Stress is sometimes referred to as “the silent killer.” That statement couldn’t be more true. Every one of us has some kind of stress, some of us more than others, we need to learn ways to lower it with a de-stress routine. Once you have a good routine in place you will be able to utilize it to recover before you suffer one of the consequences of a high stress lifestyle.
How Can Stress Harm My Body and Mind?
Stress can harm you in more ways than I can count. Studies show that a person who has high levels of stress will get sick more often, have lower energy levels, find it hard to concentrate, age faster, lose hair, feel fatigued all the time, etc. The list I could make literally goes on forever!
On the body aspect of stress it will wear you down fast. Stress causes your body to release extra hormones such as adrenaline at an inappropriate time. This can take it’s toll on you by having your body functioning at an above normal level for to long and wear on your cells and organs.
In short stress will kill you sooner and make you feel old before you time. Stress was designed to help you survive in the wild. It is an evolved form of a natural instinct to help you avoid predators in the wild. The problem is that there aren’t many natural predators out to kill you in your day to day life. Well for most of us anyways. We then start to find and associate things that cause us worry and concern with the activation of our survival instincts and stress is born.
You may have a job with with a stressful boss or maybe you have a lot of responsibilities. You may even be in charge of other people’s lives. There are many ways to avoid and eliminate most stress, but it’s nearly impossible to eliminate it all. That’s why having a good stress reduction routine in place is a must.
So What Are Some Good Ways To Reduce Stress?
My favorite way to reduce stress is to follow a de-stress routine. My personal one is something like this, workout while listening to something pleasant, take a shower or bath, put on comfortable clothes, and crawl up in bed with a good book or TV show on. I have variations of the things I do so that it doesn’t seem so bland, but for the most part anytime I feel like I’m getting worked up or I have had a long day I do that little routine and it almost always cuts my stress way down. Some people call this “time to unwind.”
The main thing you need to understand when you start building your de-stress routine is that everything on your list has to be something that really works for you. Some things may work for me and they may cause more stress for you.
Start by getting a pencil and a sheet of paper out and write down about 10 or so things you love and enjoy to do that doesn’t cause you any stress or you already know that are stress reductive. After your brainstorming period is over think about how you could tie a few of those together in a short 30 minute to one hour segment. Work out all the kinks so that you can make the transition as fluid as possible. An example would be to get your clothes laid out before you start your workout so you can jump right into the shower. Once you have your strategy in place give it a try.
It may take you several attempts to get a perfect stress reduction pattern laid out. After you do you can use it as often as you like. Try to make the things you do positive and constructive. A bad example would be to eat a lot of cake or smoke cigarettes every-time you feel stressed. You need to have a layout that will benefit you now and in the long run. Something you can do no matter how much money you have and with very little time. You want to make it things you already enjoy or things you have to do anyways, like take a shower. Combine all of these into a system and you have yourself a “de-stress routine.” Good Luck!