Did you know that the number of people in the US who are affected by stress continues to rise?
Main causes of stress include anxiety, financial concerns, work issues, politics, and crime. I’m sure that once in a while you’ve felt like you’re too stressed to function. Being stressed actually affects our health more than we might know. Some impacts of long term stress are high blood pressure, chest pain, headaches, and loss of mental focus.
Don’t wait for stress to be something you can’t handle. Learn how to fight it early on.Here are five things you can do to combat stress—and you can start doing these right away!
- Focus on your breath. This research from Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital found that deep breathing has a positive effect on how our body handles stress! Start with taking three deep breaths every time you sit at your desk, and gradually increase it day by day.
- Learn something new! Choose a new hobby, pick up a new skill, or research on new info. Research says that learning activities can give workers some sort of buffer when it comes to negative emotions and even burnout.
- Stay unplugged in the first hour of your day. Sit down with only a pen and paper. Don’t even look at your laptop! This will help you clear your thoughts and set your goals for the day.
- Declutter! This doesn’t only pertain to your physical things. Why not declutter your emails too? Take time to reply to and delete lingering emails. You’ll feel much better and less pressured and stressed.
- Get some sleep! Getting enough sleep has a lot of positive effects on your body. It’s self care at its best, and by not sacrificing sleep, you can get proper rest and be refreshed and recharged everyday.
Remove stress from your life starting today—do one of these five things. Or better yet, do them all!
Dr. Rob
