Juggling all your commitments in life can be overwhelming. That is why it is common to become stressed out, especially if you are busy working on a lot of tasks. The result? Headaches, body pain, and even mental health problems like depression and anxiety. It’s not fun to encounter stress.
When a person is stressed, your brain releases cortisol, which is a stress hormone from the adrenal glands. This is normal, but if your cortisol levels are too high for a long time, it may harm your health. Once you are stressed for too long, high cortisol levels will result in high blood pressure, weight gain, or even diabetes. Scary, right?
That is why others take medication to deal with it. But that’s not really necessary. There are steps that you can take to manage stress naturally. However, learning how to manage it takes practice. Doing the things below will make it easier for you to deal with stress. The more you practice it, the more you’ll get better at turning stress into something positive.
1. Exercise: Regular work out will help both your body and mind to relax. It will also make you feel better. No matter how gloomy you feel, you will inevitably switch to a better mood once you start exercising. Doing it more often will help you reap better results. Simply brisk walking for 30 minutes to 2 hours can do a lot of changes to your body.
2. Sleep: Your body needs to get the right amount of sleep every day. Proper timing, length of sleep, and its quality have a significant impact on the release of cortisol to the body. Abnormal sleeping patterns may result in the disruption of normal daily hormonal patterns, which contributes to fatigue. Insomnia and sleep interruptions can also lead to high cortisol levels. Hence, you have to sleep well so you can reduce stress and its effects.
3. Deep breathing: Feeling pressured? Just stop and take a few deep breaths. This will take the pressure off, and you will feel much better. You can either sit down straight or lie down with closed eyes for your breathing exercises. With your eyes closed, imagine yourself in a relaxing place like a beach and slowly take deep breathes. Do this for 5 to 15 minutes.
4. Eat healthily: Proper nutrition can influence your cortisol levels. You also need to eat regularly with a well-balanced diet. The food you eat can control your mood. It is recommended to eat vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and lean protein. Although consuming sugar may lead to higher cortisol in individuals who are obese, it can also help lessen cortisol during some stressful events. This explains why stressed people feel better after eating ice cream or chocolate.
5. Slow down and take a break: Although you are busy, you also need to slow down and chill out. You can do this by going to meetings and appointments early so that you won’t be stressed because of being late. If you are early, you don’t have to be in a rush when driving, too. Drive on the slow lane to avoid road rage. Get your job done by breaking big tasks into smaller ones. Taking a break from time to time can give your mind some downtime from stress. Try doing yoga, meditation, tai chi, or merely spending time with the people you love.
Aside from those mentioned, you can also try taking supplements. Consult your doctor so he can prescribe a supplement that is perfect for you especially if you are undergoing medication. Studies reveal the two nutritional supplements that are effective in bringing down cortisol levels, which include fish oil and Ashwagandha, which is an Asian herbal supplement.
But you can also try consuming products that contain CBD. Users claim that they feel more relaxed after taking it. There are different available products for CBD like creams, drops, tinctures, vape, gummies, and many more. Make sure that you read the product levels before taking it. You can also check www.cbdcentral.com for more information about how to take CBD oil.
Whatever way you choose to manage your stress depends on what works on you. See to it also that you are comfortable doing it because the main goal is for you to feel better. Choose which step you want to take to lower your body’s cortisol level. This way, you can be happy no matter how pressured you are and no matter how long your to-do list is.
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