Top 5 Tips for Coping with Stress & Anxiety
When the going gets tough, the tough, get going. Everyone gets stressed now and then. However, we must be well-prepared for effective stress management and control. Furthermore, the recent pandemic outbreak has made life more stressful than before.
While certain stressful situations are unavoidable, it’s important to find different ways to cope with stress. Therefore, we have rounded up the top 5 tips for coping with stress. Keep reading to learn all about them.
1. Healthy Diet
Your dietary intake has a significant impact on your overall mental well-being. Most people consume unhealthy junk food during stressful situations since it offers temporary relief. But this is more harmful in the long run since this unhealthy food will damage your gut bacteria and hinder optimal gut function.
Your gut is the main site for serotonin production as well. Poor gut function will mean low levels of serotonin. Therefore, consuming a healthy diet rich in fermented foods will give you a healthy gut, and it will lead to high serotonin production.
2. Regular Exercise
Regular physical activity is important for stress management, as well. Firstly, working out in any way will help boost the production of endorphins which are mood uplifting hormones, and it reduces the levels of cortisol that is the stress-inducing hormone. Therefore, you could go for a walk, workout at the gym or go for a swim; as long as you’re physically active, you will enjoy good mental health.
3. Meditation
Meditation is also a type of physical activity, but it includes focusing on a spiritual connection. Meditation involves different breathing exercises, along with various poses. These breathing exercises and poses form a connection between your mind, body and soul. You can almost feel the pressure lifting from your shoulders as you exhale and inhale deeply. An excellent way of coping with stress.
4. Social Interaction
Humans are social animals, and we crave human presence. It’s important to surround yourself with people you love or trust. Talking to someone about your problems helps to lighten your burden, and they could also offer valuable advice.
However, the recent pandemic has made it quite difficult to be in the presence of your loved ones. But you should still maintain contact through your mobile phones or various calling apps to stay in touch with the people you love during difficult times because stress and anxiety are very difficult to cope with.
5. Proper Sleep
Most of us have a super hectic routine, and it can become quite challenging to manage our work life and family life simultaneously, which is why we often end up compromising on our health by sacrificing our sleep. Inadequate sleep leads to impaired mental function because, just like our body, our brains need rest to recover as well. Sleeping for seven to eight hours a day can greatly help to manage your mental health.
