Tips for Managing Stress Levels
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- Written By: St. John's Health
How to Keep Stress at Bay
Although it's normal to experience stress from time to time, prolonged exposure to stress hormones can negatively affect your health. Though you may feel tired or have trouble concentrating, there are much more serious complications linked to chronic stress.
Not only can chronic stress worsen existing health conditions, it can also lead to the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol abuse and smoking cigarettes. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways that you can keep your levels under control.
Tips for Managing Your Stress
Get Better Quality Sleep
Getting good-quality sleep is essential when it comes to supporting both your mental and physical health, allowing your body rest and your brain to recharge. When you skip out on the recommended 7-9 hours of rest each night, you may experience the following:
- Grogginess
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigues
- Poor decision-making
- Moodiness
- Memory problems
- Becoming overweight or obese
- High blood pressure
Research suggests that most American adults would be happier and healthier if they got an additional 60-90 minutes of sleep each night. So the next time you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, try to head to bed a little earlier that night to give your mind and body a chance to relax.
Stay active
Why getting up and getting active helps to maintain your physical fitness, it also help s to reduce your stress levels and strengthens your mental health too! When you exercise, it triggers a chemical change in your brain—producing endorphins, which are chemicals that reduce pain and improve your ability to sleep.
Research also suggests that participating in regular aerobic exercise can have the following stress-reducing benefits:
- Decreases muscle tension.
- Stabilizes mood.
- Improves sleep quality.
- Improves your self-esteem.
When you feel like your stress levels are getting out of control, hit the gym or head out for a job to find some much needed relief.
Keep a Journal
Sometimes when you feel overwhelmed, you may feel like you have no one to turn to to vent about your experiences—but that’s where journaling fits into your routine. While you may have kept a diary or a journal in your younger years, this practice of writing out your thoughts and feelings is actually proven to be a healthy coping mechanism for distressing emotions.
Writing out your thoughts and feelings has the following mental health benefits:
- Helps you to organize your thoughts
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Fosters an intellectual process
- Makes you more likely to reach out for help from others
When you feel upset or stressed, try reaching for a pen and paper to express yourself to feel relief without judgement.
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