8 small steps to help destress

By Amber McIver-Traywick

The Surveyor

Have you noticed how many problems, both physical and mental can be improved by “reducing stress.”

It’s a simple enough statement but doing it sometimes seems to be altogether more complicated.

The following are a few simple things you can do to help reduce stress and take care of your mental and physical health a little more. 1. Breath. Take breathing breaks throughout the day. This may be five long breaths in and five long breaths out or five minutes just focusing on removing your shoulders from your ears, relaxing your jaw and removing your tongue from the roof or your mouth. See don’t you feel better already. 2. Uninterrupted time staring at a screen has been associated with stress, loss of sleep or disturbed sleep and even depression in women according to a study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Some research has shown that more time spent on a cellphone equated to higher blood pressure. Take frequent breaks during computer or screen use and shut off all screen time at least an hour before bed to help your brain prepare for restful sleep. One caveat — a Cleveland Clinic study found using web-based stress management apps like those for guided meditation helped decrease stress levels. 3. Recognize what you can realistically do to make a situation better. It’s not about dwelling on what you wish you could do or what another person should do. What is it that you can enact today to improve a circumstance that causes stress. Maybe your garage is piled to the ceiling with boxes. Go through one box a day. The solution doesn’t happen overnight but by taking active steps, small as they may seem, eventually, you’ll get to the answer. 4. Be a glass-half-full person even if that isn’t your natural inclination. An article from the Mayo Clinic suggests that the way you think about an unpleasant situation can make a big difference in how you feel. They suggest periodically throughout the day to check your thoughts. If the stream of things you’ve been thinking is negative, take a moment to think about what you are

B DY S UL Health • Fitness • Mind • Spirit • Medicine • Well-Being dicine •W Wh• Fitness •h pirit •pi thankful for or something good in your day even if its something small. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on and in turn be that for someone else. Also, don’t say anything negative about yourself that you wouldn’t say to another person. You have to be your biggest fan. Be gentle with yourself and take small steps toward reframing the way you think. 5. Take a walk. Five minutes out, five minutes back. That will equal 3, 50 minutes in a year you are outside moving around. Starting a whole exercise program can be daunting but the benefits of even a short walk are huge. Build up to longer if you want but make sure it doesn’t become another burden that you no longer enjoy. The Mayo Clinic says that simply walking can help maintain a healthy weight, prevent and manage conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, improve your mood and strengthens bones and muscles. It’s a win, win, win. . Eat a piece of fruit, and some vegetables. It s just the truth, the type of fuel you put in your body will determine how well your body runs. No matter what the marketing and ad campaigns tell you, the more processed something is and the further away you get from what the “food” actually was originally the less healthful it will be for your body. 7. Progressive muscle relaxation is a great way to destress in a relatively short amount of time. You will be shocked by how much tension you hold in your body and don’t even realize it. Start with the top of your head and become aware if you are tensing any muscles in your head and face, especially your jaw and relax them. Take some long deep breaths while you re doing this. You then mentally work your way down your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, back, stomach — all the way down to your toes, relaxing and tension you find as you go. If you are having a hard time falling asleep this is a great practice to help you nod off as well. 8. Take time to do something you enjoy. Reading, crafting, learning something new, building, hiking, boating, listening to music, cooking, writing — whatever it is, don’t neglect the things you love to do in lieu of everything else in life. Even if you have to schedule some time in your days and weeks make a point of gifting yourself the opportunity and allow yourself to immerse yourself in the experience.