Stress is an inevitable part of life. Most people find themselves in a stressful situation at least once daily. When your stress levels start to increase, your blood pressure rises. You'll feel muscle tension as the fight or flight response kicks in. Usually, this subsides over time. However, chronic stress can dramatically impact your mental and physical health. This article points out that chronically high stress levels can change the function of the brain, affect the immune system, cause long-term damage to organs, increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, and more. Developing healthy stress management techniques is necessary to bring out the best in yourself. 

1.Art and Mental Health

Art continues to be recognized as a powerful tool to promote relaxation. Drawing, painting, sculpting, and other art forms provide a safe space to release inner emotions, helping reduce stress. Arts therapies courses like the HICAT course at Mind Bloom provide you with guided techniques to help improve your mental health. You'll notice that you have a better quality of life as you learn the powerful impact of creative therapies. 

2. Limit Screen Time

According to the National Institute of Health, people who use screens more, even for social networking, reported higher stress levels. Screen addictions and high levels of screen time can make your brain release more stress hormones and increase the emotional stress you feel. Set a timer to limit the hours you spend in front of a screen as a healthy stress management technique. 

3. Meditation For Stress Relief

Deep breathing is another tried and true stress management technique. You can instantly improve your stress response to stressful events in your daily life by taking time out to practice relaxation techniques. When you're stuck in a traffic jam, put the car in park. Close your eyes, and breathe in slowly through your nose. Then, let the breath out through your mouth. Simply doing this for ten minutes can instantly improve your heart rate. 

4. Eat Healthy Meals

Your diet is crucial to your mental and physical health, including learning how to manage stress. Omega-3 fats and certain vegetables regulate cortisol levels, a common hormone released during stress. Getting plenty of antioxidants can help improve your immune system. Ensuring you have ample vitamins and nutrients encourages cell repair, necessary to repair cells damaged from chronic stress. Consider meal planning to ensure you eat various healthy fruits and vegetables. 

5. Get Physical 

Physical activity is a great stress management technique. Regular exercise like walking or jogging is terrific. Yoga is a great physical activity that promotes mindfulness and helps control your stress response. Exercising regularly helps release specific chemicals in the brain to boost your mood instantly. This can help you beat unnecessary stress before it happens. 

6. Start Connecting 

Connecting with people via a screen or social media has quickly become the norm, but it may differ for you. Instead, try going old school with communication for a little bit. Start talking to your best friend on the phone. Take the time to go out for lunch with a friend group. Genuinely connecting with people gives you an excellent support system to turn to in difficult situations. 

7. Herbal Teas

Herbal teas are great when you're struggling with stress management. Lavender tea produces relaxing effects to help soothe the soul. Sleepytime tea can help quiet your mind and ensure a restful night's sleep. Chamomile tea is well-known for its powerful relaxing properties, allowing the day's stress to fade with every sip. Sometimes, the simple act of relaxing with a hot beverage can help calm your nerves. 

8. Hands-On Hobbies

Hands-on hobbies are a fantastic way to reduce stress levels. The rhythmic movement of painting or knitting provides a calming effect. Focusing on things like making a specific stitch or sculpting encourages mindfulness because it forces you to be present in the moment. Worrying about life's stressors is challenging when your mind is engrossed in creating something beautiful. These hobbies can provide you with instant stress management techniques.

9. Ground Yourself

Grounding is also called earthing. During grounding practices, you connect your body with the physical energy of the Earth. There is a transfer of energy to help you become more grounded or balanced. Grounding can instantly help improve your mood, strengthen your immune system, help you sleep more deeply to get the hours of sleep you need, help prevent autoimmune conditions, and more. This article comprehensively reviews the research and scientific evidence behind grounding. 

Grounding involves your bare skin being in contact with the ground, which most people rarely do. In Western society, we wear shoes to do everything. Most people only ground themselves if they head to the beach. Here are a few ways you can practice grounding: 

• Purchase grounding shoes or socks

• Invest in a grounding mat for an office chair

• Meditate outside while barefoot

• Walk in your yard barefoot

• Walk barefoot on an unpainted basement floor

Grounding is simply connecting to the Earth. Being barefoot outside is the most popular grounding method. Still, you can touch anything connected to the ground to practice earthing. Ensure it's not painted or covered in a coating. Practice grounding for at least thirty minutes daily for those trying to learn new stress management techniques. 

10. Reduce Stressors

One of the most important things to remember about stress management techniques is reducing stress when possible. Start by journaling. Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a beautiful stress management method to help release negative emotions that build up throughout the day. 

After journaling, re-read what you've written. This can help you identify particular stressors in life. For example, if you notice that you're consistently stressed because you're overwhelmed taking care of your children, consider hiring a sitter to enjoy some personal time weekly. You can also identify critical things you're not doing, like being creative weekly or going outside; it's easier to identify these when you read your thoughts after writing them. 

Final Thoughts

We all have to deal with stress. Mind Bloom offers several ways to combat life's stresses. We provide a safe space for you to develop the stress management techniques necessary to blossom into the best version of yourself. Through our HICAT course, you can learn the many benefits of therapy. Explore the rest of our website to find other ways to soothe your soul. 

-MindBloom Team