5 Healthy Practices to Reduce Stress Every Day

Ways Stress Affects Everyone's Life

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but not all people react the same to it. Some people are able to deal with stress as it comes, while others struggle.

Many different kinds of situations can cause stress in different ways. It can be anything from a major life event to a minor issue at work. Everyone who experiences stress is not the same and that is what makes them unique.

Trying to cope with stress can be difficult in certain situations like when you have a tight deadline or when you're constantly under the pressure of having too much work to do on top of your normal workload. Thankfully there are many things you can do to manage your stress levels and decrease your risk for health problems caused by it.

stressed man at work

5 Healthy Habits to Relieve Stress:

  • Exercise - Even a short brisk walk!

  • Eat - Get some clean and stress busting foods in your gut!

  • Breathe - Try practice some deep breathing :)

  • Be mindful - Use mindfulness techniques to ground yourself

  • No screens - Walk away from all screens for a while. Proven to increase happiness.

What are the Ways You Can Reduce Your Stress at Work?

With so many deadlines and competing tasks, it can be difficult to reduce your stress at work. It is important to identify the causes of your stress and then find ways to alleviate them.

According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, one in three people experience job burnout at some point in their careers. This is due to an overload of stressors daily such as long hours, lack of sleep, and poor leadership. Stress can also be caused by environmental factors such as noise pollution or lack of privacy. Moreover, the excessive levels of stress are causing people to have shorter lifespans than they need to have.

Here are some effective ways you can reduce your stress at work:

  • Take a break whenever you feel overwhelmed

  • Set clear boundaries for yourself

  • Create a schedule that works

  • Get outside when you can, even for 5 minutes

  • Use stress relieving breathing techniques

5 Healthy Habits for Daily Stress Relief

Nowadays, many of us find ourselves feeling stressed out on a daily basis. It's important to be realistic about the different methods that can help ease our minds and get our lives back on track. Here are five healthy habits that can aid in your daily stress relief:

Stress is a universal concept that affects everyone in different ways. The good news is that there are many healthy habits you can practice to reduce stress levels and live a better life.

#1 Exercise to reduce stress

exercise habit to reduce stress

Physical exercise is a stress-relieving activity that can help you to manage your time better and feel more energized.

Exercise can improve your mood, make you more productive, and help reduce the risk of physical health problems. It's important to find an exercise routine that doesn't feel like a chore to keep up with.

A study found that people who exercised experienced lower levels of cortisol, which is a hormone released by the brain in response to stress.

How often should I work out?

Exercise is the best way to burn calories and keep the weight off; however, there are limits on how much we should be exercising. A 30-minute work out at least three times a week helps regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels; a 45-60 minute work out at least five times a week improves fitness and reduces stress.

#2 Make an effort to clean up your diet

You don’t have to go fully into healthy eating, but even a few fruits and vegetables and less process food contributes to less stress. See our stress reduction diet here.

Clean eating is a method of eating healthy and mainly focuses on eliminating processed foods, sugar, and alcohol. It's natural diets that are good for the body and the environment.

Some notable benefits of clean eating include better mental state, weight loss, lower risk of chronic diseases and promoting the microbiome in our gut.

Foods like spicy food and chocolate help to reduce stress levels. They also have an added advantage of being easily digestible which makes it easier for our body to clear them out of the system.

Here are the top foods that reduce stress:

1. Spicy food such as curry, jalapeno peppers, hot sauce.

2. Chocolate: Dark chocolates are especially good for reducing stress because they contain cocoa which is rich in magnesium, a mineral that helps reduce tension and anxiety by calming your nervous system down. You can also try a low-caffeine dark chocolate bar or even a smoothie made with cocoa powder and milk or plant milk such as oat milk .

3. Dark leafy greens: Kale, spinach, and collard greens contain iron which promote healthy hormones and can help reduce cortisol.

#3 Try stress reduction breathing techniques

Breathing techniques are a good way to relax and reduce stress. They help the user find their rhythm, focus on their breathing, and calm the body down.

Many people don't know that there are many breathing techniques out there that can be used for stress reduction. These breathing techniques are also known as abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.

The benefits of using these techniques include: increased oxygen levels in the blood vessels, reduced heart rate and respiration rates, lowered blood pressure, increased oxygen levels in cells, and decreased levels of cortisol in the brain.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing is a powerful technique to reduce stress. You can do it in three ways: inhale deeply through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth, or both.

With deep breathing exercises like the ones mentioned above, you can calm yourself down and regain control of your thoughts.

Deep breathing is an extremely effective and easy way to combat stress. By inhaling deeply, the body is filled with oxygen which helps your mind recuperate from the stressors of everyday life.

Proper deep breathing techniques can also help improve health such as with anxiety and depression. With this when you are experiencing a panic attack or something similar, you can also try deep breathing to soothe your nerves and regain composure.

Deep breathing is crucial in cases where someone has shortness of breath (dyspnea) because it increases the supply of oxygen in the lungs and lowers blood pressure.

#4 Try fitting Mindfulness into your day

mindfulness to reduce stress

Nowadays, we are all overloaded with work and responsibilities. Stress levels are increasing as a result of this, which can lead to anxiety and burnout.

This is where mindfulness comes into play - a way of getting back into the present moment and de-cluttering your thoughts by focusing on the here and now. This can help you regain control over your life and reduce stress levels significantly.

Mindfulness has been shown to have positive effects on mental health, stress levels, happiness, empathy, creativity and so many other things in our lives.

Mindfulness Techniques to Reduce Stress

Mindfulness is not easy to learn. It takes time, dedication, and practice.

The good news is that you don't have to be a Buddhist monk to reap the benefits of mindfulness. There are a lot of simple techniques and tools that can help you improve your day-to-day life at work and at home. One of the best ways to start practicing mindfulness is by taking regular breaks from whatever you're doing - whether its work or cooking - as well as some deep breaths throughout the day.

Mindfulness techniques:

  • Take a break for 5 minutes every hour to do deep breathing exercises;

  • Make sure your daily routine includes downtime where you can take some deep breaths;

  • When feeling overwhelmed, try grounding yourself in your senses; focus on what you can hear, feel or even smell

#5 Put down your phone and walk away from screens

The release of the iPhone and other mobile devices has increased the amount of screen time and attention that people spend on their devices. A recent study from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has found that people who spend three hours less per day on their gadgets and are more likely to be happier.

There are many different methods to reduce stress levels, but this article will focus on looking away from screens to reduce stress.

Experts believe that looking at your device for too long can make you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed out all at once - which is not a good feeling for anyone!

Forming Habits to Beat Stress

In order to form a habit, it is important to break it down into smaller chunks that can be achieved. For example, gym memberships are popular ways to form a habit and there are many subscription services that allow people to pay for the days they don't go.

Forming habits is not easy and because of this, it is important for people to break them down into smaller chunks so they are achievable. In terms of forming a habit, we should think about small tweaks like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking in front of your building rather than across the street. These small changes can help you form new habits over time which will eventually lead you towards something bigger like running every morning or losing weight by exercising more often.

Try use these stress reducing habits once every morning and be mindful with it. Once you are doing it every day, you’ll find you can easily switch it on and use it to help in those stressful situations.