Healing Stress the Natural Way

Meditation is known to improve focus and relieve stress. All it takes is just 15-30 minutes a day and all you need is yourself. It's incredibly affordable too, with no financial investment needed whatsoever. Just pick a spot to meditate (sit upright with both feet on the floor) and let your thoughts run free, or simply focus on your breathing. Doing this exercise daily can release stress to a great degree and also make your nervous system even more resilient to it.

Yoga

The ancient art of yoga has been around for centuries. It is a discipline, which is a combination of breathing, meditation and different postures that ultimately lead to a peaceful mind and body. Yoga makes you feel relaxed and because it teaches control over the body, it allows you to manage stress and anxiety more effectively. Its benefits include management of chronic conditions, improved fitness and reduced stress.

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress, and it's completely free too. When you are stressed out, the way you breathe is the first thing that is affected. It gives rise to short and shallow breaths, which decrease the level of oxygen in your body, making you feel even more nervous. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain telling it to calm down and relax. There are several breathing exercises that are an excellent way to relax, relieve stress and reduce tension.

Eat Healthy

When you are stressed, you feel the need to gorge on junk food or other foods that are high in sugar. But this is counter-productive, as these will only make you even more depressed and they give very little energy. Eating healthy foods such as fruits, dry fruits and whole grains provide long-lasting energy and also improve your mood.

Nothing beats a good sleep. It is the most important and convenient stress buster amongst all. However, caution needs to be observed as overdoing it gives rise to sluggishness and even depression. Find the timing that suits you best and you will be well rewarded. Eating bananas, figs and dairy products help in bringing sleep early.

Limit Technology Use

Technology has its benefits, but also has its drawbacks. Part of the problem is that due to easy accessibility of the information, we are always occupied with many things at the same time. More things add up to more stress. We should make it a point to disconnect ourselves from technology at least for a few hours, preferably before going to bed. Doing this will reduce the number of ways for stress to take control of us. Additionally, usage of mobiles before going to sleep has been linked to insomnia-related disorders.

Aroma Matters

What we smell has an instant effect on our state of mind. So this should not come as a surprise, when we say that aromatherapy is a great stress buster. Experts have affirmed that certain smells can stimulate the limbic system, which release chemicals that affect the brain. These chemicals bring about feelings of love, calmness and excitement. Lavender, Cypress and Rosemary have been found to be particularly effective in this regard.