News Section

Stress. Just hearing the word can conjure that knot in your stomach, sweaty palmed, anxious feeling. Stress is more than just a mental state. High levels of ongoing stress can cause serious physical effects on your body. For many women, stress symptoms include headaches, fatigue, chest pain, sleeplessness, and stomach aches. While life’s stress triggers are not always in our control, managing stress is in our control. Follow these ten simple steps to reduce stress and stay healthy.

• Focus you breathing. Breathing from your diaphragm helps bring oxygen to your blood, which can instantly produce a calming sensation. To focus your breathing, place your hand on your abdomen and inhale slowly through your nose, making sure that you can see your hand move out as your abdomen expands. Hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Repeat until you feel you have achieved your desired level of calm.
• Exercise regularly. Your body will be better able to physically battle stress when you keep it in fighting shape.
• Eat a healthy diet. The foods you consume can do a lot to mentally and physically prepare you for life’s stressors. A diet high in processed foods, saturated or trans fats, and sugars can amplify your body’s physical reactions to stress. A healthy, balanced diet will help counter the impact of stress by strengthening your immune system and lowering blood pressure.
• Just say no. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs. These chemicals can accentuate stress hormones and further damage your body’s protective immune system.
• Give yourself a mental break. When you begin to feel overwhelmed, and especially if you feel the physical signs of stress coming on, like a racing heart or a headache, physically separate yourself from whatever situation is causing you stress. Take a walk outside, sit quietly for five minutes, or go someplace where you can gather yourself and refocus on what truly matters.
• Seek soothing sounds. Research shows that listening to calming music can reduce feelings of anxiety, lower blood pressure, and slow your heart rate. Tune in to classical music, nature sounds, or whatever your favorite style is that puts you in the mood to smile.
• Get plenty of sleep. When your body and mind are over-tired, it can be more difficult to focus, manage your time effectively, and make good decisions – all stress triggers. Make sure you are getting at least six hours of sleep every night, no matter what is on your “to-do” list.
• Meditate. For many, meditation is an effective technique for calming the mind, lowering the heart rate, and refocusing priorities. Meditation emphasizes the power of positive thinking, which is another important trick for managing high stress levels.
• Build an emotional support system. Whether you just had a bad day, or you are coping with a life event that has raised your stress levels over time, everyone needs someone they can turn to for emotional support. Identify who in your life you can rely on when you need help managing stress. It may be a spouse, sibling, best friend, life coach, or religious leader.
• Laugh. Laughter is an important stress-reducing technique. When you find you need a mental break from stress triggers, turn your attention to something that will make you laugh. Flip on your favorite comedy, scan some funny online videos, or play with your toddler.

No one can fully protect themselves from life’s greatest challenges, but by understanding that you can control how you manage your stress, you can feel confident that you can successfully manage whatever life events come your way.