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28 May, 2021

5 ways to reduce stress

 Stress, Stress, Stress..

We have been learning more about mental health, anxiety, and stress these days. 

What is Stress?

Stress is the body's reaction to a challenge. It can be positive like when we have to avoid some danger or accomplish any task on time. But, too much of it can negatively affect our health. Stress is the way we react to a difficult situation like anger, frustration, etc.,. 

Even when we train ourselves to be calm, it's not easy to handle all kinds of situations and maintain cool. 


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Signs of Stress:

As per the article from MedlinePlus, the following are some signs of stress:

  • Diarrhea or constipation
  • Forgetfulness
  • Frequent aches and pains
  • Headaches
  • Lack of energy or focus
  • Sexual problems
  • Stiff jaw or neck
  • Tiredness
  • Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Upset stomach
  • Use of alcohol or drugs to relax
  • Weight loss or gain
In long term, stress can cause harm to the body and can be a reason for many diseases.

So, here are 5 ways that I learned from my experience which help in reducing mental stress.


5 ways to reduce stress:


1. Excercise


Exercise found to have many benefits and reducing stress is just one of them. 

Exercise need not mean hitting the gym and working for hours. It can be as simple as dancing to your favorite tune, hiking to explore nature, trying swimming/karate lessons, biking/jogging etc., 

If the activity is something you love, chances are more for you to continue the activity and even enjoy the experience.

PC: www.pixabay.com



2. Explore Hobbies and Fun Activities


Ensure you spend time on your hobbies at least 30 mins a week to start with and increase to more days in a week slowly.

Reading books, painting, even playing simple games online like word search, candy crush, playing board games like chess / Chinese checkers with family can relax your mind.

How games have changed these days? From Tetris, Pacman to PubG, Pokemon.. There are so many games available online and even free on Plays.org. (By the way, this site has no ads, that's a relief :-)). While I liked Arcade games, my kids loved games from the Base Defence category.

Listening to music/ singing songs, learning different types of dance styles/music instruments, etc., are very helpful in reducing anxiety.

3. Enjoy the Outdoors and Nature


Our Earth is gorgeous. Traveling outdoors and discovering different places is relaxing and also a learning experience. 

Experiencing different foods, meeting people from different cultures, traveling to new places, staying near the beauty of nature like forests, mountains, and beaches are definitely mood changers and can brighten our souls. Agree?


Image by Leonardo Valente from Pixabay 



4. Spend time with people you love


Humans are social animals. Love and social interactions are essentials in our lives. It doesn't matter how much we earn, but how many good friends we earn is important. 

Due to Covid, we are not able to meet people in person. Since most of us are getting vaccinated, it's not far when we can go back to family dinners and parties with friends. 

Happiness keeps the stress away. Spending time with loved ones gives us security and satisfaction in life.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude

I came to understand the importance of mindfulness and gratitude a bit late in my life. But, these 2 are great ways to have positive thoughts in our mind which, in turn, reduce stress.

Mindfulness means appreciating the moments in the present. Gratitude is feeling thankful for what we have than worrying about what we don't have.

Image by Alfonso Cerezo from Pixabay 



Enjoying the beauty of flowers blooming in our garden, appreciating the help from a stranger, relishing the smile of our children when they are playing, gorging the delicious food made at home, enjoying a hug from a close friend, etc., - These everyday small things make our day.

Yoga and Meditation can improve mindfulness and positive thinking. When we can stop overthinking and reduce negative thoughts, the mind feels relaxed.

Thus, there are many simple ways to reduce stress in our daily lives. Always remember, for a long-term impact, we should eat a balanced diet, meditate and try to think positively. 

How do you cope up with stress? Would love to know your suggestions in the comments.

Until next time,





Happy to collaborate with Plays.org to write this article on some simple ways to reduce stress. 

1 comment:

  1. Amazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.

    ReplyDelete

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