How to Keep Stress Levels at Bay

It’s incredibly important for everyone to know how to manage their stress. Stress is unavoidable and is a natural part of life ⁠— so it’s best that we take control over how we respond to it. If you aren’t able to approach and release your stress in a healthy way, it can turn into something chronic and ongoing. In our post ‘The Most Startling Effects of Stress on The Body’ we mentioned that chronic stress can cause and exacerbate health issues like cardiovascular disease, mental health problems, and digestive diseases.

With that being said, we’ve listed down a few simple steps to help you better manage your stress and keep it from affecting your overall well-being.

Sweat it Out

It’s given that exercise does the body good. But aside from helping you achieve a better physique, exercising can also help you relieve your stress. Healthline notes that physical activity stimulates the brain to produce feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins. And even though this effect is commonly referred to as a runner’s high, any kind of aerobic activity can induce the same feeling.

So if you’re feeling frazzled, try to stay active by doing simple cardio exercises like jogging or burpees. Another great way to sweat off the stress is yoga. This ancient Indian practice has been found to have plenty of benefits for your mind and body — from relieving any aches and pains, to helping you sleep better and being more spiritual. If you want to include exercise in your daily routine, be sure to carve out time each day for a physical activity of your choice and stick to your routine.

Maintain a Skincare Routine

Stress impacts your skin ⁠— and if it’s bad enough it can manifest into serious skin issues like hives, fever blisters, and other rashes according to WebMD. As these stress-related skin issues can cause you to look less desirable, stress can pile up ⁠— leaving you in a dreadful cycle. So, how can you combat this skin-related stress?

One way to help your skin get relief from stress is by maintaining a skincare routine that works for you. More than just helping you manage your skin issues and retain healthy skin, skincare products have aromatherapy qualities which can help with stress ⁠— especially if they’re made with essential oils. Furthermore, Kirsty Eaton, a national trainer from beauty brand Skin Regimen points out that indulging in a beauty ritual essentially gives you a break, which can help alleviate your stress and anxiety levels. So, try to maintain a skincare routine and establish it as a meditative time where you focus your mind on the present moment. 

Find Some Support

One of the best ways to release your stress is confiding in someone about your anxieties and the causes of your stress. In fact, social support goes beyond just reducing your stress levels. Social support can also help you improve your health and decrease your risk of mortality.

In its essence, social support is an act that communicates caring feelings or actions that validate the anxieties of the other person. For most of us, we can get this by talking to our closest friends or family. But if that isn’t available, you can find counselors and therapists to help you with stress management. Here, they can walk you through the root problems of your stress and help you find better ways to manage it.

All in all, it’s important that we find ways to manage our stress so it doesn’t turn into something ugly like chronic disease. Furthermore, being able to find ways to relieve our stress can also help reduce its effect on our personal lives. If you need help keeping your stress levels at bay, be sure to heed our tips and find what works best for you.

Article specially written for Rawchemistry.com by Alice Keller