Stress levels in the United States are on the rise. A recent survey found that 84% of Americans report feeling stressed weekly, a rise from 78% in 2021. Money and work-related issues rank among the leading sources of stress for people.
Some of the symptoms of stress include muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, lack of motivation, angry outbursts, social withdrawal, and drug or alcohol abuse.
Given that we are all living such busy lives, many people wonder what they can do to reduce stress. In this blog post, we will highlight practical and effective ways to manage stress.
Get Professional Support
If you are dealing with high-stress levels, it can be very difficult to make the necessary changes on your own. That’s why our counseling and evaluation services, serving Sycamore, Rochelle, Elgin, Geneva, and Bartlett areas, are so popular.
We offer a range of services tailored to you, including individual counseling, relationship & couples counseling, and group counseling. From problem management to working on new skills such as active listening, communication, and methods to cope with life’s challenges, we can help you to make the first positive steps towards change.
Eat Healthy and Exercise
Eating a balanced and healthy diet works to support a healthy immune system and repair damaged cells. It also provides extra energy required to deal with stressful events. It’s recommended that you increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, especially when you are feeling stressed.
The same is true with exercise. Regular exercise helps you to relax, improves your mood, increases self-confidence, and lowers symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. What’s more, you will find that your sleep improves, something that is often disrupted when you are feeling stressed.
As you progress further into your journey of fitness, you will notice visible changes in your body, which can move you to a better lifestyle. Remember, the first step is the most important when it comes to fitness and exercise. So, if you’re not sure how you should go about it, or if you need guidance, you should consider seeking the help of a Personal Trainer.
Further, if you cannot manage enough time to dedicate to extensive workouts, you can even go for 15-minute walks during your lunch breaks. This can have a major impact on your stress levels, overall health and fitness, and general outlook on life.
Play Sports
Much like exercise, you could consider playing sports regularly. Not only do they help you release pent-up stress from your mind, but also contribute to and strengthen your cardiovascular health. As such, there is a plethora of sports to choose from when it comes to learning something new. You could try your hand at different options if you want to develop strength and endurance in specific parts of your body that are relevant to the sport.
You also have the option of playing something you already know, say, football. There are likely to be turfs and fields near you where you can play and enjoy yourself or with friends. You can even sharpen your skills through tutorials that you can find at https://primalkeeperacademy.com/ or sites more familiar to you. But remember, you can have a similar affinity towards other sports that you could use as an outlet to beat stress.
Set Clearly Defined Goals
We are often stressed out by feelings of uncertainty in our lives. Therefore, it helps to set clearly defined goals so you have a direction on where your life is heading. We recommend that you set SMART goals, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bounded
We also recommend that you seek the support of friends and family members. If one of your goals is, for example, to achieve get into shape, then it’s far easier to achieve this by teaming up with someone else. Together, you can both set an attainable goal, such as running and completing a road race.
The 4 A’s of Stress Management
- Avoid
- Avoid people or situations that can bring about more stress in your life
- Practice saying “no” to people once in a while
- Alter
- Alter your dynamics with people by clearly communicating to them (assertively) of your personal boundaries
- Adapt
- Adapt your expectation(s)s or perspective(s) of stressful situations
- Have a positive go-to thought such as “I will overcome this”
- Try not to filter out the positives in situations
- Implement some form of self-care, even if it’s a short period of time
- Accept
- Implement a radical acceptance mentality such as “it is what it is”
- Talk with someone (e.g., a therapist, friend, family member, partner) about your feelings to process what you are going through
- Practice self-compassion and forgiving yourself
- Verbalize and re-read positive self-affirmations
In addition to these, you have the option of self-medicating with the help of cannabis. There is a plethora of marijuana products which you could try with the help of different instruments. For starters, you could see the 1StopPipeShop collection if you’re more inclined towards trying out new pipes or bongs. There is also an option of trying out dab pens if you want to try something besides rolled joints.
Now, you might want to understand the items you can find to smoke. Some are recreational in nature – bud, edibles, concentrates, and more. Others are more medicinal in nature, featuring stress-reducing supplements such as bubble hash. It is a concentrated form of cannabis and can help reduce stress and anxiety levels as well as improve sleep quality. All these can contribute towards achieving improved health and wellness. Want to know how to make bubble hash? Check out this blog to learn the methods.
Parting Words
The above tips are effective examples of how you can reduce stress by making simple, defined changes in your life. Here at Braden Counseling Center, we are committed to helping you tackle the symptoms of your stress and making positive, lasting changes.
If you would like to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly and professional team. Click here to contact us.