6 Ways to Reduce Anxiety and Stress

We are being bombarded by outside influences from our environment that stress us out every day. We’re also internally being stressed out by the foods we eat and the air we breathe. We get stressed emotionally by all the relationships and emotions we harbor. It’s no wonder a lot of people struggle with stress every day.  

But there are ways that you can help yourself by de-stressing and reducing your anxiety just through everyday habits. These habits are easy to instill if you make an effort to improve in a few areas of your life.

Sleep

Starting with sleep is an excellent way to lower and control stress.  Not getting a good night’s sleep will almost guarantee that your day will be full of stress. Your hormone levels determine how much anxiety you can take in and if they’re off balance because your body didn’t get enough sleep, you will be fighting with stress and anxiety throughout the day.

One way to get better sleep is by establishing a nighttime routine. There are a few things that you will want to avoid around bedtime to get quality sleep:

Avoid Alcohol –  A lot of people have a beer or a glass of wine to relax and fall asleep faster, but it will disrupt your sleep throughout the night.

Turn off Your Electronic Devices – The second thing to avoid TV and social media because of the light is given off of the electronic devices. This light tells your body when to be awake and when it is time to sleep. You don’t want to encourage your brain to stay awake.

Don’t Drink Coffee – Keep your coffee consumption to mornings because it takes a while to get through your system and can cause more disrupted sleep.

Turn on the A.C. – Your body can sleep more comfortably when it’s a little cooler. Two to three hours before you go to bed, turn down the thermostat and your household will make your house cool so you can sleep deeper.

Use Essential Oils – Diffusing oils that make you naturally sleepy over taking sleep supplements like ZzzQuil or having a nightcap. Lavender, chamomile and ylang-ylang oils all are proven to lull you to sleep naturally with no “sleep hangover” the next day.

Turn off the Lights – Finally, you want to keep it as dark as possible in your room. Light even from a night light can disturb a deep sleep for the same reasons you want to turn your electronic devices off.

Get Plenty of Sunshine

On the opposite end of the nighttime routine is your daytime routine. Make sure to get 30 minutes of sunlight every single day. Sunlight can trigger the release of Serotonin, a hormone that can help you feel calmer.

When there is reduced sunlight, anxiety and depression and other disorders go up, especially for people who have seasonal depression, which can be attributed to a lack of Vitamin D and sunshine.

Journaling

 

Another really great way to start your day and balance your mind is to journal. Before you check your phone or turn on the TV, grab a journal and write. By doing this every day, you will be able to work out emotional and stressful issues in your life.

Writing is the perfect way to deal with something that you may be struggling to work out. It is an excellent outlet for anyone dealing with stress.

If you were to do this one thing, starting with 10 minutes and working your way up to 15 every single day, this would be an excellent way to work on your emotions first thing in the morning. When you start your morning balanced, it will carry throughout the day.

Getting Your Vitamins and Minerals

You want to be sure to eat foods that are rich in vitamin B, B6, vitamins b3 and b12, and zinc and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals help to reduce the symptoms of stress and are found in tons of fruits, vegetables, and healthy protein sources. And if you’re not someone who eats a wide variety of veggies or healthy proteins, these might be harder to come by in your diet.

Many people who eat a good diet can even be deficient in these. It would be a good idea to supplement at least with natural B12 liquid drops and magnesium spray. There are also good superfoods supplements that can help you get a few extra veggies in each day if you don’t eat a wide variety.

Limit Refined Carbs

While you’re focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables, limit your refined and processed foods. This is because refined and processed foods tend to have a lot of refined carbohydrates in them. This can spike your blood sugar, and when that happens, you get a temporary burst of energy.

Unfortunately, this burst of energy doesn’t last as it is followed by a really low drop. This can happen when you come down from blood sugar spike. You can feel anxiety and stress from the drop in blood sugar.

Try to keep your blood sugar levels more stable throughout the day by not indulging in too many processed foods. Instead, eat a good balance of protein and veggies and let carbs come from home-prepared foods like fruit and sweet potatoes.

Declutter Your Space

If you’re coming home to a messy house, it can make you feel more stressed out and anxious. Taking time out of your week to do a deep de-clutter can be really relieving on your anxiety and stress. It is easier to keep up with your house by assigning 10 minutes of your time a day to tidy.

I also liked the rule where if you leave a room and you see something that belongs to the room you’re going to, just take it with you.

Creating habits like this can make decluttering and cleaning your house really simple.  A messy environment can lead to a messy mind. It can be triggering for people who always feel the pressure of having too much to do. So cleaning up the clutter is an excellent way to de-stress and reduce your anxiety.

Take Away Message

While these aren’t the end all, be all, to stress and anxiety they are good places to start. If you are a stressed-out person who just wants simple ways to relieve a little bit of your stress day-to-day, these tips can help. Knowing what’s stressing you out helps as well.

Make small changes each week by adopting one of these habits and evaluate how you feel. You’d be surprised how just packing a more balanced lunch can help with mid-afternoon stress. And cleaning off your counters can lift a weight off your shoulders. These little tricks are meant to help relieve a little stress and help you get through the day a little smoother.