5 Healthy Ways to Manage Stress

I’m gonna be straightforward and just say it – I’ve been extremely stressed out this last week. The New Year brought some major changes at work. I now have more responsibilities and less downtime at work. My face was clear but started breaking out after my period ended. I’ve been getting about five hours of sleep every night. I would need two cups of coffee before lunchtime. Then I’d come home from work and nap… For extended hours, which kept me up at night. Also, it continued the vicious cycle of sleep deprivation. Halfway into the week, I finally accepted the fact that I was burnt out. That’s when I decided to manage my stress in a healthy way. So if you’re like me and you need to chill out, here are some healthy ways to manage stress.

5 Healthy Ways to Manage Stress

1) Sleep it off.

One of the best ways to manage stress is to sleep it off.

If you’re sleepy and can’t make it through the day, it’s best to take a quick power nap, no longer than 30 minutes. That way, you can still sleep at night. And don’t forget, it’s ideal to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night! According to the American Psychological Association, adults who get less than 8 hours of sleep report higher stress levels than those who do get 8 hours of sleep.

My iPhone allows me to set a bedtime, which notifies me when I should be getting ready for bed. You can tell by my personal data that I haven’t been getting the best sleep this last week. But it has definitely helped me get to bed around the same time every night.

So if you’re struggling to manage stress, try getting a full night of sleep.

Related post: 7 Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

2) Eat better and stay hydrated.

Next, you can manage stress by eating better and staying hydrated.

This one is probably a no-brainer but we’re all human with some bad habits. One of my bad habits is stress eating. Essentially, stress eating is the same as emotional eating. According to the Mayo Clinic:

“Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much — especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods.”

Mayo Clinic

And when I’m stressed, I reach for chips, candy, and soda. But when you put crap into your body, you feel like crap. I always remind myself this – you really are what you eat. So stay mindful of what you consume.

And don’t forget to stay hydrated! Caffeine can dehydrate you. For every cup of coffee I drink, I try to offset it with a glass of water. This also helps with my jitters!

If you’re stressed out, remind yourself to be mindful of what you’re eating. And don’t forget to stay hydrated!

3) Work it out!

Another way to manage stress is by exercising.

Working out is my favorite way to manage stress. I usually go to the gym or do yoga. After a workout session, I always feel more awake, more cheerful, and less stressed. Like Elle Woods said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t kill their husbands.”

So when you’re stressed out, work out!

Related post: 6 Ways to Stay Motivated at the Gym

4) Practice mindfulness and meditation.

If physical work doesn’t help manage your stress, try mental methods.

To help manage my stress, I’ve been trying to practice mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness is just being aware of your emotions and accepting things for the way they are. If you can’t let it go, let it be. Meditation focuses more on breathing, with each inhales and exhales. These two methods of mindfulness and meditation really help me relax and calm my nerves.

Whenever you feel stressed out, try practicing mindfulness or meditation.

Related post: On Mindfulness, Karma, and the Law of Attraction

5) Keep a journal or a blog!

Finally, you can keep a journal or blog to help manage your stress.

If you’re not into working out or meditating, you can always try keeping a journal… or a blog! Writing things down can also help you manage stress. Now that I have this blog, I don’t journal like I used to. But when I did, I would write out whatever came to mind, what I did that day, what was bothering me. It really helped me learn to understand and cope with my emotions better. Journaling also helped me learn how to manage my stress.

So if you prefer to be creative over being active, you should try journaling or blogging to manage your stress.

Conclusion

To summarize, there are multiple, healthy ways to manage stress. After many years of trial and error, I have found certain methods that help me. For one, getting enough sleep has always helped. Next, eating better and staying hydrated has helped reduce my stress. Then, working out and exercising has always been a surefire way of managing my stress. Additionally, I have been able to manage my stress through mindfulness and meditation. And finally, journaling and blogging have helped me keep my stress to a minimum. Hopefully, these methods also help you in managing stress.

What are your healthy ways to manage stress? Let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you want to see more health tips. You can also connect with me on social media.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest