Simple Habits To De-Stress And Feel Your Best
Simple Habits To De-Stress And Feel Your Best
Do you feel overwhelmed, always busy and just not quite right? Life can get hectic sometimes, and stress builds up as a result. While it would be great to take some time off, it’s not always a realistic option. So instead, let’s focus on the little daily habits that can help you to ease your stress and feel your best again.
6 Simple Daily Habits To Ease Your Stress
Start your morning off right
The way that you begin your day can make or break your stress levels. If you jump straight onto scrolling through social media, catching up on the (somehow always depressing) news or reading emails, you’ll go straight into fight-or-flight more and stay there for the rest of the day!
On the other hand, if you carve out a little time to yourself first thing, you can set yourself up for success. It doesn’t have to be much – a short meditation, a mindful coffee, a walk around the block. Choose the activities that help you to feel calm. And once those are done, then you can jump into the more stressful tasks!
Need some morning routine inspiration? Here’s a helpful guide.
Switch your beverage choice
Now don’t shoot the messenger. But if your morning coffee is making you feel wired and jittery, it might be time for a break. Coffee does have plenty of health benefits, but it’s not ideal for those who are stressed or anxious.
But you don’t have to go cold turkey on caffeine to feel better. Instead, switch your coffee out for a green tea. Green tea still contains caffeine, so it will prevent those withdrawal headaches. But it also has compounds like l-theanine and ECGC that help to reduce stress and improve focus & brain function.
Looking for ways to boost your energy without relying on caffeine? Give this a read.
Keep your blood sugar balanced
When you’re stressed, there’s a good chance you’re craving all of the unhealthy options. But choosing foods that keep your blood sugar balanced can help you to better cope with stress.
Why? Blood glucose and insulin have close ties to your stress hormones, including cortisol. If your blood sugar is like a rollercoaster, it will trigger more stress hormones. So your base stress level is high even before you add in any other sources of stress.
No idea where to start when it comes to eating for blood sugar balance? These simple tips can get you started.
Include daily mindfulness
You’ve no doubt heard that meditation and mindfulness are good for reducing stress. So if you haven’t tried it out yet, now is the time to get started.
Some people hesitate because they think meditation is about ‘not thinking’, and they have a constantly racing mind! But when you’re being mindful, it’s not about stopping your thoughts. It’s about noticing your thoughts and not getting caught up in them.
If you’ve never tried meditating before, guided meditations can help. You can find them on YouTube or download an app to your phone.
Did you know? My 1:1 coaching program incorporates live meditations with a certified mindfulness & meditation teacher. Learn more about the program here.
Give journaling a go
Writing in your journal is not just for writing the name of your crush and spilling your deepest secrets in high school anymore! Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you to acknowledge and process what is going on in your everyday life.
There are countless ways to journal – from stream-of-consciousness journaling, where you write down everything that comes to mind, to gratitude journaling, where you write down whatever made you feel grateful that day.
My advice? Have a play with the forms that appeal to you and see which is a good fit based on what makes you feel calm and in control again. Then set yourself a time each day that you can spend at least 5 minutes writing.
Incorporate touch
One of the most underrated ways to reduce stress is through physical touch. It doesn’t matter if the touch comes from your partner, a friend, a child or even a pet (one of my favourite things to do is stop and pat any cats I see on my daily walks!)
Physical touch helps to reduce both the mental and physical effects of stress on your body. When you are in contact with someone else, you feel more secure and safer. It can even help to reduce pain levels if you’re injured or have chronic pain!
This is something many of us were deprived of over recent years, so now it’s time to make up for it. Cuddle a loved one daily, play with your pets, schedule in regular massages, or even incorporate a daily practice of self-massage with a body oil.
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Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
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