As if life was not stressful enough, we live in the age of front row access to the disaster show. Whether it is your Facebook feed, local news station, or the Google discovery articles, it is hard not to get bogged down by the horrors of the world.
While we all wait for some good news to come to the horizon, we must figure out a way to function in our day to day lives without being consumed by the negativity.
I personally struggle with the all-consuming beast that is stress and make a conscious effort to battle it daily. Recently, I have tried to find more natural ways of coping with my stress and thought I would share.
Meditation
I'm sure at some point in your life you have either told yourself you would try meditation or someone has suggested that you try it. Did you? It is okay, up until recently I was one of those people who always said they would but never got around to it.
Now, my meditation is something more of a lazy person's version, but I still take the time in the morning to try and do it (as long as I am not already late to work). But on the days I do it, it definitely helps reduce the demons that start my day as a working mom, wife, and adult. You know the ones: Did I pay that bill? Did I miss the deadline? Is it actually possible to squeeze in a workout, cooking dinner, working, spending time with my kid, and being a loving wife into the same day?
I'm sure there are plenty of women who knock the last one out of the park. Me? It may be an issue of quantity over quality some days.
So why and how is meditation helpful? According to Healthline.com there are 12 benefits of meditation:
- -Reduces Stress
- -Controls Anxiety
- -Promotes Emotional Health
- -Enhances Self-Awareness
- -Lengthens Attention Span
- -May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss
- -Can Generate Kindness
- -May Help Fight Addictions
- -Improves Sleep
- -Helps Control Pain
- -Can Decrease Blood Pressure
- -You Can Meditate Anywhere
Need some more guidance? Check out this blog post for tips for beginners.
Tea
Many turn to tea for its natural health benefits. While the market is saturated with prescription and over the counter drugs to deal with the growing levels of stress in our society, there are several teas that also offer benefits for battling stress. Even better? There are no worries about what is really in your stress reliever.
There are tea blends that are great to take in conjuncture with meditation and you can find a detailed list of them right here.
But let's talk about the 6 teas suggested by the Huff Post:
- -Peppermint Tea: The menthol present in the herb is known to be a muscle relaxant and is antispasmodic in nature, helping you relax amidst ongoing mental stress.
- -Chamomile Tea: According to a small 2016 study in the journal Phytomedicine, they found that long-term chamomile use “significantly” reduces moderate-to-severe symptoms of [a] generalized anxiety disorder (one of the most common anxiety disorders).*
- -Lemon Balm Tea: It reduces the stress hormone called cortisol and relaxes the body without causing drowsiness. It also helps to elevate the mood.
- -Green Tea: The polyphenol in green tea helps combat anxiety and stress. Although green tea contains a lot of caffeine, it's adaptogenic in nature such that it keeps you alert yet calm enough without making you feel drowsy
- -Passion Flower Tea: flavone chrysin contained in passion flower has anti-anxiety benefits. Passion flower tea also helps induce peaceful sleep.
- -Rose Tea: has a natural remedy for stress and anxiety by easing the mind. It is also a great option for a night time tea.
Stress and anxiety are a natural thing and something many of us deal with daily. Both have the ability to have a negative impact on your physical and long term mental health.
While it is easy for people to tell you not to stress over little things or even big ones, it is not usually that easy. Take the time to take care of your self. Self-care is more than pampering and luxury, it is a necessity to your well being.
*Source: thecut.com