5 Ways To Reduce Stress Now
 It seems that the pace of modern life gets
faster and faster.
Any type of information is literally at our fingertips
thanks to the information age and the internet. This means
there is more pressure on people to get things done
instantly.
However, although we might have a limitless amount of
information at our beck and call there is still only one pair
of hands to do the typing, one brain to do the thinking and one
body to deal with the stress.
Indeed, more and more people are feeling a loss of control
over their lives due to our fast paced 'modern lives' .
Consequently, stress is something that people become
accustomed to living with every day. They accept it as a
consequence of modern life and do nothing to resolve the cause
of stress or try to reduce it.
As stress is often caused by the environment around you, there
are things you can do to reduce stress levels. If you
cannot control your external environment, then you must work on
controlling your reaction to it. Stress is as much about how
you perceive it as the actual stressor, thus by controlling
your reaction to the stressor you can limit the degree to which
stress affects you.
Here are 5 simple tips that you can put into practice today.
They will help you reduce stress and take more control of your
life.
Tip 1 – Do Some Exercise Every Day
When the body feels stressed it releases Adrenocorticotrophic
Hormone (ACTH) into your bloodstream to give you a boost of
energy. This is know as the fight or flight reaction. As many
of the modern stressors do not involve fighting or running
away, this hormone is never worked out of your system.
This will cause physical problems to the immune and
cardiovascular systems over the long term. Exercise will
help you to work the ACTH out of your system as it is
replicating the action required in the fight or flight
reaction.
Tip 2 – Drink Water (rather than coffee or
soft drinks)
Your body is 80% water. Drinking lots of
water will help keep the body in equilibrium and good health.
Avoid coffee and alcohol during the day as these will actually
increase your stress levels by activating the fight or flight
mechanism and releasing ACTH into your system.
Tip 3 – Listen To Music
Music has a very relaxing effect on your body. If you
listen to music you consider relaxing it will help to reduce
your stress. New age, ambient, classical and sounds of
nature are classic forms of music to induce relaxation.
However, if you find rock music relaxing then go with that.
It's whatever works for the individual. If it is possible,
listening to music before you go to work can put you in
the right frame of mind. Listening to it during work will help
you relax more too.
Tip 4 – Take Naps
If possible, take the odd cat nap during the day. It will make
you feel better and reduce your stress. Often when you
are stressed you get tired in the afternoon and do not sleep
well at night. Famous people, such as Leonardo Da Vinci,
used to take regular 20 minute naps to recharge
themselves. If you are unable to take a nap due to work,
then a brisk walk at lunch will help to reduce your stress.
Tip 5 – How Urgent Is It Really?
Try to take stock
at the start of each day. Prioritize your focus and actions on
the most important things and then get to the rest if you can.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from what you are working
on by the phone or emails. Read emails at the start of the day
and schedule any work depending on urgency to fit into new
issues raised. Generally people will be understanding when you
prioritize your life and will respect you more for it.
Try to put these tips into practice today. You will
notice how you are more relaxed and have more time and control
in your life.
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