13 Habits of Stressed People

My entire blog has been about habits we need to develop as people with low stress levels. Today we're going to look at the habits of stressed people (hint...do the opposite!) This article was found here.

• Drink too much caffeine. 
• Constantly vent. Every once in awhile is good!
• Obsess over things they can't change. 
• Eat food that isn't healthy.
• Get overwhelmed easily.
• Don't get enough sleep.
• Overanalyze.
• Don't exercise. 
• Overload their schedules.
• Try to do everything on their own.
• Focus on the bad instead of the good. 
• Procrastinate.
• Rush through life. 

Do some of these habits sound like you? Let's use the habits I've written about in previous posts to reduce our stress levels and promote peace! 

Photo from this link

4 A's of Stress Relief

I discovered these 4 A's of Stress Relief by the Mayo Clinic from Pinterest, the source of all knowledge. These tips are so easy and encompass pretty much every area of your life! I'm learning that the journey to a stress-free lifestyle will have to address your whole life and your habits, but your new habits will reap so much more peace. The first key to stress management is changing the level of your stressors, and the second key is increasing your ability to cope with stressors. 

Avoid

Avoid needless stress. "Plan ahead, rearrange your surroundings and reap the benefits of a lighter load." Take control of the things you have control over, even if it means leaving early to beat the morning traffic. Avoid people who bother you. Learn to say no to unnecessary and unwanted responsibility. Label your to-do list with A's, B's, and C's according to importance. If you're having a busy day, its okay to not finish the C's! However, some problems can't be overlooked and need to be dealt with so create a happy medium.

Alter

"One of the best things you can do during times of stress is to take inventory, then attempt to change your situation for the better." Respectfully ask others to change their behavior and do the same. Communicate your feelings. Manage your time better by organizing your day so like tasks will be completed in the same time frame. State time limits in advance before meetings with colleagues or friends. 

Accept

Sometimes there is no choice but to accept the way things are. Talk with people about what you're feeling. Like my pastor always says, it's okay to not be okay but it isn't okay to stay that way. Forgive freely and move on. Practice talking to yourself positively. Learn from your mistakes. 

Adapt

Adjust your standards, realizing that perfection is often unattainable. Redefine success and perfection so you have less guilt to deal with. Practice stopping negative thoughts as they enter your mind. Refuse to see situations as negative situations. Look at the issue from a new vantage point, seeing the positive aspects of it. Adopt a mantra such as "I can do this" and repeat it in stressful situations. Create a column with all of the things you enjoy in life to look at when you feel stressed or hopeless. Look at the big picture- will this stressor now matter in five years?

Which of the A's do you use most in your life? Which do you need to work on?

5 Minute Meditation

For those of us practicing mindfulness, it can be difficult to set aside a large chunk of time in the day for prayer or meditation. I find it necessary to carve out an hour to center myself in God's presence. However, while I'm in my stressful school and work environments, I may not be able to find that calming time to relax. This breathing exercise is an incredible way to de-stress, even for 5 minutes. After you calm your breathing, you will be more alert and able to focus fully on the task at hand. Try this exercise once every hour today. I think you'll be amazed at how it changes your outlook on a stressful situation...I know it has for me!

Infographic from this link

How do you quiet your busy mind when you're at school or work?

Yoga Poses for Your Mind

I've had some readers ask for more yoga posts, so I found this infographic displaying yoga poses that are beneficial for your body and your mind. Some of these look really difficult, especially for newbies like me, but I want to work up to these poses. I encourage you to do some research on yoga sequences, or if you're like me, look on Pinterest for videos and infographics. There is so much out there!

Infographic from this link 

How have you been incorporating yoga into your life? Have you seen results in your overall stress level?

Mindfulness

The last CAM therapy I want to talk about (from Tessa Graf's presentation at Aperion) is mindfulness. This therapy can include meditation, prayer, counseling, and even just being present and aware of the good and the bad in your life. It includes acknowledging and not ignoring that I might not be okay and that I need to have focused time to relax and be alone. I am a lover of Jesus Christ so I pray often as a part of my relationship with Him. God is my constant and my refuge when circumstances and relationships change. I know I can always run to Him when I feel like I can't handle what I'm going through.

Graf says the people who will benefit from this the most are those who live in a fast-paced society (all of us) or who have chronic pain as a result from stress. It is so beneficial to set aside time to be quiet and reflect on your life and things you hope for. You have to individually choose to practice one of these techniques, but I promise you will see results in your decreased stress levels if you are consistent.

Picture from this link

How are you mindful? Do you pray or meditate in the morning?

Art Therapy...wha?

I must admit- when Tessa Graf from Aperion started talking about art therapy, I wanted to tune out. I am not an artist and I don't really enjoy drawing. According to Graf, art therapy can be very therapeutic and can significantly reduce stress levels, regardless of the type of art. She research studies done with art creation and also psychotherapy- where the patient interprets a previously made piece. She even looked at women in textiles, who created sewn or knitted "works of art.". In all these studies, stress was significantly reduced in all settings. Art therapy can even be used by people with physical disabilities, such as vision or hearing problems.

As I researched what to write about for this post, I realized that art therapy can be a wide range of things. On the LifeHack website, I found the post 20 Art Therapy Activities You Can Try At Home to DeStress. This post outlines 20 different ways to incorporate art therapy in your own life- from things like designing a post card and using magnetic words for poetry, to gardening and redecorating a room (which I LOVE).

I also love photography, which I think could definitely be considered a form of art therapy. It calms me and creates a sense of peace in my life when I can look at nature or beautiful things and capture it on my camera. It is therapeutic for me and I want to start intentionally devoting time to photography.

How do you use art therapy in a college setting to reduce your stress? Read the article above and tell me your favorite activities!

I took this picture on my mission trip to Honduras. It was
 a huge fruit stand on the side of the road. We stopped on our
6-hour drive into the mountains. Adventure! 

Massage Therapy for Stress Relief

Ahhhh. I've always wanted to go to a spa and receive a real massage. More than just for my relaxation and pleasure, a massage can be used to reduce my stress levels for 26 weeks or more according to Tessa Graf of my Apeiron experience. Just one massage session can reduce self-reported anxiety by incredible numbers! Massages consist of manipulation of the soft tissue. It can improve circulation, relaxation, overall well-being, and pain reduction. According to Graf, the people who can best benefit from massage therapy are those with chronic pain due to stress. I definitely fall into that category because I get headaches and tight, painful knots in my shoulders and neck from stress.

Since I don't have a lot of experience with massage, I wanted to give you another resource page that gives several techniques for stress relief. The results are listed below, so please visit the page and try them on yourself or someone you know! I will definitely be utilizing these techniques with finals coming up. Click on the link below to try them with me!

Massage Therapy for Stress Relief and Much More by Susan Seliger

• Relieve Tired Eyes
• Ease Headaches and Tension
• Relax the Hands (especially after typing all day...or night)
• Relieve Neck Tension
• Loosen Tight Shoulders
• Release the Lower Back
• Soothe Tired Feet

Picture from http://cubiclebot.com/comics/a-different-kind-of-foot-massage/

Get Your Yoga On

Believe it or not, you don't have to be the skinny mom at the gym or the dirty hippie guy on the Union Lawn to do yoga. There are many types of yoga, but they all consist of stretching, strengthening, and breathing. According to Tessa Graf from my Apeiron post, the people who best benefit from yoga are those who live in a fast-paced society. Ahem, all of us. It can also help people with mobility problems. Graf gave the example of people in assisted living completing chair yoga. It can be modified for every person and has incredible benefits for stress relief.

I haven't ever consistently done yoga but I would like to start doing short combinations of poses to help strengthen my body and reduce my stress levels. This video from Youtuber erinmotz gives several great stress relief tips and shows you some moves even the newest beginner can try. The best part is, all of this can be done in a dorm room! Let me know what you think, and tell me if you've found other poses that help you! 

Why You Can Make Art and Get Massages for Stress Relief

This weekend was the Apeiron research presentation day at my university. At this event, students present research or practicums they have completed over the year for other students, faculty, and community members. Tessa Graf, a psychology student, completed research over Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies (CAM) for stress reduction and I was so intrigued by what she discovered.

Did you know 43% of adults feel like they aren't managing their stress, and 54% of college students report feeling overwhelming anxiety? You could use pills and medicines to reduce these ailments, but for those of us who are hesitant to try or who have tried and not been successful with pills, there are alternative therapies that could prove to be more successful than the pharmaceutical route.

In the next few blog posts, I will be outlining the therapies Graf researched. I think it is so important to look seriously at alternative therapies because many of them are free! Below is a list of alternative therapies to research for yourself...it might be worth it!

• Stress and relaxation techniques
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Acupuncture
• Kava
• Homeopathic or naturopathic medicine
• Dietary supplements or herbal products
• Massage therapy
• Art, music, or dance therapy
• Meditation, prayer, or pastoral counseling, including mindfulness
• Bioelectromagnetic therapies

*This list was adapted from a post by the American Anxiety and Depression Association of America

7 Foods to Fight Stress

I've mentioned nutrition before, but I LOVE eating healthy, fresh ingredients in my meals! Nutrition is important to not only our stress levels, but also our overall health and ability to fight off disease. I am vowing to try to eat healthy during finals this semester so I don't get sick. A great way to do that is to incorporate these 7 foods into my diet! This list is by Linnea Jensen at Mind Body Green.

Dark Chocolate

If the bar is 70% cacao or higher, dark chocolate can alleviate stress and promote relaxation. It contains phenethylamine, which the chemical that explains why we feel SO GOOD when we eat chocolate. 

Spinach

I know, quite the letdown after the last food. But spinach is high in magnesium, which "improves your body's overall response to stress and stops blood pressure from spiking." I put it in my smoothies with a bunch of fruit so I can't taste it, or I cook it into scrambled eggs in the morning. Mmm.

Oatmeal

When you are stressed and crave carbs, choose a complex carbohydrate like oatmeal. These help your body produce seratonin, which can relax you and reduce anxiety. This is also great for those of us who have low blood sugar and need to eat things that won't mess up our levels. 

Walnuts

Eating 1 ounce of walnuts a day can prevent "blood pressure from rising and keeps your anxiety levels in check." For those of you with high blood pressure, this sounds like a dream come true!

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds contain folate, which makes you feel good and helps you "take control of your emotional responses."

Blueberries

When the body is stressed, it releases high amounts of the hormone cortisol. The antioxidants in blueberries counteracts this hormone and reduces the effects of stress on your body.

Salmon

My favorite. Salmon contains a ton of Omega-3's, which reverse stress symptoms by "boosting seratonin and lowering anxiety hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline."

Do you feel less stressed when you're eating well? How can you incorporate these super foods into your diet?

Take a Bath

I found this image on Pinterest. Have you heard of Epsom salt baths? I've read a lot about them and supposedly they are a great way to rid your body of toxins, and lavender is very therapeutic! Baths can be a great way to practice mindfulness and relaxation. For this bath, make sure you are hydrated and able to go to sleep soon afterward. When your body detoxes, it can be very tiring. The only downside to this is that I can't do it in my dorm. I can't wait to visit home so I can try it out!

Picture from this link

What other essential oils could you put in your bath? Do you take baths regularly to reduce some of your stress?

10 Tips for a Mindful Home

Wake with the sun

There is no purer light than what we see when we open our eyes first thing in the morning. 

Sit

Mindfulness without meditation is just a word.

Make your bed

The state of your bed is the state of your head. Enfold your day in dignity.

Empty the hampers

Do the laundry without resentment or commentary and have an intimate encounter with the very fabric of life.

Wash your bowl

Rinse away self-importance and clean up your own mess. If you leave it undone, it will get sticky. 

Set a timer

If you're distracted by the weight of what's undone, set a kitchen timer and, like a monk in a monastery, devote yourself wholeheartedly to the task at hand until the bell rings.

Rake the leaves

Rake, weed, or sweep. You'll never finish but you'll learn the point of pointlessness.

Eat when hungry

Align your inexhaustible desires with the one true appetite. 

Let the darkness come

Set a curfew on the internet and TV and discover the natural balance between daylight and darkness, work and rest. 

Sleep when tired

Nothing more to it.

by Karen Maezen Miller.

Aromatherapy for Stress Relief

I'm on a little bit of an infographic kick here, but I found another one that I love. Aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years as a way to reduce stress and relax. I use a diffuser to spread the essential oils around my room. Did you know you can buy a diffuser that plugs into your USB port? I need it. Did you notice several of these are the same as essential oils you can use on your body for stress relief? They really work!

Infographic from this link

Have you tried essential oils to reduce your stress? Let me know which ones you use!