In today’s world, managing stress and anxiety has become more difficult for many people. Dealing with the stressors of everyday life and still keeping yourself healthy is getting harder and harder to keep up with.
A lack of good sleep and a relaxed state of mind can affect all areas of your life. Your personal life may suffer, your work life may suffer, and your relationships with other people (such as your children and your significant others) may also suffer.
Fortunately, there are quite a few simple, small things you can work into your everyday life that may help you with these issues. You might not think that these small things can make that much of a difference in how you’re feeling when it seems like the world is falling apart around you, but that is definitely not the case.
Even the smallest change can make a huge difference if you turn it into a routine and let it lead into other healthy habits. Try some of these simple tips and tricks today to help you get back to living your best and feeling your best every day, despite what’s going on around you.
Talk to Someone
Some people will completely withdraw when they get into a bad space. Unfortunately, this only leads to more depression and anxiety in the end. Having an outlet and a trusted person you can talk to is especially important for working through some of these issues with stress and anxiety.
Whether this is a professional counselor or therapist, or just a family member or friend you feel comfortable with, however you take advantage of this outlet will benefit you. You may even feel most comfortable venting your frustrations in a forum or post on the internet. If this is the case, by all means vent away — just make sure you’re protecting your privacy at the same time.
Take a Break
This may be the biggest immediate thing you can do to help manage the stress and anxiety you are dealing with on a regular basis. Is the news causing you more anxiety than it is informing you of worthwhile topics? Turn it off, avoid news outlets, and isolate yourself for a while.
Is talking to a particular person, or discussing a particular subject causing you more stress than it is offering you comfort? Allow yourself to say no and walk away. While this may not be the easiest thing to do (especially if these are family members or friends who you care about), it’s worth it. In the long run, a few minutes or days of hurt feelings will not come anywhere close to the amount of stress you will take off of yourself by just saying no and walking away.
Pay Attention to Your Body
Your body knows what you need, even in periods of high stress and anxiety. Listen to it and let your body tell you what it needs. Checking in with your body can be one of the best things you can do to manage your current stress and anxiety issues. It can help you get back to being a calmer and more happy person.
There are many ways to accomplish this, including taking a break and talking it out with someone. You can also do this very thoroughly by meditating, yoga, deep breathing, or stretching. These activities all help you become more in tune with what your body needs in the moment.
Sometimes it may be nothing more than a break from focused attention. Perhaps your body may be craving nourishment, or rest, or activity. Listening to your own body can help calm you in many ways, and all of these things may also help improve your quality of sleep.
Just as important as giving your mind and body an active break from the stress, though, is how much attention and care you put into your quality of sleep. If you aren’t getting good, restful, and deep sleep as part of a daily routine, then you aren’t getting everything your body needs to help you live your best quality life.
Set a Schedule
Going to bed and waking up around the same time every day can help out more than you would think. This helps your body get into what is known as a circadian rhythm, which helps you feel more refreshed and energized. Almost everyone loves staying up late and getting to sleep in on weekends, but this alone could be causing major harm to how you feel and how much energy you have the rest of the week.
Try PEMF Therapy
PEMF therapy, otherwise known as pulse electro-magnetic field therapy, can help your body get back to its natural circadian rhythms more quickly and thoroughly than other methods. This type of therapy uses a simple machine to regulate brain wave patterns and stimulate deeper, more restful sleep. Using a PEMF system that can be run throughout the night can also allow for a longer deep REM sleep. This can do wonders for refreshing and healing the body through its natural cycles.
Use Light to Your Advantage
The natural cycle of sunlight and darkness can also do a lot to help regulate your circadian rhythms and get you on a regular, restful sleep schedule. Sunlight is important to the body’s functions, such as producing vitamin D. Just as importantly is nighttime, signaling that it is time for the body to rest and recuperate.
If you are not getting much sunlight during the day, try to up your outside time. You may want to invest in a sun lamp, especially in the shorter winter days where quality outside time and sunlight is difficult to come by. Conversely, try to avoid electronic devices close to bedtime. This is because they may interrupt the natural patterns of sleep your body is trying to maintain.
No matter what issues you’ve been having lately with stress and anxiety, please remember that it can get better. By making these minor adjustments to your daily routine, you can become better equipped to handle whatever life throws at you.
