We live in a fast-paced society with countless distractions. This is a recipe for massive amounts of stress. It is now a well-known fact that stress kills. A body riddled with stress is a body that is prone to disease. Even worse, it dramatically reduces your overall quality of life. Stress can make it impossible for you to actually enjoy life. Fortunately, relieving stress isn’t all that difficult. Here are 7 powerful ways to relieve stress and keep it away.
1. Eat a diet high in minerals, especially magnesium and zinc.
Stress and anxiety is often directly linked to mineral deficiencies. Considering that a large majority of people in the world are eating diets extremely low in minerals (processed and pasteurized foods), it is not surprising that chronic stress and/or anxiety is so common. If the body doesn’t get everything it needs to function properly, it goes into survival mode, stealing nutrients from your brain, bones, and other organs just so it can maintain some balance and continue to function. This is how degenerative disease happens, and the process of deterioration is a noticeably stressful one.
From personal experience, I can say with certainty that healthy eating can make all the difference. I suffered from severe anxiety for years, but as soon as I began eating a diet high in minerals (raw fruits & vegetables and sprouted nuts & seeds), my anxiety slowly began to disappear and many good things began happening. I suddenly had the energy to go out and make my dreams come true.
If you’re interested, you can get a complete health guide and 7 day meal plan for free here.
2. Exercise for at least 15 minutes daily.
Exercise is absolutely one of the best ways to relieve stress and keep it away. It releases tension in the muscles, floods your brain with “happy chemicals,” and detoxifies your body. It may very well be the best stress-reliever there is, and so it definitely shouldn’t be overlooked. You don’t even really need a gym membership or anything like that. Simply taking a long walk or doing some pushups every day is enough to dramatically reduce your stress.
3. Practice complete honesty in all your relationships.
This is a wonderful stress-reliever that you don’t hear about too often. I first started learning about the concept of ‘radical honesty’ by watching the RawBrahs on Youtube. They are strong advocates of practicing honesty and transparency in all relationships. I am 100% with them, simply because I know how much stress can be caused from failing to fully express yourself to others and keeping things hidden from them. Unexpressed emotions can eat us alive from the inside and completely destroy our ability to make meaningful connections that bring us joy and fulfillment. Emotion is energy, and if it’s not released, it has no choice but to stay trapped in your body. This trapped energy is often referred to as stress.
That secret you’ve been keeping—tell somebody about it. Not happy with someone? Tell them in a respectful way. Feeling depressed? Stop feeling ashamed of yourself and realize that we all experience the highs and lows of life. There’s nothing wrong with telling someone that you’re depressed, or angry, or whatever. The thoughts and feelings that we think are too personal to share are actually the most universal of all thoughts and feelings. Feeling vulnerable is something we all have in common, and so sharing that is one of the best ways to forge deep connections with others. Speak your mind and free yourself.
4. Meditate for 15 minutes daily or simply take a few deep breaths multiple times throughout the day.
Meditation is a powerful stress-reliever because it activates your parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system relaxes your muscles and slows your heart rate, allowing you to experience a state of peace and calm.
Meditation also trains your brain to be more aware and “in the present moment.” This basically means that the more you meditate, the less you will get caught up in your stressful and negative thoughts, or you will at least be aware of them and not be controlled by them so easily.
If you don’t like the idea of meditation for whatever reason, you can still reap its benefits by simply learning to control your breath. Most people have so much muscular tension in their abdomen that they can’t breathe deeply unless they make a conscious effort to do so. Shallow breathing is another huge contributor to stress. Over time, however, you can learn to relax your abdomen and breathe deeply into your belly more often. This will enhance your life in many ways.
Start by setting an alarm on your phone to go off every hour. When it goes off, stop what you are doing and take 5 extremely deep breaths into your lower abdomen, holding it for a few seconds and then letting the air naturally escape. This will only take you a minute or two, but you will feel much more energized and centered afterwards. This is a simple yet life-changing exercise. Trust me.
5. Reduce your alcohol consumption.
Alcohol in excess can be a major contributor to stress. It depresses the nervous system and is extremely toxic to the body. One night of drinking can lead to many days of heightened anxiety and stress. Ironically, many people drink alcohol to relieve their stress, but it is only temporary relief. Once the effects of the alcohol have worn off, the anxiety comes back and is often worse than it was previously. This may be one of the hardest things to give up due to social pressures, but if you are serious about living the very best life possible, you may want to start limiting your consumption.
6. Spend less time on high stimulation activities.
Stimulating activities could include watching television, surfing the internet, or playing video games. These things all bombard the brain with massive amounts of information and can greatly increase anxiety and stress as a result. The worst thing about it is that many people are unconsciously addicted to these activities because they release large amounts of dopamine in the brain. This causes a ‘desensitization’ that makes it harder for us to get enjoyment out of the small things in life that are less stimulating.
My only advice is to become more aware of your addictions and see how they are affecting your life. If you think they are hurting you, then consider replacing them with more beneficial activities that are less stimulating yet still enjoyable.
7. Start a journal to become more aware of the thoughts that are causing you stress.
Journaling is a powerful tool for increasing awareness and changing your life from the inside out. By writing down your thoughts every day, you allow yourself to see them directly whereas you might have never been aware of them otherwise. If you aren’t aware of the thoughts that are causing you stress, then it’s extremely difficult to change. Journaling is a simple yet powerful way to become aware and steadily rid yourself of negative thoughts. When you begin seeing the thoughts that aren’t serving you, you can consciously choose to replace them with thoughts that do. When you master that, you suddenly become the conscious creator of your life rather than the victim.
Hope this article helped. Wishing you the very best!
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