Are you stressed out? A better question might be is anyone not stressed out? The demands of working, raising a family, maintaining your health and trying to live your best life possible can contribute to feelings of stress and overwhelm. And, unfortunately, according to the national Institute of Mental Health, women are twice as likely to experience stress and anxiety as men.
The problem with stress is that it puts you at risk for heart disease, weight gain, depression, headaches, elevated blood pressure and gastrointestinal distress. So how can you manage your stress if you’re a stressed out woman? Here are several tips that may help.
Identify Your Personal Stressors
To deal with stress, you need to first identify your personal stressors. Write down what causes you stress. Ask yourself – how do you feel in stressful situations? How do you respond? What, if anything, do you do to make yourself feel better?
Try and Control Your Response
It may seem difficult, but in a stressful situation, try to stay positive. Decide if there is anything you can do to fix the situation. Change the situation if you can. Change your response if you can’t.
Improve Your Diet
A poor diet can exacerbate your feelings of stress. Diet troubles can cause emotional swings and interfere with your sleep. So avoid excessive caffeine, sugar and alcohol and aim for a healthy diet of unprocessed foods emphasizing whole foods with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Get Some Exercise
Physical activity can boost your endorphins, the “feel good” hormones that can help reduce your stress. Exercise can also be a distraction from stressful situations. The maximum benefit you can get from exercises usually kicks in around the 30 minute mark. But any exercise at all for any amount of time can be extremely helpful. Your exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous – a long walk is great. During your exercise, take the time of focus and how your body feels and how you are breathing. Don’t make this just one more time to go over your stressful thoughts.
Get Out and Socialize
If you feel lonely and isolated, you will definitely feel more stress. Social interactions can not only be calming, they can also have a positive impact on your hormones and reduce your “fight or flight” responses.
Adapt When You Can
It is important to look at the bigger picture in stressful situations. And it can help to adjust your expectations – don’t expect perfection.
Avoid Extra Stress
You can reduce your stress by knowing your own limits and learning to say no. Avoid those people who add to your stress. And control your environment when you can. This can be as simple as not binge-watching the latest, but most stressful, TV show. Or finding a way to drive to work that has less traffic.
Your Stress Relief Toolbox
Even when you understand what causes stress for you and have done everything you can to reduce it, stressful situations will still come up. Deal with these by taking a look in your “Stress Relief Toolbox.” It should be packed with some simple tools that you can quickly put to work to help bring about a little peace and calm. Give a few of these tools a try:
- Get outside and enjoy a few minutes in nature.
- Take a quick walk.
- Listen to your favorite music or an upbeat playlist.
- Watch a funny, heart-warming television show or movie.
- Play with your children or your pet.
- Take a long, relaxing bath or a warm shower.
- Jot down your thoughts in a journal.
- Hang out with your good friends.
- Practice your hobby.
Here’s to less stress in life – Peace out!
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