Most of the time, healthy living would mean stable vital signs, eating right, and becoming proactive. But sometimes, the real essence of such term would not be complete if we face a lot of stressors from our day-to-day life.
Stress is everywhere. It is found in the outside environment, and it also exists within us. External stressors are those that we face everyday, such as the workloads in our office, the blazing heat of the sun, pollution, and even the people we deal with. On the other hand, internal stressors are those that are happening inside our body (biological stressors) and those that alter our thoughts and emotions (psychological stressors). Examples of these include the microorganisms that cause diseases, anger, and anxiety. All of these stressors can ruin a healthy living that is why sometimes we become ill, baffled, or fatigued.
So how do we counteract stress? There are a thousand ways to avoid such heavy pressure, and lucky for us because we can utilize both traditional and contemporary stress management interventions. Some of these include the following:
Yoga. A very relaxing form of mind and body exercise that originated from India. Yoga combines the discipline of the mind with physical exercise to release tension that accumulated within us.
Whole Body Massage. Often times, stress can be manifested through tired muscles. A massage can help alleviate nervous tension and promote positive flow of blood and energy to our cells and organs.
Sleep. Oftentimes, when we feel beaten up from work, the first thing we seek is some time for sleep. Not only it relaxes you, but during hours of sleep, your overused muscles and organs decelerates allowing the cells to gather more energy. Sleep also lightens up your thoughts, especially after studying for long exams.
Play. If your thoughts have gone too far, relax your mind and play. It will not only balance your mind and body coordination, but during play, you can also unwind your thoughts and focus for something else rather than your problems in life. A good game of chess, badminton, or swimming is a perfect stress relief.
Pray. Maybe prayer is only done to ask something from a supreme being, but this isn’t all. When you pray and meditate, you are talking to someone whom you are comfortable with to share your worries and problems in life. Fifteen minutes of prayer and silence can already help a lot to wind down your thoughts and secure your feelings.
Be Happy. No matter how hassled and frazzled you are, you need to keep that smile on your face. Look at the brighter side and always stay positive, even if you are lugging grave burdens in life. When you become optimistic and remain cheerful throughout the day, you will realize that you can think clearly of solutions to your problems, and you can continue living as if there is nothing to be worry – and actually there is none when you stay happy.
A Healthy living is indeed a stress-free life. But we can’t avoid daily stressors, therefore we need to find solutions to neutralize them, and these stress-management interventions are the best answers.
By Anonymous