How to Relieve Stress: A Beginner’s Guide

Excessive and chronic stress is very detrimental to human health. But simple steps like mindfulness, exercising, etc, can help. 

Stress is a ‘feeling of emotional and/or physical discomfort triggered by your body’s reaction to a perceived or real challenge. Many people consider stress as completely harmful, but the picture is not so black and white. Studies show that small amounts of stress are beneficial to cognitive and behavioral performance in some cases, such as when we compete in sports or host a party.  

However, if your body is fixated on a prolonged period of stress or overreacts to stressful stimuli, the result can be quite detrimental to your health. If you have been experiencing stress and are looking for ways to relieve stress, this post is just for you!

Common Manifestations of Stress

Before understanding how to relieve stress, we must know what the symptoms of stress are. These include - 

• Change in sleeping patterns, such as insomnia, oversleeping or constant tossing and turning while sleeping
• Aches, pains and headaches that are not caused by any underlying health condition
• Disassociation or withdrawal
• Emotional ups and downs
• Feeling out of control 
• Anxiety and irritation 
• Change in appetite
• Inability to focus

Top 5 Ways to Relieve Stress

1. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation 
   Mindfulness and meditation can help reduce stress while enhancing your overall mood and self-esteem. Simple steps, such as taking short walks in nature, sitting in a beautiful park for five minutes, or sitting in silence in the quiet of your room for a while can do wonders in relieving stress and making you feel better. 

2. Reduce Triggers 
   You should make concerted efforts to identify stress in your life and acknowledge if there are opportunities to reduce contact with them.

3. Deep Breathing 
   Yes, deep breathing for stress alleviation might seem cliche, but the practice is, in fact, very beneficial. It is a simple yet potent relaxation technique, which is easy to learn, can be practiced anywhere, and provides a prompt way to get your stress levels in check. 

4. Exercise 
   Exercises improve brain chemistry, bolsters cardiovascular health and brightens your mood by releasing happy hormones. So, if you have been feeling extremely stressed lately, go the extra mile to incorporate simple and quick exercises into your regimen. Even a brisk walk or a therapeutic and beginner-friendly yoga session is enough to help you see the visible results. 

5. Reduce Your Screen Time 
   Logging off and spending time away from digital devices and the internet have various health benefits, including reducing stress. Create screen time boundaries and thresholds that fit your lifestyle.

Conclusion

So, there we have it, the top 5 ways to relieve stress. Although stress might seem indomitable, there are ways to deal with it.

Summary: Stress alleviation might seem difficult, but it is very much possible. Simple measures like exercising, practicing mindfulness, etc, can help.