The holiday season is an excellent time to do a little self-check-in on your mental health. After all, a mind that’s in a good place plays a vital role in your overall wellness.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how you think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how you handle stress
Stress is a natural and unavoidable fact of life. And that’s not a bad thing.
A little bit of stress can go a long way in improving your motivation and focus. It can even increase creativity, personal growth, and help you to know when it’s time to run from a charging bear.
Too much stress though — we’re talking those unmanageable and overwhelming amounts (see: bear, charging) — can increase your risk of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, physical pain, and sleep issues.
Since you can’t avoid stress (much to the delight of the stress ball industry) you can stop it from becoming overwhelming with these five tips:
Something have you stressed? Try sleeping on it. Seriously, it matters more than you think.
In fact, the scientists who study sleep at SleepScore Labs found that “following a regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making.”
So not only will quality sleep give you a better chance of solving the Sunday crossword, but you’ll be in a better frame of mind to cope with stress by being well-rested.
And to optimize your chances of getting a great night’s sleep, stop looking at screens — TV, phones, tablets, or computers — at least two hours before turning in.
According to Tim Ringgold, M.T.-B.C., a music therapist with New Method Wellness, not only can music calm your nervous system via your hormones “but it can also help ease stress by influencing your biological processes.
For instance, the tempo of the music you’re listening to can automatically slow down or speed up your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.”
So, if you’re feeling anxious or stressed, Ringgold suggests listening to slow music (60 to 80 BPM). At this tempo, your body will begin soothing itself as the brain releases pleasure chemicals.
And, who knows, maybe it’ll help you drift off to that all-important sleep.
When you’re in the throes of stress and negative rumination, the advice to “just think positive!” can feel like an impossible task.
But research around positive psychology discovered that “positive emotions can aid health by undoing the physical reactivity” to stress and can foster emotional resilience, health, and overall well-being.
With intentional practice, this mindset switch can lead to healthier feelings of gratitude, optimism, and more.
(Just make sure it’s mostly water and go easy on the “Christmas cheer.”)
Ever wonder why camels seem so chill?
It could be because staying hydrated throughout the day helps the brain function properly which, in turn, goes a long way to combating stress and anxiety.
Psychiatrists from Solara Mental Health found that “Dehydration is the number one cause of stress in your body. In fact, it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: dehydration can cause stress, and stress can cause dehydration.”
When you’re stressed, extra cortisol (the stress hormone) pumps from your adrenal glands. This production of excess cortisol can exhaust the adrenal glands and result in low electrolyte levels.
Low levels of electrolytes can put the brain at a disadvantage when trying to ward off stress and anxiety. Drinking enough water helps to increase the levels of electrolytes and fortifies brain and body function.
Consistent exercise and moving the body daily can do wonders for your mental health.
From relieving stress and improving sleep to sharpening your memory and keeping your weight in check, staying active not only benefits the body but the mind as well.
Especially when it comes to stress.
The health professionals at the Mayo Clinic state that getting in regular exercise can “provide stress relief for your body while imitating effects of stress, such as the flight or fight response, and helping your body and its systems practice working together through those effects.”
Stress can be both good and bad for you.
But if you find that too much of it is trending toward becoming a long-term problem, using the stress management techniques listed above can help you alleviate most of its physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms.