How To Lead A Life With Less Stress
With the onslaught of media that is bombarding us every day, it is hard not to stress out. People carry their mini-computers, i.e. cellphones, with them wherever they go. They check them first thing in the morning. They look at them the last thing at night. Work is never left just at the office because an e-mail can hit you at 11pm at night when you are trying to relax. People can always call you, you are never truly alone.
I kind of miss the days I grew up in where my parents went to work and came home and it was dinner, tv and off to bed. Weekends were picnics and vacations were times spent by the ocean. Nobody carried phones or laptops with them. There were fewer distractions. If someone wanted to know what was happening in the world they would open the newspaper or switch on the tv to watch the evening news or CNN.
Nowadays, we are living in the “Global Messenger” age. Messages are flying through the air by the millions, one after the other. People can’t stop “tweeting” about their day. Facebook is often used as a “private” diary. Selfies are taken all the time. In fact, standing by the train at 6 o’clock this morning, I saw a mother with her 3-month-old baby posing in front of a train taking pictures and something about it made me uneasy. Even going to concerts are different these days because people don’t enjoy the present moment. They are fixated on taking pictures and filming the concert with the intention of posting it on Facebook or Instagram to show how “cool” and “lively” their lives are.
All of this can bring a lot of anxiety. We are living in an ADD world and people just can’t get enough. So what to do. How does one chill and relax when too much is happening all at once?
Natural Help To Reduce Stress
It’s always ok to look for external substances that will bring calm to your body - external substances that cause us no harm of course! When you need to destress, chamomile tea always helps. One or two cups of this magic tea and your stress levels will decrease in a big way. Also try avoid things with too much sugar and caffeine. Caffeine is known to raise anxiety levels. Also, eat things with B vitamins as this helps one calm down. Eggs provide a great source of Vitamin B12 and other B Vitamins can be found in spinach and salmon. Vitamin B on the whole is known to help you cope better with stress. There are always natural supplements to provide you with natural ingredients to calm the body and mind and help you deal with the effects of stress and anxiety. These supplements can also help you get a good night's rest.
Stepping Back Into Nature
It’s really important to get back to nature when too much is going on. Literally taking off your socks and shoes and letting your feet feel the cold grass is so invigorating. When I do this I scrunch up my toes so that I can really feel the roots of the grass. Often I’ll sit down and just play with the blades of the grass, watch the clouds go by and notice the beautiful trees and clean air around me. I absolutely forbid myself to carry a phone with me during these times. Same goes when visiting the ocean. This is me and Mother Nature’s turn to bond and nobody is going to call me to interrupt those precious moments. Trust me, I certainly don’t care about the status of anyone on Facebook during these precious moments.
Mini-breaks
At work, if possible, step out after every hour and a half just for 5 minutes to breathe in some fresh air and center yourself. To work constantly for 9 hours with only an hour break can only bring aggravation and irritation. By the end of the day, you will feel unenergized without much focus. These mini-breaks will help relax and re-energize you!
So there you go! My top tips of dealing with stress in this crazy, busy, mad world. Take the time and work out which stress relief tips work best for you!
