We all know the feeling. You get home from a long day at work, and the last thing you want to do is deal with stress. Unfortunately, stress is unavoidable in today’s world—it’s a natural response to external factors like your job, financial situation, or household management. When you experience stress, it can negatively affect your health if left unchecked. While it may not be possible to eliminate stress completely, there are ways to deal with it holistically. I have been there and still occasionally have stressful days.
In this blog post, I dedicate it to everyone going through stressful times in search of remedies to help lower stress. I will discuss simple and effective techniques for managing and reducing stress at home to get you back to the flourishing soul that you are. Let’s dive in!
What is stress?
Stress is a normal part of life. It can be good, or it can be bad, but either way, stress affects your body. Your body uses stress as an alarm system that lets you know when something is wrong and needs your attention. In this way, it's similar to pain: both are signals that something isn't right with your health or well-being and something needs to be addressed.
Stress has both physical and mental effects on the body. When we're stressed out about something (like prepping for a big test or pressure at work), our bodies release hormones that cause changes throughout our bodies including increased heart rate, rapid breathing, higher blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, and so much more.
Stress can interrupt our sleep which is not ideal since sleeping accounts for our restorative and regenerative processes. So, let’s explore actions we can take today to combat and reduce stress.
5 ways to reduce stress
Eat well, sleep well
Eating a balanced diet is key to overall well-being and this is true for reducing stress. Fresh fruits and veggies have the capacity to fight inflammation and relieve some of the physical effects stress has on the body. Specifically, limiting your intake of sugar, alcohol, and salt would be a great start. And as always, drink more water. Water is essential for good health.
As for sleep, aim for 7-8 hours. Our bodies work magic at night while we sleep and “repair” us so we can be renewed in the morning. Our bodies are pretty amazing. I talk more about sleep and how to get better sleep in a previous blog post.
Try a breathing exercise
One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is by paying attention to your breathing. Breathing is a natural way to calm down and can be used as a calming technique in any situation, whether you're feeling stressed out at work or upset about something that happened earlier in the day or even if you are just nervous about your big speech coming up.
My favorite breath work for stress and anxiety is known as the “relaxing breath,” or the 4-7-8 technique. This technique was popularized by one of my favorite teachers and doctors, an integrative medicine specialist Dr. Andrew Weil.
When you’re stressed out, your sympathetic nervous system – responsible for your fight-or-flight response – is overly active, which makes you feel overstimulated and not ready to relax.
The 4-7-8 technique is a relaxation exercise that involves breathing in for 4 counts, holding that breath for 7 counts, and exhaling for 8 counts. You will notice that you exhale for twice as long as you inhale. This is to really target the parasympathetic nervous system and tell it “everything is okay”. Try 5 rounds of this breathwork and see how you feel. Continue to practice this breathwork throughout the day and especially when feeling tense.
Laugh
Laughing is one of the best things you can do for your health. It's true: laughter is the best medicine, and it's something that can help reduce stress on a daily basis. When you laugh, endorphins are released into your bloodstream which helps reduce pain and anxiety while also improving moods.
Hopefully, you have a go-to show or movie, or podcast that can make you laugh. Put it on and just let go.
Use an infrared sauna to reduce stress
The heat generated by infrared saunas can penetrate deeply into the body, promoting relaxation and reducing tension. As the body absorbs the heat, it triggers the release of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers and mood boosters. These endorphins can help to reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calm and well-being.
Additionally, the heat from the sauna can help to reduce the levels of cortisol in the body, which is a hormone associated with stress. This reduction in cortisol levels can help to alleviate the physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue.
Overall, regular use of an infrared sauna can be an effective way to manage stress and promote relaxation and well-being.
Infrared sauna benefits don’t just stop there. I personally own an infrared sauna due to the large array of health benefits. I simply just lay and reap all the benefits. Check out my blog on why you should use an infrared sauna.
Pro tip: While laying in the sauna, in addition to the heat working magic on my body, I also do my breathing exercises as a double whammy to combat stress and promote deeper relaxation.
Don't multitask
Multitasking is a great way to get more done, but it can also be very stressful. When you're doing two things at once, your brain has to switch between tasks and keep track of them both. This takes energy and effort--and leaves room for error or mistakes.
It's better to focus on one thing at a time because then you'll be able to do it well instead of being distracted by other tasks that need attention as well. If you have several projects going on at once, try setting aside time blocks where each task gets its own dedicated period of time until that time period is met (i.e. for 30 minutes I'm going work on this report, and after the 30 mins, I will take a break and then focus on something else).
Closing Thoughts
As a human being, it's in your nature to experience stress. It's part of life! But, there's no need to let stress control your life; take charge of it instead!
Dealing with stress holistically requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both the physical and mental aspects of stress. By incorporating breathwork, healthy nutrition, quality sleep, and effective time management, you can significantly reduce your stress levels and improve your overall well-being.
Remember to be patient and consistent with these practices, as it may take some time to see the full benefits. You don't have to do everything on the list at once--just pick one or two things that feel right for you and go from there! I hope it will help you will find peace and calm in your life.