Diet and Lifestyle to Manage Stress / Anxiety

Overview

Stress has become an integral part of life.
Professional commitment and growing demands has taken toll of one’s life.
Disappointment, expectation, frustration, no satisfaction is something that people have started facing every day.
Though responsibilities and work is something that not going to end till our lifetime but we can manage stress to a reasonable level by taking few measures and making small changes in our life.

Opt for Healthy Diet and Lifestyle to Stay Stress Free and Enjoy Your Life to the Fullest.

Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle can help in reversing the stress and also reducing the negative effects of stress.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is important for the health and wellness of the body.

1. Exercise

Daily exercise helps a great deal in removing harmful toxins from the body and reducing fatigue.
It releases endorphins into the brain that relaxes ones mood.
It also prevent other health problems in the body.

2. Sleep

Adequate amount of sleep is a key to the healthy life and benefits both emotionally and physically.
In addition to this, sleep also boosts sex drive.

3. Limit Cell Phones and Internet

Though various social networking sites are a source of socializing but in an actual term we are isolating our self from the real world.
Try to give some time to yourself and appreciate the nature rather than the “fictitious world” that most of us live in.

4. Organizing

People who are well organized in their life have the ability to face any kind of hurdle.
They see every problem very practically and always come up with a solution.

5. Make a Journal

Our faced pace life doesn’t even gives us time to speak to our self.
Keeping a journal and writing how you feel will help you to actually know your problem and you will discover that you have the ability to solve your problems.

6. Manage Time

This is one of the main reason of stress for many people.
Lack of time for our self and loved ones frustrates us and changes in the form of stress.
Divide time both for your personal and professional life. This will keep you happy as well as satisfied.

7. Do What You Love

Most valuable and important things in life are free.
If a dance move or soothing music is enough for cheering you up then go for it whenever you feel low.

8. Stay Away From Negativity

Stay away from the people who makes you feel bad about yourself.
Try to stop interacting with such individual altogether and focus on the people who bring happiness in your life.

9. Face Your Problem

Some of the thing that we all do when we are stressed out is cutting off contacts with family and friends.
We try to isolate our self from the world thinking that it will keep us away from all kinds of problem but it can only offer us temporary solution.
Face your problem, try to find solution.
That will give you immense satisfaction at the end of the day.

10. Laugh Often

Laughing is a good therapy.
Laughter stimulate circulation and helps in muscle relaxation.
In a long term, it also improves the immune system and provides personal satisfaction.

11. Spend Time with Your Family and Friends

Spending time with the people whom you know actually love you can help in a big way of releasing frustration.
Moreover, they can also show you a different perspective of looking into things.

12. Avoid Procrastination

Procrastination generally means carrying out less important task in place of urgent and important things.
Procrastinating will bundle up task that you have to do one day or the other which will eventually lead to stress.
Try to prioritize things in your life and working according to that.

13. Set Boundaries

Being optimistic is a good thing but being over ambitious can put you in trouble.
Stop rushing, take things in easy pace and enjoy each and every phase of your journey to the success.

14. Cry Out Loud

Though crying is always associated with grief but crying sometimes can help in releasing stress.
Since crying is also one way of expressing ones feeling when someone is crying he or she is releasing that stress or feeling.
But that nowhere means one should always cry.
Keep smiling because ‘Life is Beautiful’.

15. Sex

Though most of us confine sex to the pleasure but having sex has a lot of health benefits.
Sex helps a great deal in improving the mood.
Those who indulge in a regular bed activity can handle the stress more effectively and are happier people.

16. Yoga

Yoga is an effective stress reliever and also helps in reducing the anxiety level in the body.
Anxiety is the common cause of mental illness among most of the people in the world.
Yoga helps a great deal in alleviating stress and anxiety.

There are some Yoga poses that One can Practice Every Day for Reducing Stress Level.

Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal)
Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)
Bitilasana (Cow Pose)
Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)
Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)
Marjaryasana (Cat Pose)
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
Balasana (Child’s Pose)

17. Meditation

Meditation has been in practice from thousands of years for getting rid of various kinds of ailments and providing deep relaxation to both mind and body.
Meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
It helps in reducing negative emotion in the body and managing stress.

18. Pranayama or Breathing Exercise

Pranayama helps to control the flow of life force.
Pranayama like Sukha Pranayama helps in relieving stress, hypertension and depression.
Likewise, Sheetali also reduces tension and high blood pressure.
Bhramari and NadiShodhan relax the body muscles and provide peace and joy.

19. Massage

Massage is an effective way of reducing and managing stress.
It relaxes muscles, slows down the breathing rate and also decelerate heart rates.
Massage reduces the muscular tension of the body and provides immediate relief.

20. Shirodhara

Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic therapy that stabilizes and balances the mind.
It is the most effective treatment for reducing stress.
It enhances the blood circulation of the brain and calms mind and body.
Shirodhara also improves insomnia and improves metabolism.
It makes a part of Panchkarma.

Things to Avoid in Lifestyle for Reducing Stress

Improper sleep
Smoking
Alcohol
Late night work
Sitting in front of computer 24/7

Diet

People who eat a healthy and balanced diet are far happier than the one who eat poor diet.
Eating healthy and nutritious food is the simplest and basic way of reducing stress.
Green vegetables and fruits provides body the ability to fight back the ill-effects of stress.
Nutritious food items also controls the anxiety level of a person.
One should take healthy diet on everyday basis for overall wellbeing.
Therefore it is very particular about the food that we eat.
Some of the food items that can helps us to reduce the stress level are fruits, vegetables, yoghurts, fish and soups.

1. Green Tea

Green tea is known for its anti-oxidant and rejuvenating properties.
It works great in reducing stress level and in improving the immunity in the body.

2. Milk

Milk is the great stress buster.
Milk contains calcium that helps in easing anxiety and controlling mood swings related to PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
If you are fat conscious, you can opt for skim or low-fat milk.

3. Raw Vegetables

Raw veggies helps us to ease the stress levels in the body.
Crunchy vegetables helps us to ward off the tension.

4. Nuts

Nuts like pistachios, walnuts and almonds helps in reducing the stress level in the body.
In addition to this, nuts eases the heart’s inflammation and also protects the body from the ill-effects of stress but make sure that you don’t overdo it since they are rich in calories.

5. Spinach

Spinach is a very nutritious food item.
It contains magnesium that improves body’s response to stress and also prevent migraine headaches.

6. Asparagus

It is a rich source of folic acid.
It produces serotonin.
Serotonin is the chief chemical that affects the stress level in the body.
It also stabilizes mood.

7. Carrots

Munchy vegetables like carrots helps a great deal in warding off stress.
It is considered a smart snacks for relieving stress.
In addition to this, it comes under low calorie diet so one does not have to worry about extra calorie or weight gain.

8. Avocados

It is a good source of monounsaturated fat and potassium that lowers blood pressure.
By managing blood pressure, it reduces the ill-effects of stress.

9. Fish Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Food containing omega-3 fatty acids like salmon enhances the serotonin level in the body.
It also limits the production of anxiety producing hormone in the body like adrenaline and cortisol.