TEN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

Did you know that a recent Stanford University study conducted by cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton concluded that “over 95% of all illnesses occur because of stress in the body’s autonomic nervous system”?

Did you also know that stress can seriously accelerate the rate at which you age because of the incredible strain it puts on your body?

Stress was already at alarming levels before these past few months, but it’s now at critical levels for so many of us. There is no escaping the media coverage of the planet's recent economical debacles and everyone, at some point, will feel some pain in their pocketbook.

Most of us have never (EVER) thought about how dangerous stress can be to our health and as a result very few of us make the conscious effort to manage stress so it doesn’t take over our lives.

Granted, a recent survey shows that normal levels of stress doesn’t harm someone, but high levels of stress can lead to negative health conditions like:

• Heart palpitations
• Panic/anxiety attacks
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue (constant tiredness)
• Chronic headaches, etc.

Stress can also change one’s personality and affect how someone interact and deal with others. For example when you look at problems like anger, irritability, aggressiveness, verbal abuse, mood swings and road rage, you can see how they can be brought on by too much stress in your life.

When stress gets out of hand, it’s time to find practical ways to slow down and lower your stress levels.

Here are 10 easy stress-reducing activities you can do right now to help lower your negative stress levels:

1.   Turn off the TV: This might sound obvious but watching the financial news channels all day long will only increase your stress level since they report on the persistent downs in the stock market on a minute-by-minute basis.

2.  Go for a walk: This time of the year is so precious, especially if you live in an area with tons of trees. Take time to reconnect with Mother Nature and take time to escape from all the bad news.

3.  Call up a friend: Sometimes, just the fact of spending time with a friend over a cup of coffee or a walk can make a huge difference to the way you feel. Don’t underestimate the power of human contact and friendship when times are difficult.

4.  Take advantage of free events: Each city has a list of weekly free activities that are open to the public. Grab a newspaper and find out which ones might interest you and go out there and discover something new!

5.   Hang out at your favorite bookstore: This is an activity I’ve always enjoyed so much. For example you can spend hours just browsing and looking at the latest books. Who knows, this might spark your creative juices!

6.  De-clutter your home: An average Nigerian have closets and even garages filled with products that they’ve bought and never used. In many cases, a lot of us still have sales tags on items that are just sitting there. This might be the perfect time to clean up your home and organize a garage sale or you take your clothing to secondhand stores. 

    Remember that someone’s junk is someone else’s treasure. Also, because times are tougher, many people will turn to secondhand stores and garage sales to find affordable items for themselves or to give as gifts during the Holidays. 

7.  Treat yourself to a hot bubble bath by candlelight: This is such a relaxing activity. If you take as little as thirty minutes to soak away your worries, you’ll feel like a new person. 

8.  Bake your favorite cookies or your favorite cake: Nothing is more comforting than homemade desserts and cookies. Why not take time to make some and take the time to enjoy them. The activity of baking will get your mind off of things and your hands working. Now, you might have to buy a few extra ingredients that you don’t usually store in your pantry, but this stress-reducing activity should not cost you much.

Note: If you are stressed everyday, please don't eat a cake everyday. This is for occasional use only!

9.   Brew a special cup of tea or coffee and sit down in your favorite chair: Grab a book or your favorite hobby magazine and take some “me” time. Even if you’re able to take 30 minutes of “me” time while the kids are away to their summer lessons … this will do you a world of good. 

10.Update your photo album: We usually take photos of the happy times we want to remember. By updating your photo album and putting in recent photos you’ve not had the time to file yet, you can be transported to those times where you were happy and smiling.

      The feeling from this activity will surely lift your spirits and lower your stress levels. 

Sometimes the simplest things can be extremely effective and because there is no (or little) investment of money, you can start putting these stress-busters to effective use immediately!