Coping With Stress Via Self Care

Stress is a condition everyone must deal with in society today. Women, especially, are faced with a tremendous amount of stress when juggling work and family and often attempting to live up to the unrealistic portrayal of acceptable beauty that is thrust upon them by the media. Stress is at the bottom of almost every illness, and it makes every bad situation worse. For this reason, it is very important to manage stress effectively with excellent self care. In this article, you will find fifteen smart ideas that will help you take care of yourself effectively and say goodbye to stress.

1. Begin with a holistic view of stress. It affects your entire body, mind and spirit and it feeds on itself. If you possess one habit that creates stress, it will snowball into more habits that create stress. For this reason, it is very important to recognize and address stress at every level by giving yourself a good, overall self-care regimen. Understand that the hours you keep, the foods you eat, the beverages you drink and the activities you participate in can all add to or reduce your stress level, so be mindful and make smart choices.

2. Eat whole foods. Commercially produced and processed foods are filled with chemicals and additives. Your body doesn't know what to do with these, and dealing with them stresses your immune system and, indeed, your entire body. Select natural foods that are as close as possible to the way nature created them. Eat a diet that consists of at least half fresh fruits and vegetables, a quarter whole grains and a quarter protein. Limit or eliminate meat as a protein source because most commercially raised animals are fed hormones for growth and antibiotics to prevent disease. Furthermore, their living conditions are horrific, causing them to maintain a high level of adrenalin. When you eat meat, you take these things in and they add to your stress level.

3. Drink pure lots of water. Whenever you feel like drinking anything, drink a glass of pure, filtered water first. Get an inexpensive water filtration pitcher to filter your own tap water. This will give you a better quality of water at a much lower price than bottled water. Drinking at least eight full glasses of water a day and saving money while doing it is a great way to stay healthy and reduce stress.

4. Give yourself an hour a day. It doesn't have to be all at once, but if you will just give yourself a little time to unwind and reflect it will greatly reduce your stress level. Take a few minutes in the morning to sit quietly, enjoy a warm beverage and contemplate the day ahead. At lunch time, go for a walk outdoors instead of sitting in the break room or smoking area participating in gossip. Listen to some relaxing music in the evening before going to sleep.

5. Get high quality sleep and plenty of it. Make sleep your priority and don't let anyone guilt you into skimping on it. Sleep helps your body repair and regenerate. Dreaming helps your sort out and resolve conflicts. Sleep is an incredibly important aspect of self care.

6. Get at least 20 minutes of exercise every day. You can include this in your hour of self time if you want to, or you can add it to give yourself a little more pampering. Light to moderate exercise every day adds up to bring you big stress reduction and fitness benefits. Walk, cycle, dance, practice yoga or just play outdoors with your kids. It will lighten your load and brighten your life.

7. Learn to say NO! You do not have to do everything that everyone wants you to do. One of the things you can contemplate as you order your day in the morning is exactly what is and what is not your duty and responsibility. Your spouse, children and boss will take advantage of you if you let them. Learn to shoulder only your load and delegate the rest.

8. Don't be a perfectionist about things that don't really matter. Some things need to be done perfectly and some things just need to be done. Learn to tell the difference and don't stress about things that just don't matter much.

9. Reduce or eliminate caffeine from your diet. A cup of coffee or black tea can be a good thing in the morning. It can lift your spirits and help you face the day, but don't overdo it. Caffeine jangles your nerves and adds to your stress. Don't ingest caffeine after noon. Drink herbal teas or water instead.

10. Eliminate soft drinks from your life. Soft drinks are nothing but chemicals, caffeine and sugar or artificial sweeteners. They have no nutritive value and do nothing good for your body, mind or spirit. Additionally, they cost a fortune. Eliminate them, and you will eliminate a source of bottled stress.

11. Take time for your family and friends. Life isn't worth living if all you do is work and fulfill your perceived duties. If you are married, it is because you wanted to spend your life with that person. If you have children, it is because you wanted to enjoy them and give them a wonderful life. If you are just rushing around putting out fires, you aren't fulfilling those goals. When it comes to choosing family activities, make choices that lean more toward walks, hikes, games, leaf-raking and other shared, interactive pursuits and less toward movies, electronic games and other time fillers that divert your attention. High quality family time will help you and your loved ones build solid relationships and an abundant collection of happy memories.

12. Try aromatherapy. You may not believe it, but inhaling certain pure, essential scents can greatly reduce your stress level. One example is lavender oil. Using a little lavender oil as a perfume, adding a few drops to your bath or putting a bit on your pillowcase at night can work wonders to help you relax. Many other essential oils are helpful for relaxation as well, and learning about them is interesting and fun.

13. Take a hot bath at least a couple of times a week. Enjoy aromatherapy, candles, soft music and time when no one can bother you! Add a half cup of Epsom salts and a half cup of baking soda to the water to help your body relax completely and detox.

14. Enjoy a pet! If you have the time and the means to care for a pet well, save a life by adopting a cat or dog from your local shelter. You will feel great about your decision, and petting and spending time with your pet is a proven way to relax and lower your blood pressure.

15. Don't smoke and don't hang around with people who do. If you are a smoker, you are creating stress and illness for yourself and those around you. Discuss stopping smoking with your doctor. There are many successful and affordable tobacco harm reduction devices and safer smoking alternatives, such as electronic cigarettes, nicotine patches, lozenges, gum and so on that can help you transition from smoker to non-smoker. You'll reduce your stress level tremendously and save a fortune.

Put things in perspective. In today's world we are bombarded with information and we confront horrors and fears in the news every day. Identify the things you can change and do what you reasonably can to change them, but don't take the burdens of the world on your shoulders. You will be far more effective doing little things to make your corner of the world peaceful and calm than trying to solve the world's problems. Stress is a killer. It is the root of most major health problems including cancer, high blood pressure and more. Follow the self care advice presented here to reduce stress affordably and sensibly.

Copyright:SuzanneBennett:February 22, 2014