As the fall seasons starts to arrive and temperatures drop, many of us are facing busy schedules, whether it be work or school, and then soon to be holiday-related tasks. As the stressors build up, the harder it is to deal with it all. The best way to handle stress is to settle into daily habits that manage your stress and wellness without worrying about it too much. So, here are 5 Ways to Kick Off the Fall Season Stress-Free:
1. Cut Out Things That Add To Your Stress
Sometimes the best way to get rid of your stress is to cut what is causing the stress out of your life. Take steps to get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can stress less.
Stress over homework or work, always being on social media or technology, drinking, or even just eating unhealthily are just a few of the things that may add more stress to your life. Making changes to your daily habits or schedule could make a big difference in helping you feel better and reduce stress.
2. Eat a Balanced Diet & Drink Water!
Doesn’t everyone want to just sit on the couch, do nothing, and eat junk food when they’re stressed? No? Just me? You may not even think of food and water when it comes to stress, but actually, having an unhealthy diet can add to stress.
Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods only provides a temporary sense of stress relief that just adds to long-term stress. Refined carbs, such as pastries or potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. So then, when your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety. Having a healthy diet can help you defeat stress over the long term. Foods such as eggs, avocado, and almonds support mood regulation and provide energy balance! Not to mention making sure you drink enough water! To find the amount you need, divide your body weight in half, there’s the amount of water you should be drinking a day. Crazy right?? When your body alerts your body you need water, it’s already dehydrated, and when your body becomes even slightly dehydrated, your stress response begins. So, just make things easier on your body and to reduce stress, drink more water!
Not that we all don’t need a bit of junk food every now and then, cuz I love me some chips, ice cream, and cookies, but think about how it could affect your stress levels or why you are consuming it. Eat better, feel better!
3. Get Active Regularly
Exercise is a FANTASTIC stress reliever that can work instantly. Your body was made to move, and when it doesn’t get that opportunity, it’s hard to stay healthy. If you think about it, physical activity itself is kind of a form of stress (a physical challenge to your body) but it also aids in releasing emotional stress from your body. A number of studies have even shown that regular exercise is associated with a decrease in anxiety and depression, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But don’t overdo it!
Even just taking a walk allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, take in nature, and clear your mind. Or trying yoga. Yoga combines tons of stress relievers such as, physical movement, meditation, and controlled breathing – all of which provide great stress relief!
4. Invest In What Makes You Happy
Studies have shown that your mindset can have a huge impact on the way your body handles stress or difficult decisions. So, think about what makes you happy, and find ways to implement it more into your daily life. After all, if you’re doing more things you enjoy more often, you’re going to be a lot more happy. Should be common sense right?
Learn to get the “necessary” stuff done quicker and don’t focus too much on the list of “to dos”. Prioritize what really matters to you and schedule out time during your weekends or evenings to do things you love instead. Maybe it is spending time with your family and friends, painting, writing, taking photos or reading. Whatever it is that you love to do, make sure you set off some time for it regularly. Because few things will reduce stress and energize you like doing the things that you love most!
5. Take Time To Relax
With everything we have going on in our lives whether it be work, family, friends, school, etc., it’s sometimes hard to set it all aside to take time for ourselves and just RELAX. Some things I like to do to help with stress and just slow down are:
- Disconnect every once and awhile – Sometimes you just have to remove yourself from the world for a while to relax and not stress about the little things. Slow down and stop for a while every now and then.
- Eliminate – Do you even have to do everything that’s on your schedule? Maybe your heart isn’t into something as much as it used to be. Could you say no to one or more of those things to have more time and energy for what matters most in your life?
- Zoom out – When you’re the most stressed or when life is really getting to you, stop and think, “Is there anyone on the planet having it worse than me right now?” When you think about that, sometimes life isn’t so rough and it’s easier to calm down.
- Just breathe – Sometimes you just have to take the time to stop and just take a breath. Release the stress, calm your mind and body down and reconnect with the moment again by focusing on your breathing.
- And be here – Live in the moment! Sometimes we just get so caught up in life we forget to live in the present. Choose to spend more of your day and time in the present moment.
I really hope these tips and tricks help you to remove (or at least reduce) all of the stressors in your life to minimize stress and improve your overall wellness! Thanks for readying!!
