Oh, how nice it would be if life were endlessly easy and straightforward. Alas, if you’re like the rest of us, then that won’t be the world that you live in. You’ll likely face relationship, finance, or news-related stress and worry, or possibly all of them at the same time.
You can’t always avoid stressful periods, but you can control how you respond to them. In this post, we’ll run through some of the most effective — and often budget-friendly — stress-busting techniques that really work. It’s recommended to practice these proactively (as in, when you’re not experiencing stress), but they’ll also work when you’re going through difficult periods.
Improve Your Sleep
You don’t need us to tell you what poor sleep can do to your stress levels. Even a single poor night’s sleep can get your day off to a stressful start; it’s simply not nice to know that you’ll have to get through the whole day with only minimal sleep under your belt. Even small inconveniences can be enough to cause your stress levels to spike.
Routinely getting 7 – 9 hours of sleep will help balance your stress levels. If that’s something you struggle with, then make a few changes to your sleep habits. Sticking to a routine, avoiding screens, and keeping alcohol/caffeine intake to a minimum can all go a long way towards getting your body and mind sleep-ready.
Turbocharged Workouts
Virtually any amount of exercise can have a positive impact on your stress levels, even something as low-effort as going for a brisk walk around the block. With that said, this is one of those instances where the more you put in, the more you get out. Intense workouts are bona fide stress-busters that also have the happy side-effect of helping you to get in shape. By intense workouts, we mean exercise that goes beyond the standard gym workout routine. Infrared sauna workouts, like those available at HOTWORX gyms, offer intense workouts that not only reduce stress but also do so quickly. Other options include working with a personal trainer who — and this is important — will really push you to your limits. With working out, you get out what you put in.
Go Into Nature
Looking for an easy way to keep your stress levels down? Then look at taking a trip into nature. The great outdoors has been shown to have a hugely positive impact on mental well-being, with evidence showing that spending two hours in nature each week can help to improve emotional and physical health. Plus, it’s fun — you can even use this activity as a way to spend time with others, which has also been shown as an effective stress-buster.
Give Up Bad Habits
Habits such as meditating, working out, and spending time in nature will help reduce your stress levels. Yet there are other habits that’ll have the opposite effect. Alcohol, tobacco, and even caffeine can cause stress levels to spike, and they’ll also make it more difficult to sleep (which is also stressful!). Cut them out, and you should find that it’s much easier to feel relaxed.
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