4 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress

Today is your first day back in the office after being out for two weeks on vacation. You had a relaxing holiday without a care in the world and pampered by your family from morning to night. You’ve come back refreshed and raring to go… Oh – how you wish!

Of course it could happen but likely this didn’t happen to you. Two hours into your first day back you’re most likely feeling as if you never had a vacation at all!

The fact is living at a reduced stress level – which is good for your body and health – takes more than two weeks every now and then. It takes some ongoing lifestyle changes – but they don’t have to be monumental or radical.

You don’t have to move to the Arizona desert and drink cactus juice for the rest of your life.

Take these small steps and watch the difference in your stress levels. Remember you can’t eradicate stress completely but adopting these ways will give you back control of it.

Exercise:

Exercising helps reduce stress as it increases your fitness level and ability to cope, and takes your mind off the worries of the day. Consistent and steady exercise rules the day. It is better for your fitness level to walk for 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week than walk for 2 hours once a week.

When you exercise take your iPod or MP3 Player with you and listen to your favorite music or even a self-improvement course. Keep within your capabilities and always discuss an increase in exercise with your Doctor if you are being treated for anything. Exercise should be something you look forward to rather than dread – if it becomes a chore then likely it will stress you out and defeat the purpose of exercise.

Sleep:

We need undisturbed sound sleep to run on all our “cylinders.” Depending on your activity level it should be 8-hours. Athletes and the young need more – at least 10-hours. Sleep is important not just to “recharge our batteries” but because our subconscious uses this time to work out unresolved conflicts left over from the day. These conflicts can cause us stress if not resolved and so sleep helps in a number of stress-reduction areas.

Eat Healthy:

Too much of the wrong food can put stress on your body. If your diet is high in carbohydrates and sugar foods and drinks then you’re putting your body under stress by the toxins it is having to process. In some cases it stores it as fat and so the toxins stay and build-up over time, increasing your stress level, and not to mention your weight.

Eat ONLY when you’re hungry, and when hungry EAT! Purchase smaller plates to keep your portions under control.

There is way too much information available on diets and food. Keep it simple, have protein at every meal and protein and vegetables for main meal. Snacks should be to get you to a meal and not instead of – snacks are where the sugars “creep in” so be careful.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff:

Yes, there was a book on this topic and popular at one time, but you don’t have to read a 200-page book to determine what stresses you out and what doesn’t.  Ask your spouse or kids or friends what they see you do that falls under the category of OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Are you the only one that can fill your dishwasher properly because you know just the right place to put the cups and plates so they clean properly? Can you instantly spot a table or couch out of a fraction of an inch and not relax until it is corrected? This is small stuff and if you spend too much time worrying about this stuff then you’re making life hell for your stress level, and frankly, making life hell for those who matter in your life. Stop now, and go out of your way to let somebody else fill the dishwasher and let that couch spend an evening out of its usual place. Each of us has our own examples, so flush yours out and don’t sweat them!

Now these four simple things you can do to reduce stress are just a start. If you find even these are not helping or increasing your stress level then use hypnosis to change your attitude towards these activities. You can use self-hypnosis or book some sessions with a trained hypnotist.

Make your future as stress-free as you can by adopting these and other simple ways.

Finally, if you’re interested in more information about reducing stress and anxiety with my own online or in-office hypnosis sessions then check out my stress and anxiety hypnosis management program.

 

Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis