Tag: Fighting Stress

The Morning Thing celebrates Stress Awareness Month. How are you relieving stress today?

April is Stress Awareness Month. This is a time for us to evaluate the stress in our lives and find ways to relieve the negative impact it can have on our life.

The Cleveland Clinic has 20 different ways to relieve stress. They report that lengthy exposure to stress may lead to mental health difficulties like anxiety and depression or increased physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Click HERE to see the complete list of 20 ways you can fight stress!

Here are some of our favorites:

  • Spend time in nature
  • Focus on sleep
  • Assert yourself – it’s OK to say NO
  • Reduce triggers of stress
  • Set realistic goals and expectations – It’s also OK, and healthy, to realize that you can’t be 100% successful at everything all at once.
  • Take a break from your phone
  • Cuddle with a pet
  • Get your laugh on
  • Listen to music! Listen to 90.9FM or online at http://www.wnzr.fm or download the WNZR app!

https://www.wnzr.fm/wnzr-app

0

Want to know how to relieve your stress? Check out our MT Blog!

Today, The Morning Thing celebrated Stress Awareness Month by sharing simple ways that you can relieve your stress.

Take a moment and look through this great advice from healthline.com

Click HERE to read the full article!

1. Get more physical activity 

If you’re stressed, moving your body consistently may help reduce stress levels and improve mood.
If you’re currently inactive, start with gentle activities such as walking or biking. Choosing an activity that you enjoy may help increase your chances of sticking to it in the long term.

2. Eat a balanced diet 

Your diet affects every aspect of your health, including your mental health.

Minimizing your intake of highly processed foods and beverages and eating more whole foods can help ensure your body is properly nourished. In turn, this may improve your resilience to stress. Whole food options can include:

  • vegetables
  • fruits
  • beans
  • fish
  • nuts
  • seeds

3. Minimize phone use and screen time  

While smartphones, computers, and tablets are often necessary, using them too often may increase stress levels.

Spending too much time in front of screens is associated with lower psychological well-being and increased stress levels in adults and kids.

Furthermore, screen time may negatively affect sleep, which may also leadTrusted Source to increased stress levels.

4. Practice self-care

Setting aside time to practice self-care may help reduceTrusted Source your stress levels. Practical examples include:

5. Try journaling

Journaling may help reduceTrusted Source stress and anxiety and provide a positive outlet for your thoughts and emotions.

You can also try a guided journal if you’d prefer more targeted, expressive writing.

6. Reduce your caffeine intake

Caffeine is a chemical in coffee, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks that stimulates your central nervous system.

Although coffee has health benefits in moderation, it’s recommended to keep caffeine intake under 400 mg  daily, which equals 4–5 cups (0.9–1.2 L) of coffee.

Still, people sensitive to caffeine may experience increased anxiety and stress after consuming less caffeine than this, so it’s important to consider your tolerance.

7. Spend time with friends and family

Social support from friends and family may help you get through stressful times and cope with stress.

Having a social support system is important for your overall mental health. If you’re feeling alone and don’t have friends or family to depend on, social support groups may help. Consider joining a club or sports team or volunteering for a cause that’s important to you.

8. Create boundaries and learn to say no

Not all stressors are within your control, but some are. Putting too much on your plate may increase your stress load and limit the amount of time you can spend on self-care.

One way to help reduce stress and protect your mental health may be to say “no” more often. This is especially true if you take on more than you can handle because juggling many responsibilities may leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Being selective about what you take on — and saying “no” to things that will unnecessarily add to your load — can reduce your stress levels.

9. Avoid procrastination

Another way to take control of your stress is to stay on top of your priorities and avoid procrastinating when you aren’t feeling stressed.

Procrastination may harm your productivity and leave you scrambling to catch up. This can cause stress, which negatively affects your health and sleep quality. It’s also true that you may be more likely to procrastinate in times of stress as a coping mechanism.

If you find yourself procrastinating regularly, it may be helpful to make a to-do list organized by priority. Give yourself realistic deadlines and work your way down the list. Sometimes, adding an item to the list may help you feel better about it, even if it doesn’t get done immediately.

Work on the things that need to get done today and give yourself chunks of uninterrupted time. Switching between tasks or multitasking can be stressful.

10. Take a yoga class

Yoga has become a popular method of stress relief and exercise among all age groups.

While yoga styles differ, most share a common goal — to join your body and mind by increasing body and breath awareness.

12. Cuddle

Human touch may have a calming effect and help you better cope with stress. These types of contact may help  release oxytocin and lower cortisol. In turn, these effects help lower blood pressure and heart rate. Both high blood pressure and increased heart rate are physical symptoms of stress.

13. Spend time in nature

Spending more time outside may help reduce stress.

Studies show that spending time in green spaces such as parks and forests and being immersed in nature are healthy ways to manage stress.

Hiking and camping are great options, but some people don’t enjoy — or have access to — these activities. Even in an urban area, you can seek out green spaces such as local parks, arboretums, and botanical gardens.

14. Practice deep breathing

Mental stress activates your sympathetic nervous system, sending your body into fight-or-flight mode.

During this reaction, stress hormones trigger physical symptoms such as a faster heartbeat, quicker breathing, and constricted blood vessels.

Deep breathing exercises include:

Deep breathing aims to focus your awareness on your breath, making it slower and deeper. When you breathe in deeply through your nose, your lungs fully expand, and your belly rises. This helps slow your heart rate, allowing you to feel at peace.

15. Spend time with a pet

When you cuddle or touch your pet, your body releases oxytocin — a hormone linked to a positive mood.

Having a pet may also help relieve stress by giving you purpose, keeping you active, and providing companionship.

16. Consider supplements

Several vitamins and minerals play an important role in your body’s stress response and mood regulation. As such, a deficiency in one or more nutrients may affect your mental health and ability to cope with stress.

Some studies show that certain dietary supplements may help reduce stress and improve mood.

For example, your magnesium levels may deplete when you’re chronically stressed.

Other supplements, including Rhodiola, ashwagandha, B vitamins, and L-theanine, may also help reduce stress, though more research is needed to understand their potential benefits better.

However, dietary supplements may not be appropriate or safe for everyone. Consult a healthcare professional if you’re interested in using supplements to help relieve stress.

The bottom line

Although stress is unavoidable, being chronically stressed takes a toll on your physical and mental health.

Fortunately, several evidence-based strategies can help you reduce stress and improve your overall psychological well-being.

Exercise, mindfulness, spending time with a pet, minimizing screen time, and getting outside more often are all effective methods.

0

Are you stressed? These bible verses will help!

Today on The Morning Thing, we shared 5 bible verses to reflect on when you are stressed.

Stress impacts all areas of our lives – mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. God wants us to come to Him when we find ourselves in stressful situations. He is there, ready to take the burden.

Please take a few minutes to read this full article from author, Vivian Bricker. Click HERE to read her insight and the full article shared on Christianity.com

1. Matthew 6:34

 “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

2. Matthew 11:28

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

3. John 14:27

In this Bible verse, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

4. 1 Peter 5:7

 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 

5. Exodus 14:14

This passage from the Old Testament says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Vivian Bricker loves Jesus, studying the Word of God, and helping others in their walk with Christ. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degree in Christian Ministry with a deep academic emphasis in theology. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outside. When she is not writing, she is embarking on other adventures.

0

The Morning Thing celebrates Bubble Wrap and more ways to relieve stress

Today (1/25/21) is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day! This fun, stress-relieving toy was actually created by accident. Click HERE to read up on the history of bubble wrap and how it was finally used for preserving delicate items through shipping.
(picture from www.daysoftheyear.com)

We love to use bubble wrap to decrease our stress. Our advice is to keep some on hand for popping when you feel anxious or stressed.

We also shared some other great and simple ways to relieve stress:
Click HERE for the full article.
16 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety from www.healthline.com

  1. Exercise
  2. Consider Supplements
  3. Light a candle
  4. Reduce your caffeine intake
  5. Write it down
  6. Chew Gum
  7. Spend time with friends and family
  8. Laugh
  9. Learn to say no
  10. Learn to avoid procrastination
  11. Take a yoga class
  12. Practice mindfulness
  13. Cuddle
  14. Listen to soothing music
  15. Deep breathing
  16. Spend time with your pet

The bottom line – Although stress and anxiety may arise in your workplace
and personal life, there are many simple ways to reduce the pressure you feel.
These tips often involve getting your mind away from the source of stress.
Exercise, mindfulness, music and physical intimacy can all work to relieve
anxiety — and they will improve your overall work-life balance as well.

0

Got Stress? The Morning Thing is here to help!

Today we visited the topic of stress and we looked at several different topics around stress. The first topic we looked at are life events that Americans voted are most stressful, ranked from 1-10. Find that list HERE.

We also took a stress test that shows us what is causing the most stress in our individual lives. The test can be found HERE if you would like to see what is causing you the most stress.

Lastly we talked about some effective ways to handle and deal with stress. Some of which include dancing like no one is watching. To see the full list click HERE.

You are not alone.
If you need help, reach out. Focus on the Family provides Counseling Consultation and Referrals. Help is here! They can help you bring healing and restoration to your family with Christian perspectives you can trust.
Call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time), or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

Picture by Pedro Figueras from Pexels

0

Your daily schedule can help you fight stress

Did you know that your daily schedule can actually help you build resilience? The ability to adapt to stress is something you can develop through practice.

On Thursday’s show (9/3), we talked about how to use your schedule to fight stress and anxiety in your life.

Click HERE to see the full article from www.sharecare.com

In the morning

Let the sunshine in – Start the day with a blast of sunlight and some physical activity, ideally a walk outside.

Fuel up – Eating a breakfast with a balance of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats will give you energy to sustain your brain and body through the morning. Try:

  • Avocado slices on whole grain toast
  • Oatmeal cooked with walnuts, frozen blueberries and low-fat milk
  • Low-fat Greek yogurt topped with granola and fresh berries

Sit in stillness – Before diving into your day, take a moment to sit and tune in to the flow of your breath at one point in your body, whether at your nose or your belly. Once you’ve found a little quiet, direct your attention to your thoughts. Starting the day with this mindset reminds you that stress is inevitable, it flows through all of us—but stress is not who you are. As we develop this mindful approach to our thoughts, we begin to learn how our minds work and how we respond to internal and external experiences, explains Brewer.

In the afternoon

Lunchtime talk – Make it a point to have a meaningful conversation with someone—a coworker, an old friend, a family member or even a licensed therapist—as part of your break. Talking about your worries can help you identify what’s bothering you. Active listening, meanwhile, strengthens your connection with others and can help put into perspective what you’re going through.

Stretch break – Throughout your day, remember to get up periodically to move your body and stretch your legs. Spend a few minutes looking out the window or with your eyes closed and find that in-and-out flow of your breath.  

In the evening

Spread kindness – Whether you realize it or not, you probably help a number of people, whether coworkers or family members, throughout your day. But reaching out beyond your circle to perform deliberate acts of kindness is an important component of developing resilience. If you have the resources to donate, make a daily micro-payment to a favorite charity. If you have time to spare, take a half hour to pick up groceries for a friend or to run a parcel to the post office for an elderly neighbor.

Have a laugh – Research suggests that laughter offers a number of health benefits, from reducing levels of stress hormones to boosting the immune system. If you find something really good, share it: Having a laugh with friends also triggers the production of endorphins—feel-good chemicals in the brain—which may help people bond and form relationships, suggests one 2017 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Clock out – In order to do it all over again tomorrow, you need a good night’s rest. Set a reminder on your phone to let you know when to start winding down, at least an hour before lights out. Jot down your key to-dos for the next day so they’re not rattling around in your brain when your head hits the pillow.

If you nailed your resilience-building points today, give yourself credit. If you missed the mark in a few places, know that there’s a new day tomorrow to keep making progress.

(pictures from http://www.sharecare.com)

0

It is National Stress Awareness Day – how will you celebrate?

stress-awareness-day1-e1446375185640-808x380

What do we mean “celebrate” National Stress Awareness Day?! If we are honest, all of us deal with stress on some level. Stress Awareness Day was set aside as time to be aware of the stress in our lives and how it affects us.

History of Stress Awareness Day (from www.daysoftheyear.com)
Stress Awareness Day was established by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) to help provide information on stress, and strategies on how to address it for both companies and individuals. The organization is focused on helping employers and employees help each other by providing comprehensive guides to establishing a program within their organization, and individuals by looking after their health and well-being on a day to day basis.

Stress Awareness Day is your opportunity to start looking after yourself and your life, and break down the individual stressors in your life. Failure to deal with stress in your life effectively can lead to serious health problems, including increased blood pressure, susceptibility to heart disease, and a decline in your immune system. Once you start experiencing these symptoms they can landslide into each other, resulting in growing sickness, and by extension, more stress. It’s truly a self-feeding problem, and a cycle that is necessary to control to enjoy our lives.

How to Celebrate Stress Awareness Day (from www.daysoftheyear.com)
The best way to celebrate Stress Awareness Day is to take the opportunity to remove the stress from your life for the day. Take the time to examine your life and find out where all the stressors lie, and start looking into taking steps to remove them or find ways to mitigate them. Removing stress from your life can start off as a stressful experience, so it can help to get the assistance from organizations like ISMA to look into strategies and support in how to manage those things in your life that cause stress.

Whatever you choose to do, take the time to take a day off and let yourself have a day of freedom. If it’s sickness, do something to help you focus on something other than that sickness. Stress can be a killer, don’t let it take one more day from your life, act now and start living a stress free life!

Today, The Morning Thing shared some ways to relieve stress from Focus on the Family.
Click HERE for the full article.
Here are some tips excerpted from Tools for Time Management by Edward R. Dayton.

  • Staying ahead of your work is a good way to relieve the pressure of schedules. By scheduling a completion time 10 percent to 20 percent ahead, you have the peace of knowing there’s time to recover if things go wrong.
  • Doing the hard things first, particularly if they have a great deal of emotional content, will relieve the subterranean emotions that tend to plague us in different situations.
  • Getting enough sleep is a must. Know how long you can get along with a reduced amount.
  • Do the difficult tasks in phases. Often a “first draft” will get you 80 percent of the way along. Time for “topping off” the finished product can be better foreseen, and meeting the deadline seems less of a task.
  • Have planned recreation and hobbies. I am a wood carver and a carpenter of sorts. Setting aside time for this activity helps me relax. Other people enjoy different methods of unwinding. One of my close friends has a way of announcing to his secretary when he will be finding some relief. If he says, “I’m going to inspect some real estate at 3 o’clock,” you can be sure that you’ll find him on the first tee at the golf course.
  • Admitting and verbalizing the causes for your own irritations (be they lack of sleep, overworking, too much stress or what have you) helps [keep] others from getting emotional with you and triggering unexpected explosions.
  • Facing up to the fact you really can’t do all the things you scheduled and that some of them need to be postponed is probably the best relief valve of all. This can be a humbling experience, but the rewards in personal well-being are great.
0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑