Stress is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a potent natural response to a situation that would have saved our ancestors from the very dangerous world that they once inhabited. But the world is no longer quite that dangerous, but the stress response that we feel did not go away as things around us got safer.
For millions of people, then, stress has become a serious health problem that can eventually lead to worse health issues down the line. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy and cheap methods for reducing the amount of stress you feel on a daily basis.
Going Into Nature
It’s an ironic twist of fate that nature is exactly why we developed the stress response in the first place, but numerous studies have proven that spending time within natural also reduces how much anxiety and stress we experience. There are a few reasons for this, with one of the most well-documented being the fractal nature of plant life. Fractals are mathematical formations that nature uses for just about everything, and they’ve been proven to significantly calm our minds – and it’s closely tied in with why people living in cities tend to have much higher stress levels. It’s not just the noise, crime, and high costs, but the actual “squareness” of the buildings that surround us.
Meditation
Meditation is an incredibly powerful state of mind that has been used for centuries to calm the mind, and it’s something that everyone should try and incorporate into their daily lives. People think that meditation is about finding enlightenment and spiritual balance, etc – but it’s more about awareness. Being more aware of yourself and your feelings, of the world around you, and how disconnected we’ve become from everything due to societal condition. This is why meditation is about sitting in a quiet place and focussing on your breathing, because it’s the easiest way to be more aware of your own body.
Take Up a Hobby
Without the creative outlet of a hobby, the human mind begins to fray, and stress will rise unchecked. Instruments, video games, painting, sculpting, volunteering, checking out mega casino bonuses, fixing cars; it doesn’t matter how we spend our time, as long as we spend it doing something that we’re really passionate about. The way we work can be all-consuming, and we often fall into the trap of getting off of work and then spending the rest of our time staring at a TV screen. This is not how the human brain was designed to function, it needs stimulation almost all the time, and there are few better ways than by taking up a fun and interesting hobby you can enjoy.
Eat Healthier
There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that stress and inflammation are closely tied together, with one feeding the other. And inflammation is almost always caused by the foods we eat. Highly processed foods, sugar, lots of salt, and junk food all contribute to higher stress levels. Curb this by opting for whole foods, such as veggies and fruit, and by reducing your junk food consumption as much as possible.
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