In a woman’s world, there is always a reason to be stressed! A crying baby calling for moms attention, a husband who needs your company, your boss who throws torments your way. You want to run away, but from what, yourself?
Well, I must admit, that intro just made stress appear really bad. However, stress is not always a bad thing. It can normally work in your favor as it keeps you on your toes. That splash of adrenaline that comes with mild stress provides a sort of energy which motivates you to go on and on.
Stress has to be controlled though. If it is left to keep accumulating, the levels may go up and become harmful to our health. You will find lots of programs and materials dedicated to combating stress today. Here are some methods that women can use instead.
Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine and Alcohol
Women who suffer from stress are discouraged from using caffeine, alcohol or nicotine as these only serve to aggravate the situation. These three are stimulants, which means they will only increase stress levels rather than help to reduce it.
It is an awesome idea to replace these drinks with water, dilute natural fruit juices and herbal teas. Water in particular will help hydrate your body and calm your body to cope better with stress.
Stressed people are also discouraged from taking refined sugars. These can cause energy crashes which may lead one only to feel tired and irritable. Refined sugars are contained in many processed or savory foods such as bread and salad dressings.
The idea here is not to quit these foods, just cut the intake of foods that contain lots of sugar and focus on eating a well-balanced, healthy and nutritious diet.
Get Adequate Sleep
Stress and sleep have a two way relationship. On one hand, stress makes our sleeping difficult, that is, high stress levels will interrupt your sleep by creating disturbing thoughts. Stress also makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, and affects the quality of your sleep.
On the other hand, inadequate sleep is a major cause of stress. A good nights sleep helps reduce the effects of stress and allows you to tackle the days stress. It is healthier for most adults to have 7-9 hours of sleep. Adequate time to sleep enables you to have better control of your blood pressure thus lowers the level of stress.
Maximize relaxation before you go to sleep. This will calm you down and can improve your sleep. Also make sure your bedroom is a tranquil and tidy space. Do not take any caffeine in the evening when sleep time is approaching. Try a chamomile tea or passion flower to relax your system.
You should also consider going to bed at nearly the same time each day. That will ensure that your body and mind are used to a definite sleep time routine.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation reduces anxiety and body tension; this combats the damaging effects of stress. Apparently, all the relaxation techniques involve deep breathing combined with relaxing the muscles. Sounds easy! Some of the relaxation techniques you can use to effectively combat stress include: meditation, rhythmic exercise and yoga. However, it is advisable to seek for a relaxation technique that works best for you.
Carry Out Some Physical Activity
Stressful conditions impact on you by increasing the level of adrenaline and cortisol which are stress hormones in your body.
The resultant energy surge in your system needs to be channeled somewhere. Physical activity provides one such a conduit through which you can channel out your stress.
It does not have to be intense, you can take a walk in your garden, jog or visit the gym at best. If you exercise regularly, you keep stress at bay and you also improve the quality of your sleep.
There are numerous stress reduction methods, some of which are rather intuitive. All you have to do is identify the type that will best work for you.
Notice however that you don’t have to stick to any, just try out different methods from time to time to increase your chances of keeping stress from taking the better of you.