5 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress

These 5 Natural Ways to Reduce Stress will Have You Smiling Again in No Time!

Stress. We all suffer stress at some time in our lives. And stress has a bad habit of creeping up on you – sometimes you don’t even notice – and it can have drastic effects on your health.

Today’s world can be hectic. As a result our stress hormone, cortisol, works overtime. And that’s not good, because it’s not supposed to.

Cortisol is designed to work when we’re in physical danger – for example, when our cave-man ancestors suddenly faced a fearsome animal like a saber-toothed tiger.  Cortisol isn’t required when the kids are late for school, you’re 10 minutes late for work and still stuck in traffic and someone has just cut you off. But when you’re stressed, cortisol is there.

And today, regardless of what is causing your stress, you need to find effective, natural ways to reduce it.

Medication is not a great idea. Modern medicine is fabulous, and we are able to cure many things previously thought impossible. Prescription meds may offer short-term relief, but to reduce stress more permanently and safely, we need natural options.

So here are 5 natural methods you can use to help reduce your stress levels – and I’ve put my favourite as #1.

Reduce Stress With Dark Chocolate (Yum!)

Most people enjoy chocolate (I love it!). But for health and anti-stress purposes, it needs to be plain, dark chocolate, preferably with 80% or higher cacao content. (Milk chocolate and other varieties are loaded with sugar and not much else).

So why is chocolate good for stress? Dark chocolate contains a compound known as epicatechin, which is known to improve heart health and brain function.

Epicatechin also has the ability to reduce the effects of stress, and perceived stress.

What’s the difference between stress and perceived stress? We all feel stress differently – something that affects me might not bother you at all. So improving your threshold that causes negative effects is important.

(Of course, dark chocolate only helps when you eat it in moderation, a couple of squares a day).

Reduce Stress with Exercise

We all know that exercise is great for our physical health. But it also impacts our emotional well-being too – exercise can reduce the negative effects of a stressful lifestyle.

When you exercise, you eventually get lovely brain chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are “feel-good” chemicals. Not only do you feel good after exercise, but you also feel more relaxed and your stress levels reduce, because cortisol is reduced.

For best results, exercise at least 3 times a week, and be sure to include weight-bearing exercises.

Reduce Stress With A Massage

On the tiny tropical island where I now live, there are mini-spas and massage therapists on every street corner. Not to mention all the gorgeous hotels which have fabulous spas.

The locals here know the benefits of massage. And it’s true – after a massage you feel relaxed and calm.

This is because stress is much more than mental. You feel stress throughout your body – muscular pain, tension, inability to sleep and much, much more. A relaxing massage will help to relieve the tension and help you sleep better.

You could also consider acupressure, which is using focused pressure at specific acupoints in order to get “chi” flowing again. Chi (or qi) is believed to be life energy, with blockages of it resulting in many maladies that we cannot fully explain. Acupressure is documented to have profound effects on reducing stress levels.

Reduce Stress By Meditating

When I was growing up in Ireland, meditation was regarded as “a hippie thing” and not for “real” people with jobs and families and bills to pay.

And that’s a shame. Perhaps meditation should be taught in schools, so we all grow up with it, and it’s as natural as breathing.

Meditation has a deep and profound effect on so many facets of our health – and yet, although it’s becoming more popular, it’s still not widely used.

You can make meditation as simple or as complex as you wish – but essentially it’s simply about focusing your mind on absolutely nothing beyond the immediate present. (You don’t even have to sit in the classic position shown in the photo).

When you are worried or anxious, your stress increases. But meditation helps to eliminate worry of the future or the past.

Laugh And Have A Good Time

And finally, let’s end on some great news. The number one enemy of stress is fun.

As Readers’ Digest says, “Laughter is the best medicine” – and indeed it can work miracles. It is known to reduce blood pressure, decrease pain perception, and manage the stress hormone cortisol.

When you’re stressed, it seems difficult to take the time to smile and have fun – yet it’s the best easy and natural solution.

Make time and create memories. Enjoy time with family and friends, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Conclusion

This 5 methods are all natural, don’t cost the Earth (they’re green and ecofriendly), and they’re easy!

Eat dark chocolate (in moderation), exercise (find an activity you enjoy), have a massage, meditate every day (even 5 minutes is beneficial), and take time to laugh and create fun memories.

Sounds good to me. What do you think?

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Warm regards,

P.S.  Want to live a simpler, more green and ecofriendly life? (It’s been shown to increase happiness!). You can download your FREE green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here. Get it now!

Related:

• Want some more ways to reduce stress? Here they are – just click!
• The toxic chemicals in the products we use are bad for our health – and they help to cause stress too. Get rid of all the toxic products in your life (you’ll be shocked at where they hide!). It’s easy – see how here!