It is impossible to find people who are stress free in this world, in this day and age. Yes, stress is the giant monster who lives with us all day and all night, in our home, in our mind, in our heart—and we are trying to fight it regularly through exercises, through food, through company and music. We call it existential hazard. From the moment you are up, to the time you hit the bed, you are stressed about traffic, about grocery shopping, about catching the train, about the unfulfilled task in the office, and about living a healthy life. To maintain a healthy life, you are stressed to make time for that. And sometimes, the pressure to cope with time is itself a stress, leave alone some solitary time for oneself. Running on the treadmill of life, it is a guilty indulgence to not do anything, to sit and meditate while time goes by. To beat this stress that has taken over our lives, do these simple things to find happiness and relieve your stress.
Show some love
Along with exercise, sex is another well-known stress-reliever, yet it is also yet another activity that can get pushed low on the priority list when fatigue sets in or other obligations take precedence. The good news is, you don’t have to fit in a full intimate session with your partner — in fact, you don’t even need to be partnered at all — to gain the stress-relieving benefits of physical connection with another person.
Cook well, and eat well
Healthy eating and home cooking can feel like a real challenge in the face of a jam-packed schedule — who has time to grocery shop for fresh, healthy items, much less cook them at home? But that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on including important vitamins and minerals in your diet. Vitamins C and E, for example, help regulate stress hormones and lower your blood pressure.
Indulge in some comfort eating
It turns out, not all stress-eating — turning to food to calm your nerves when you’re feeling tense and tired — is bad. But going for empty calories like candy, chips or ice cream isn’t the right way to go about it; in fact, relying on these foods for comfort can actually increase your stress in the long run, as they contribute to high blood pressure, obesity and other health issues over time.
Write dairies
Writing in a journal doesn’t need to become a regular daily practice — yet another task to squeeze into your already endless to-do list — and it doesn’t have to take long. Just a few minutes of writing down your thoughts and feelings about the argument you had with your spouse or that upsetting email from your boss can significantly reduce the tension you might otherwise bottle up inside.
Talk it out with your closed one
Though it might seem nobler to keep it to yourself when someone’s comment or behavior shocks or annoys you, it can actually be a much more effective stress-buster to go ahead and open up to a trusted friend, coworker or other confidant about your reaction to the situation.
(Inputs from Keen.com)
