From the article: Healthy Lifestyle Habits for Stress Relief
Living a healthy lifestyle and making healthy lifestyle changes can be among the most effective ways to relieve and prevent stress. What healthy changes have you made in your lifestyle? Which have been most helpful? Share your answers, and see what other readers have to say. Share Your Experiences!
Sauna to Avoid Coffee
- I agree with a lot of what others have said here. I would like to add one: as a substitute for coffee when trying to dispel 'brain cloud' (or fogg), I find a sauna session in the morning will give a clear, alert and energized mind which is often what we are trying to achieve with coffee. Plus you can stretch in the sauna- Bikram Yoga!
- —Guest Jorge
Yoga Has Done It For Me!
- I started a yoga practice 13 years ago to get fit, but immediately found that it significantly reduced my stress level (which was dangerously high). I now teach yoga, stopped eating red meat, turkey, and pork, and regularly get massage. What a difference it has made in my life!
- —TheImperfectPilgrim
Clean Apartment, Nice Friends
- I keep my apartment spic and span--so I'm always ready for friends to stop by--and I keep friendships with only people I like.
- —Guest crunchhourly
Walk to Work
- I am fortunate to live 1.5 miles from work so over the summer I walk to work - it gives me time to clear my head, plan my day and destress
- —Guest Katie Brandt
Change
- If someone has to make that change, he/she will undergo great challenges as well. But it will be for the best start of a new life. Be happy and be relieved from stress.
- —Stressless06
Taking the Challenge
- Everytime you take the challenge, you make that decision of winning. Just like the way that stress should be handled by everyone else.
- —Stressless06
Balance in Everything
- Balance in everything can surely help. One should have time for everything. It just has to be planned and done.
- —johndonnerie
Lifestyle Changes
- I've started exercising on a regular basis - hiking and cycling and walking my dog more often. I have also started to control my thoughts - when I notice that I am starting to feel down or bad about something I examine my thoughts and if they are negative, I turn them off and start thinking good thoughts. It really works! I feel much better (most of the time) and the exercise is a great natural energy booster!
- —Guest Heather
Walk Walk Walk
- The one thing that has helped me to stay sane amidst all my stress is walking. I sometimes have to force myself to get out of the house but I know my end result will be woth my effort. I feel more relaxed and at peace within myself. And better able to cope for the rest of my day.
- —Guest ahwilli20@yahoo.com
Stretching every morning
- I've had a chronically sore shoulder -- and I was always begging my husband to rub my back. But I finally got motivated enough to create a morning exercise routine to stretch out my shoulders. I threw in a couple of low-back exercises too. In just a couple of weeks, I noticed a big difference. My shoulder still hurts, but the pain went from a 6 on a scale of 10 to maybe a 3. I am a lot more comfortable.
- —Guest Susan
Getting My Eight Hours
- I need to have my eight hours of sleep. When I get enough sleep, I feel better, perform better and my mood is better. It's one of the best things you can do for yourself, to get enough sleep.
- —Guest Anne W.
Regular Routine
- When I can establish a steady routine I feel better and less stressed. Not just things like going to bed and getting up at the same time everyday, but also a work routine -- Breakfast, then coffee, then email, then phone calls, then lunch, then paperwork etc. When I let myself jump around and mix things up too much and get distracted, nothing gets done and I start getting stressed out about it. When I stick to a regular routine most days then I eat better (well, I eat regularly at least), sleep better, and feel healthier.
- —Guest Rudy
Single Tasking
- Multi-tasking wasn't working for me. Chewing gum and walking at the same time, maybe. But, mostly, trying to do too much in a day is very stressful. I'm not always good at it, but I try really hard to stay focused on the task at hand and not let my mind jump elsewhere. I had to let go of wanting to be a super-person who could handle everything. I'm more gentle with myself... and definitely less stressed.
- —Guest lila
Water and Fidgeting
- I am taking baby steps to improve the way I eat & exercise. Even the little things are making me feel better. I drink lots more water (and less Diet Cokes) each day. Every time I have tried to exercise more I just got frustrated and more stressed because it seemed so hard to find time. Now I exercise by just moving more. If I watch tv I get up and walk around and stretch during commercials. I bounce up and down-doing it right now-while sitting at my computer. I stretch more. I do a little dance down the hall. It may not sound like much but for a former couch potato it is a big deal to just move around this much. It feels great and I feel more relaxed than ever before.
- —Guest thisoldladyrocks
Eating Better
- I haven't given up fast food entirely but my wife is forcing us to eat healthier at home. She controls the grocery shopping and she's stopped buying sodas, sugary cereals, and some of my favorite but unhealthy frozen food snacks. Don't tell her (I got to keep my macho redneck image) but it's working. I feel better. I'm in a better mood more often. I'm even feeling like maybe I can even think about stopping smoking now. We have some meditation CDs that help out at night too so I sleep better but I think the gradual food changes have been the best changes so far.
- —Guest Lee
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