Top 10 Ways to De-stress Your Mind
Stress is part of our 21st century lifestyle be it work, travel or everyday chores. The toll it has on our health is tremendous. If you are always stressed you tend to get sick more often and are in a poor mental state to make the right decisions in life. Danzae Pace says "Stress is the trash of modern life--we all generate it, but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake our life."
The modern situations be it working with tight schedules, being stuck in a traffic jam or getting late for the office, working till late hours or being told off by the boss produces the same physiological response and leads to stress. When these situations are recurrent in our daily life, it becomes chronic stress and leads to hypertension or other lifestyle diseases. The body that learnt on how to handle stress for our survival, now does not face such physical dangers but these have got transferred to mental stress and now we need to learn how to destress ourselves to avoid chronic lifestyle related illness. We must once again go to our roots to learn the ‘New art of living’. This learning requires a change in our approach to life, learning how to manage our daily time, spending quality time for ourselves and knowing how to be in harmony with what we really want for ourselves and what makes us happy. An example could be when in a difficult situation asking yourself if it will matter at all say in 6 months from now and if it does tackle it, otherwise to let go.
Even the WHO definition of health talks about social and mental well-being in its definition of good health. It states that, “Good health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” We must de-stress and rejuvenate ourselves in mind, body and soul to lead a healthy and happy life.
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of mindfulness and self-awareness which has a calming impact on the mind. It helps control one’s thoughts and emotions, building concentration and channelizing energy in the right direction. Quach D et al have researched on the effectiveness of meditation on the Working Memory Capacity (WMC) in adolescents and have proved the positive impact of mindfulness on memory. Bakhshani NM et al. showed that meditation can also be used as a non-pharmacological treatment for chronic headaches. So the secret chant for success must be, the more you are aware of yourself, the easier it is to achieve your goals.
Music
Joke Bradt et al found that listening to music might have a positive effect in reducing systolic blood pressure and heart rate in people with coronary heart disease. According to them, music decreases anxiety in people with heart attack, especially when they are allowed to choose the kind of music, and may also improve the patients' quality of sleep after a cardiac surgery. So plug in those earphones and let some trance music chime.
Diet and Exercise
A healthy diet and disciplined exercise routine have proven their remarkable effects in improving the quality of life, through various studies. Adequate exercise and a balanced diet, when coupled, help in combating major lifestyle diseases such as obesity, cardiac illness, etc. Its psychosocial benefits work through the release of endorphins in the body which stimulate the nervous system and make a person ‘feel good’. Dark chocolates as a food source contain flavonoids and other compounds which relieve stress and have various other health benefits. So eat healthy and let the steam off by working out.
Laughter Therapy
Laughter therapy is commonly practiced these days and in the right format, can help manage stress even amongst cancer patients, according to Kim SH et al.
Stroll in the Park Amidst Nature
Spending a quiet moment enjoying nature and appreciating its beauty will make you forget all worries and tensions in life.
Sleeping Adequately
Inadequate sleep and disturbed sleep patterns have been linked to development of mental illnesses such as depression, shows study. Sleeping for 7-8 hours will prevent health-related issues and reduce stress levels.
Jonathan Smith
Top Contributor.
Jonathan is a marriage and family therapist based in California, US.