Stress relief; 4 activities to help calm your mind

More than 70% of people in the United States of America feel anxious and stressed out most of the time. It can be due to a lot of things, such as their work, family issues, or just their day-to-day routine. 

It can be tough to take out time to manage your stress, but if you are not careful, it may just start overwhelming you. There are quite a few activities that you can take up as a way of stress relief. Some of these should be done every day, while some will be simple distraction methods to help you manage overwhelming stress at one point in time. 

Exercise

Exercise is probably one of the most effective ways to battle stress. Physical stress on your body has the capability of relieving mental stress. Exercising regularly can provide a lot of benefits to both your body and your mind. Just 20 minutes of regular activity can help you lower down the level of cortisol in your body. This stress hormone is decreased, while your happy hormones called endorphins are released through exercise. This is also a natural painkiller. Exercising every day can boost your confidence and your self-esteem, which can help lower down stressors. It can also aid in improving your sleep quality tremendously, thereby decreasing your stress levels.

Quilting

It might seem like an odd thing to do, but this creative outlet is a great way of helping you relieve stress. This carries along with it the time-honored tradition of skill and artistry, but the repetitive motion of sewing and quilting actually helps calm down your mind. It relaxes your brains and can lessen the flight or fight response that is triggered by different stressors. There are a ton of modern quilting courses that you can take up online to learn the skill. This can be done at your home, especially during times when you feel fidgety and need something to do. This also keeps you away from your phone and the internet for quite a long time, which helps reduce stress by itself.

Green tea

Drinking green tea regularly can be quite beneficial in combating stress. This contains quite a few polyphenol antioxidants that can provide multiple health benefits. Some studies have even indicated that green tea can help increase serotonin levels and decrease anxiety.

Lower down your caffeine intake

This stimulant is found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and tea. This might seem like it helps you work, but it can cause quite a lot of anxiety if taken in big amounts. If you feel that coffee is the reason behind your stress and anxiety, consider cutting down on it a bit. Caffeine can be quite healthy, but only if it is had in moderation. Be mindful of saying no to that second cup of coffee in the evening. It will keep you up late at night and bring about more stress for the next day.

Stress relief is quite an important topic that should be discussed regularly. Try out any of these activities to help you lower down your cortisol levels.