If you often find stress flaring up, whether because you live a fairly hectic life or are simply more susceptible to stress, then you are likely to appreciate every little piece of advice for relieving it. Thankfully, The Huffington Post has explained various scientifically-supported techniques for de-stressing - so, let's have a closer look at some of them.
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Spend More Time in an Organic Environment.
In November, I mentioned how I didn't tend to pay a lot of attention to natural beauty and wildlife when younger, but have since come to appreciate these things that, as I previously noted, "the world gives us for free". If you tend to ignore greenery in favour of city pursuits, now could be a good time to change tack, as it evidently could do you a lot of good.
Even just walking for 10 minutes in a rural space, like a park, can not only clear your head and lower your stress hormones but also make it easier for you to meditate. If you have often heard or read about meditation but felt unsure where to start with it, you should now feel a little less unsure.
Taking a holiday could be a great way of getting more nature into your life while also giving your usual routine a perhaps long-awaited shake-up. For example, a country weekend break at The Wood Norton hotel, which is in Evesham in Worcestershire, will give you ready access to the lovely rural areas of the Cotswolds and Malvern Hills.
Bring Nature to You, Not Just Vice Versa
Even if you can't easily and regularly reach a green space from where you live, you can still reap Mother Nature's beneficial effect by placing a few plants around your house. A Washington State University study discovered that, while stressed participants entering a plant-packed room saw their blood pressure drop by four points, other participants denied the opportunity to see plants experienced a mere two-point drop.
Get Lippy... In a Good Way.
If you are in a loving relationship, you now have even more reason to kiss your partner: it will relieve your stress through assisting the release of endorphins in your brain. Studying 2,000 couples, researcher Laura Berman, PhD of Northwestern University noticed that those kissing only when having sex were eight times likelier to claim to feel chronically stressed or depressed.
Of course, all of that isn't even considering the happiness that your partner naturally gives you whenever they return home from work, and I don't doubt that they will be amused, but delighted, when you tell them your new reason to shower them with kisses.
Treat Yourself... With Just One Sweet
Here's a way in which reaching into that tin of Roses or Quality Street can actually benefit your health: by eating something sweet, you will hinder stress hormone production. Nonetheless, you don't want to go overboard by tucking into a few too many chocolates and undoing the good work that you have done shifting that weight you put on over Christmas.
Jada x
