*collaborative post*
Are you stressed? I’m stressed. Everyone is stressed, right? I don’t mean always, but I think high stress levels right now during the pandemic are to be expected. The thing with stress is you need to manage it, get it under control if you want to feel ok again. Luckily there are lots of ways you can reduce your stress levels quite easily. My go to stress reducing my activities are yoga, playing guitar and eating as healthily as I can. This guest post has five stress reducing rituals for you to try if you’re feeling anything but zen.
5 daily rituals for reducing stress.
Many of us can agree that we feel stressed more often than we need to. It is easy to allow our minds or our bodies to overwork. We commit to doing things that are stressful and not enough things that are relaxing. As much as work and other commitments are crucial, it is just as essential to spend time looking after yourself for your wellbeing.
There are many mindful activities that work to reduce stress. It can be something as simple as getting fresh air or taking part in a class. What works for you it totally your preference. You do not necessarily have to make much effort to do these things. Instead, you can slowly integrate them into your daily routine and they will fall into place naturally. Today, you will discover 5 simple daily rituals that will work to reduce stress.
Eat better – A happy gut equals a happy body and mind. There are many foods that people eat only a daily basis with minimal nutritional value and can cause inflammation, which leads to stress. Basic foods such as vegetables and fruits contain a large amount of essential nutrients that benefit the mind and the body.
Ensuring you eat your five a day and substituting poor food choices, such as sugary foods, for cleaner choices will help reduce inflammation and provide you with energy.
If you want to go the extra mile, or feel you aren’t getting enough anti-inflammatory nutrients, you could try CBD gummies. These contain numerous benefits from anti-inflammation to stress reduction.
Eating a healthy balanced diet can benefit more than just stress. So, eating better and making healthier choices will be worth your time and effort.
Sleep more – Getting enough sleep can help reduce psychosocial stress. A regular sleeping pattern, consisting of 7 to 8 hours per night, can help the body and the mind feel more relaxed and calm. Sleep works to restore the body and replaces energy, which is essential if you want to fight fatigue and be able to cope with stress better.
If you struggle to sleep, it may help to perform another stress reducing ritual before bed. This could include a nighttime tea, CBD, listening to music, or meditation. Whatever works for you is what you should go with. After all, you will want to continue this ritual to fight off stress and improve your coping mechanisms.
Enjoy Natural Light – Having access to natural light is known to help us feel energised and calm. It is due to the brain and body receiving sunlight. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient to fight fatigue and provides the body with energy. Thus, getting enough light is crucial for being able to cope with stress.
The best thing to do is to receive natural light as soon as you wake up. So, opening the curtains or going outside with your morning coffee is an easy way to access natural light. If you fancy it, going for a walk will help reduce stress further. More on that to follow.
If you do not have access to a garden first thing when you wake up, or a large window, then investing in a mood light can have similar effects. Many of us can suffer with SAD during the darker and colder months. During this time, it can be difficult for everyone to find natural light that offers enough vitamin D to fight fatigue and combat stress. Thus, a mood light can be a useful tool to have on a bedside table or where you sit and have your morning coffee.
Perform A Rhythmic Activity – Partaking in rhythmic activities can allow the mind to switch off. If you set yourself a pace and focus on the rhythm, you can allow your mind to go elsewhere and away from a stressful situation.
Activities that help reduce stress include walking, running, yoga, pilates, drawing, and dancing. All activities that require a movement in a repetitive pattern allow the mind to focus on the pattern and divert attention there.
For example, dancing involves moving your body to a beat. The mind subconsciously focuses on the beat and tries to move the body along with it, which diverts attention to this one activity. Dancing while listening to your favourite music is a great way to move the body and fight the stress you have in your mind and your body.
Find A Moment Of Calm – If you find focusing on stress reducing rituals to be overwhelming, it may help you begin with finding a moment of calm. Finding a place where you can switch off is crucial. If you enjoy being surrounded by nature then being outside may be the best option. Or, if you enjoy being warm and inside, a bath, bed, or comfy chair is where you should go. Wherever you feel most at peace is the place you should go to when practicing a moment of calm.
Then, you should decide what you wish to do in that mement of calm. Some options include reading, meditating, or simply sitting in silence. If you can focus on your thoughts and divert your attention from stress, you will slowly start to find a place of calm.
After the moment of calm, your mind should feel rested and ready to cope with stressful situations better.
By slowly adding these rituals into your routine will make them feel like light work. Try not to dedicate your time and do them all at once as it may cause you to feel overwhelmed. You need to enjoy these activities and find what works best for you to continue to do them.
Not all activities will work for everyone, but they are there for you to try and adjust according to your own preference. Everyone manages stress is different ways. So, testing out these rituals and tweaking them to suit your needs and current routine is the best way to manage stress and find time to focus on your mind and wellbeing.