probably know people around you (and maybe you're one of them) who go for a run or do a workout to "clear their heads." Exercise helps us reduce stress. How?
During physical activity, endorphins, our "feel-good" neurotransmitters, are released. Our mood improves, we sleep better, and feel more balanced. Exercise can also be considered "meditation in motion," where we forget our worries and focus entirely on our body movements (Jackson, 2013). As you can see, exercise not only contributes to general health and well-being, but also to stress reduction.

• Take a deep breath:

What if I feel acutely stressed and get sweaty hands or a stomach ache? Of course, you can't just start a yoga flow or pull oil paints and canvas out of your bag to relieve stress in every situation. Sometimes we suddenly feel overwhelmed by stress or find ourselves in a nerve-wracking situation. What you can do then: Breathe. Deep breaths supply the brain with oxygen and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Our body calms, the heart beats slower, blood pressure drops, and the muscles relax. The important thing here is to breathe deeply. in the stomach to breathe and let the breaths become long.
In addition to deep breathing in acute stress situations, special breathing exercises help to reduce and prevent stress in the long term.

• Sleep:

Sleep is an important part of stress management. During sleep, our body winds down, regenerates, and reorganizes itself for the coming day. Unfortunately, however, one can get caught in a vicious cycle, as stress causes sleep problems. Those with sleep problems find it difficult to manage stress through sleep. However, this vicious cycle can usually be broken with a few tips and exercises. Routine is paramount. Having a set bedtime and wake-up time makes it easier for the body to differentiate between being awake and sleeping. Furthermore, one should darken the room as much as possible, not heat it too much, and use the bedroom as a Sleeproom—and not watch movies or eat in bed. Meditation and relaxation exercises can also help.

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Mental stress reduction

By mental stress, I mean circling thoughts and the feeling of not being able to turn your head off.When an important decision or significant event is imminent, we quickly "overthink" and feel exhausted by our own thoughts. Options for mental stress reduction include:

• Meditation:

I hope I'm not annoying you by mentioning meditation all the time on this blog.  But it is simply the case that meditation has numerous positive effects – including in terms of stress reduction. As early as 1992, Kabat-Zinn et al.that regular meditation helps reduce anxiety and negative thoughts. Another nice side effect of meditation is the state of relaxation that automatically sets in. So, meditating regularly can be truly worthwhile—for acute coping, but also as a preventative measure.

• Go for a stroll:

You probably know the calming effect that nature can have on us all. We feel more relaxed and happier in green spaces than in the city (Berry & Okulicz-Kozaryn, 2013Walking can reduce chronic stress and is also a form of moving meditation. The swirling thoughts often seem to reorganize themselves during a walk. Or you can completely switch off for a while and absorb the beauty of your surroundings – but please, without your cell phone.

• Take a bath:

A hot bath after a stressful day not only cleanses our bodies, but also our minds. Bathing relaxes us, and the water feels pleasantly warm on our skin. The warm water releases endorphins onto our skin. Bathing also lowers our blood pressure and improves our breathing.

If you would like to learn more about mindfulness, healthy eating or sustainability, take a look here over.

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