Stress Less: Ways to Reduce Stress

There are two types of stress, it can be a positive force, like wanting to perform well at your job interview, or it can be a negative force like when you’re stuck in traffic. It is a natural reaction; we’ve all felt it in our everyday lives. But too much stress within your lifetime can be very dangerous to your health.

Stress can be seriously bad for you. Chronic stress causes harm to not just your mental health, but your physical health too. Exposing yourself to a lifetime of different types of stress can influence the onset and progression of disease, as stated in the Journal of Health and Psychology, 2016.

Here are some things you can do and take note of to reduce your stress levels:

1. Learn to Forgive:

As stated in an article in the Journal of Health Psychology forgiveness is one factor that may influence the reducing of stress and its harmful health effects on your body.

This is because; forgiveness is the release of negative feelings and influences the potential enhancement of positive feelings, emotions, and behaviors toward an offender. “Research has demonstrated that forgiveness is associated with several mental health outcomes, including less anxiety, depression, and other major psychiatric disorders”. In this context, forgiveness is associated with better health and longevity, forgiveness is letting the anxiety over an issue go, lifting the weight of its harmful effects and giving you better physical health.

2. Walk away when you’re angry:

If you find yourself in a situation where you are so angry, your blood is boiling, before you react, take time to regroup and think. Count to ten before you burst a brain artery. Just walk out and away from the trouble. Walking and other physical activities can help you lift the steam. Not to mention, exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel positive and boost your mind.

3. Rest your mind:

According to APA’s 2012 Stress in America survey, stress keeps more than 40 percent of adults lying awake at night. To help you wind down after a long day, try cutting back on caffeine and remove technologies from your bedroom, such as computers, televisions and phones and go to bed at the same time each night. Attend mind and body classes such as yoga and relaxation exercises. Research shows that these activities not only help reduce stress, but also boost immune functioning.