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It should come as no surprise to learn that stress and anxiety weigh you down in more ways than you can imagine.
When you don’t deal with it, stress can manifest itself as persistent body aches and pains, weight gain, acne, fatigue, and even depression.
If you’re constantly trying to keep up at work or dealing with a tumultuous relationship, you might not even realize the toll it’s taking on your mind and body.
While some situations take more time to get through than others, there are quick, simple ways to immediately relieve stress when you need desperately need it:
- Listen to music: When your mind won’t stop racing, a simple song can have a powerful effect on lowering stress levels. According to Healthline, positive music can instantly lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol, a stress hormone that has also been linked to belly fat.
- Take a moment to laugh: If you can’t find the humor in your own stress, try watching a funny video or looking at a hilarious photo. Like music, laughter can help reduce cortisol levels, as well as adrenaline.
- Call a friend: Who better to help you with a big problem than your best friend? Just hearing a friend’s voice can immediately soothe your mind. Instead of anxiously thinking about the same issue in your head over and over again, a friend can offer real advice, so you don’t have to think about it as much.
- Take a walk: A little sunlight and fresh air can do wonders for your stress levels. Make sure you’re walking at a leisurely pace, taking in your surroundings. Focusing on the beauty around you can help take your mind off of your stressful thoughts.
- Drink a cup of tea: Hot liquids are known to help us feel more relaxed, so a cup of tea might be just what you need to get rid of a little extra stress. According to Healthline, studies show that black tea, especially, may reduce cortisol levels.
- Try aromatherapy: Rosemary, peppermint, lavender, and lemon have all been shown to improve mood and reduce stress levels. Lavender can have an especially calming effect when you feel like you need to chill out and take a break.
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- Meditate: If you’ve never tried meditation, now would be the perfect time to start. Nothing shuts out anxiety-inducing thoughts quicker than complete mental silence. According to the Mayo Clinic, practicing meditation has been shown to help manage symptoms associated with sleep problems, anxiety, depression, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, aches and pains, and even cancer.
Do you have any quick stress-reducing tips to add? Let us know in the comments!
Photo Copyright © 2011 Santos "Grim Santo" Gonzalez/Flickr
