Ever found stress and work so overwhelming that you feel like you’re seized by inaction? One of the main killers of motivation is stress. Most of the time, some stress is helpful as it propels us towards action. However, excessive stressing is not only bad for motivation but also bad for your health. According to Mayo Clinic, it can lead to anger, depression and anxiety. Your body will also turn up aches, pains, sleep problems and change in appetite. In short, lots of stress is not good.
Here are 5 easy ways to de-stress at home or wherever you are:
Stress Buster 1: Breathe
Sometimes the most effective way to dealing with stress is the one most readily available to us. We all breath but how often do we actually pay attention to breathing? A few deep, precious breaths can have a very positive effect on your body, your brain and gives you an extra kick of oxygen. What’s more, a few slow deep breaths can help lower your blood pressure, bringing you immediate relief of the effects felt by stress.
Stress Buster 2: Get a plant
The effects of getting a plant for stress reduction are twofold. First, you get a cheap fresh air purifier that clams you. Second, the act of caring, watering and pruning a small plant has a relaxing effect on your body. You can easily pick up something sturdy such as the cactus from your local store or over at Amazon.
Stress Buster 3: Get some regular exercise
See the emphasis on regular? Being regular means being consistent – exercising when you’re happy, sad, stressed, motivated and when you’re not motivated. This way, exercise becomes a habit and your body will react in kind and treat you well. More to the point, exercising regularly releases all the complex chemicals – serotonins/endorphins – that will make you feel good and sleep better. This is one of the best antidotes to stress.
Stress Buster 4: Take micro-naps
Ok, so you work long hours and obviously can’t take a 1-hour nap right? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that parts of the brain go to sleep and ‘shut off’ even when you’re fully awake when you are really tired. So take a 5 minute eye-shut – even when you do not fall a sleep, this brief period of stillness and rest has positive effects on your body and aid its recovery processes.
Stress Buster 5: Meet up with your friends
In an already busy schedule, meeting up with friends seems adding another ‘to do’ item in your never ending to-do lists and may sound counter intuitive at first. But I’m not suggesting a rave party or a heavy night of drinking with friends. But a social meeting of a more intimate, closer kind. A simple chat over coffee; a walk in the park; or an invitation for lunch at home. Humans are social creatures and allowing ourselves to connect, to talk, to laugh and to let loose on stress is a great way of putting the stress monsters away.
