In today’s society, women are faced with challenges every day in their responsibilities towards family, children, friends, work, budget and all other issues in life. Below you will find some easy-to-implement stress reduction methods because virtually all clinical evidence shows how stress reduction can contribute to better health for women. Coping with stress for women today can prove to be a major problem if neglected.
Health Detriments of Stress
When you’re very stressed out, you’re prone to illness. Stress levels that are too high and linger for long periods of time can trigger medical problems like complications in the nervous system and in your heart as well. This results in unusually high blood pressure and the onset of migraines. In worst cases, stressed out women can experience muscle tension, insomnia or chronic ulcers. At the very least, a stressed out lady can’t help being irritable, snappy, and disturbed. All that, in turn, gives her a ‘not fun to be around’ personality. Is that you? Use the fixes below to be a happier and more fulfilled person.
From the pages of WebMD: Stress Management – Ways to Relieve Stress
3 Ways to Cut Stress From Web MD
A helpful article by WebMD: 10 Relaxation Techniques That Zap Stress Fast
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
Calm down, eating the right foods can help to reduce stress and counteract those challenging days of motherhood. Stress overload affects the mind, body, and behavior in many ways. Prolonged stress overload can lead to memory problems, a poor immune system and cause aches and pains, high blood pressure, constipation and irritability-all of which are counterproductive to motherhood. Try these foods to stay mellow and to counteract the effects of stress on your body (and your kids!). One of the easiest to implement stress reduction methods is just eating better.
• Milk – Mom was right! Drinking warm milk can help with insomnia. Studies also show that calcium can reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension. You can gain the stress-busting effects by drinking at least one eight oz. Glass of skim or low-fat milk a day.
• Almonds, Pistachios, and Walnuts – There’s nothing like a little crunch to tackle stress. These nuts are also loaded with vitamin E, an antioxidant that bolsters the immune system, and B vitamins, which help clear your mind. Grab a handful or try an almond butter sandwich… yum! Kids love ’em too.
• Blueberries – Packed with vitamin C, this magical fruit helps reduce both the physical and psychological effects of stress. Plus they are bursting with antioxidants to help your body repair the effects of stress.
• Spinach – Added to smoothies, sautéed or as a salad, spinach is the perfect stress buster. That’s because it contains magnesium that prevents blood pressure from spiking. Three cups of spinach have 40 percent of your daily magnesium. Make a fresh spinach salad tossed with walnuts and blueberries on those super stressful days.
• Eggs – Research from Cornell University indicates pregnant women under stress who eat foods rich in the nutrient choline (eggs) may protect their babies from excess stress hormones and reduce their children’s risk for developing stress-related diseases later in life. Not pregnant? You can still benefit from the B vitamins in eggs that help promote healthy brain cells, yielding you with better problem-solving skills and less stress. Try one whole egg daily.
2. Move Around
Habitual stress must be counteracted and movement is one of the easiest and most productive ways to achieve this. So stand up and expand your arms out. Imagine you’re a waterlogged dog and shake it all off with some good physical moves, shake yourself a little bit to smell the aroma of life! And just in case the good wriggle doesn’t seem to work, go out for a walk, even if it is a short one. Read this additional post, turn on some music and Dance . Works great for #3 also.
3. Smile & Laugh
One of the easiest ways to implement stress reduction methods to implement is just to get happy. Reward yourself with a cheerful break! Do what you would usually do while whistling a blissful tune. Believe it or not, it does help even if your smile just to fake a jolly mood. Smiling will a special message to the subconscious mind, and this naturally generates an overall positive mood or attitude.
The human mind is a seamless world of mystery. It’s proven that even if someone fakes happiness for long enough, she is almost sure to start believing that she’s really happy. And if even that doesn’t work, just pick up a piece of paper and write down about some happy memories in life.
4. Tighten & Release
Lie straight and flat on the floor. Start with your feet. Tighten and squeeze the feet as much as possible. Done? Now move upward, and do the same with your ankles, calve regions, knees, and thighs. The bottom line is that you will do the same with every part of your body, individually.
When you’ve gotten to the head, lift it off the floor and slowly squeeze every one of your facial muscles. Done? Just keep lying quietly for some time and focus on the changes your body is experiencing. Keep basking the serenity inside you.
5. Visualization or Meditation
Close both your eyes. Then take a long, deep breath. Picture a dazzling red rose facing you. Envision the colorful petals and their texture. Take yet another long, deep breath and try to smell that rose. Try savoring its scent and imagine how it’s filling up your whole body. Then open up your eyes slowly. Keep both your eyes supple for one minute longer to lingering on that beautiful rose.
6. Plan for your Retreat
Plan your weekly activities with family, friends, and work and see to it that you include a day for yourself to rejuvenate by treating yourself either to a massage, a trip to the park, or pamper yourself with shopping and salon treatment. Make sure to have fun people around you when treating yourself. People who will encourage you make the best bet on that.
Conclusion
Most of us don’t even take much time to relax because we always prioritize a million things to do for others than giving time to yourself. In the end, the result can cause you severe and frequent headaches, depression, insomnia or lack of sleep, digestive problems, body pains, loss of appetite and much more that would be affecting your health, lifestyles, and family. Coping with stress for women today can be done through a lot of medium especially with all the modern inventions, technology, and know-how. By using the above tips this should help you reduce your stress level, as they are scientifically proven to work in many women across the globe.
Have you suffered from stress and tried these tips? Please let us know if they were helpful. Our readers love to have first-hand knowledge shared by other readers of our blog.
