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!

My First Podcast

Hello readers! I completed this podcast as a project for one of my classes this semester. I paired up with a girl who writes a blog about mental and emotional health. We talk about our top 5 tips for stress management and mental health, so please give it a listen at the soundcloud link below! Comment below with your thoughts or questions, I would love to answer them.

https://soundcloud.com/kasskass-3/kassidy-and-rachels-podcast