How to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
We may experience elevated levels of stress and worry occasionally. It’s possible that you experienced extreme stress over missing a deadline for an assignment or that you suddenly felt anxious as you approached the classroom platform to give a presentation. Or maybe you feel like your worry and anxiety never go away. You could find it challenging to complete seemingly effortless activities because your busy to-do list and racing thoughts overwhelm you. Fortunately, several everyday routines might help alleviate tension and anxiety.
1. Doing the dishes to reduce Stress and Anxiety
Doing the dishes? Yes, everything you just said is true. Research from Florida State University suggests that doing the dishes can improve wellbeing. Fifty-one students participated in a study that researchers carried out to determine which everyday activities reduce stress. It was shown that individuals who cleaned dishes “mindfully” experienced a 25% rise in mental inspiration and a 27% decrease in anxiety. Conversely, none of the advantages of “mindful” dishwashing were felt by the control group. So, how may mindful dishwashing be practiced? All you have to do is use your senses to help you while you remove the tomato sauce off your lasagna plate! Attend to the scent. Try concentrating on the scent of the soap, even though it might not be that good. Pay attention to the feel of the glasses in your hands and the warm water. You can reduce stress by bringing attention to your environment and grounding yourself in reality.
2. Holding hands, embracing, and cuddling
The comforting sensation of a warm hug or cuddle. Hugging, kissing, or holding hands with someone makes you feel love, probably because a loving hug increases endorphin levels in people. Numerous studies have shown that while hugs and cuddles enhance the release of the feel-good chemical endorphins, they also decrease the release of the stress-inducing hormone cortisol. So go ahead and give someone you love a hug the next time you get the chance; it will only make you and them happier! Alternatively, a plush toy could be used without a company.
3. See stress as an opportunity
Well, when we’re nervous or stressed, we frequently feel defeated and, well, get stressed or anxious more due to these emotions in the first place! Consider this: your worry and anxiety will only increase if you dwell on a troubling thought. Try approaching stress as a task instead. In her book The Upside of Stress, psychologist Kelly McGonigal suggests framing every problematic or stressful situation as a challenge. According to preliminary studies, those who adopt this perspective have fewer stressful events and fewer adverse health repercussions. Make use of this reaction to stress as a chance to develop personally. Make use of this reaction to stress as a chance to develop personally. Consider the effects of changing your response and how it will affect you and the circumstance. If you respond in this manner, how will you feel later on? What if you thought of your stress as a long-lost friend who needs to be talked to or given a break to get better? If you get along with them, though, you might stop seeing stress as an enemy altogether and start seeing it as a friend that has to be reasoned with.
4. Meditation to reduce Stress and Anxiety
You’ve probably heard about the advantages of meditation before. However, if you know that your day will be hectic and demanding, set aside five or ten minutes every morning to begin your day with some mindful meditation. Take it slow; it will be challenging to sit down for an hour of meditation at first. Every morning, start with five minutes. Once you have that in pat? Every week, increase by five until you reach your comfort level. Using an FMRI study, neuroscientist Gaelle Desbordes showed that even when a subject was not meditating, their brain activity remained unchanged. Desbordes observed people’s brain activity during meditation, and after that, they went about their daily lives, recording brain scans. Until the completion of the study, the brain activation patterns remained altered in the scans. It is the first time that this kind of alteration has been found in the amygdala, a region of the brain.
5. Get into bed on time
Are you able to get into bed on time? Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining our mental health. Lack of sleep might negatively affect our anxiousness. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase the brain’s anticipatory reflexes, which raises stress and anxiety levels. Check the clock, then. Is this past your bedtime? It’s time for you to develop the daily or nightly habit of going to bed on time.
Will you then put these habits into practice? First, which will you try? And what routines support you in reducing stress and anxiety? Tell us in the comments below. Your worry and tension are not unique to you.