Top tips to manage a stressful lifestyle
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Modern life can be stressful, especially in today’s fast-paced world. That constant fear of missing out hanging over our heads isn’t helping, either… If you are feeling stressed out, whether it is from school work, your job or your family, these tips could be just what you need in order to lower your stress levels and help you relax and unwind.
Image by Lauri Heikkinen (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Regular breaks
Whatever it is you’re working on, you should be sure to take regular breaks. It’s harder to concentrate if you aren’t taking regular rests from work. One of the most popular working methods is the Pomodoro technique, which has you take a five-minute break every 25 minutes. This technique helps sharpen your focus as your breaks give you time to grab a drink, take a breather or focus on a task that would have distracted you while working (like answering a text).
Image by Marco Verch (CC BY 2.0)
Eating right
It’s also important to be eating and drinking right. You should be keeping hydrated with regular glasses of water. However, you can also help destress by making some different dinner choices. For example, carbohydrates are known to increase levels of serotonin in the body. This chemical improves moods and can help combat stress. If you’re off carbs, then fish and avocados are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which are not only also a huge benefit to cardiovascular health but are also known to improve mood and help concentration. If you’re looking for dessert then dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and one study found that eating 1.5 ounces a day seemed to reduce stress – although you should be keeping everything in moderation of course.
Look after your health
Keeping your mind and body healthy is important for many reasons, failing to do so can amplify the feeling of stress. Eating right is important so your body can benefit from all the vitamins and minerals it needs to balance itself properly. An unbalanced system can lead to fatigue and mood swings so make sure you eat right!
Exercise is important for both the mind and body, even if it's just a quick walk each day it's great for your mood and your overall health. More strenuous workouts can feel extra rewarding and really help to relieve stress.
Lastly, eye health is vitally important to your health but often overlooked. A common cause of headaches, monthly contact lenses are a simple way to maintain your vision whilst staring at screens all day, you can easily buy lenses online and are available from Vision Direct for example.
Set realistic goals
For most of us, life won’t go as planned. In this age of inspirational posters and aspirational social media accounts, it’s easy to feel like you’re underachieving. Don’t beat yourself upbecause you haven’t achieved your dreams or you are not as far in your career as you want to be. Everyone moves at their own pace, and the number of us that are jetting around the world in luxury at the age of 22 is quite minimal – despite what Instagram would have you think. Set realistic goals rather than impossibly high ones. The less unnecessary pressure you put on yourself the less stressed you will be.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
If stress is getting to you then you should never be afraid to ask for help; whether it be from friends, family or a doctor. There is no shame in admitting that the daily grind is getting you down, and it’s best to ask for help rather than suffer in silence.