Healthy & Natural Stress Relievers

Feeling stressed just by the sight of your to-do list?  Stress can affect your health as it can lessen your sleep and make you disregard your healthy eating habits.  Less sleep means fatigue; and when you start stress eating, you tend to take in excess calories that can definitely take its toll on your weight.  Sometimes stress can make you reach out for that chocolate bar or go for your third cup of coffee for the day.

Do you eat more when you feel stressed or do you eat to make you feel better?  Here are some power foods to include in your diet that can help relieve stress

Tea

If you need to calm your exhausted nerves, drink a cup of tea.  Ginseng tea is one of the most popular teas that helps clear out mental exhaustion and promotes better sleep for those who’ve trouble sleeping.

Tuna

Foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, prevent the stress hormone from reaching its peak.  Studies also show that when healthy fats are included in your diet, you’re protected against heart diseases.

Carrots

Before you reach for that candy bar, think again.  Munching on carrots can help relieve stress in a mechanical way.  When you munch on crunchy vegetables such as carrot sticks or celery, your clenched jaw is relieved and gets released, which wards off tension headaches.

Oranges

This power fruit is packed with Vitamin C, which reduces the amount of stress hormones that affect your body.  On top of that, oranges are also known for boosting your immune system.

Milk

If you’re having a hard time getting enough sleep, then drink milk.  Drinking milk before bedtime can relieve stress by relieving tense muscles and promote a more restful sleep.  Milk is also known for providing calcium that helps develop strong bones.

Asparagus

Stress directly affects your mood.  Asparagus is high in folic acid, which aids in stabilizing your mood.  When you’re feeling stressed and depressed, add snacking on asparagus to your list to fight stress and boost your mood.

Avocados

Feelings of anxiety and stress may be caused by a Vitamin B deficiency.  Avocados provide nutrients for healthy brain cells and nerves.  They are also rich in potassium, which prevents high blood pressure.

Almonds

Almonds are packed with the goodness of Vitamins B and E that help boost the immune system.  A dosage of a quarter of a cup can actually do the trick.

Red bell peppers

These contain nutrients that provide more energy and renew damaged cells caused by stress.  Red bell peppers are packed with Vitamins A and C and folate, which are very good additions to the list of foods you can consider for your healthy eating habits.

Basil

This herb is a great source of folate and a great source of flavor to your dishes.  It’s considered a stress-reducing herb.

When you’re trying to get through the day and are in danger of encountering an extremely busy schedule, you can take all these foods to help drive all that stress away!

There are many factors that make women stressed out. There are relationships, work, and family, among other things. There are also many suggestions about how you can relieve yourself from stress.

You can talk with friends. You can listen to music. Or you can eat your way out of being stressed. But wait, you may have read or heard “eat.” Yes, eat. There are many natural stress relievers you can employ, as mentioned earlier. And yes, eating is one of them. You might answer back, “Eating your way out of stress is gluttony.”

The answer is: “Yes, it can be.” But this kind of eating isn’t remotely near gluttony. Unless, of course, you really want to munch and munch until you can’t hold it. Believe it or not, food is one of the most effective stress relievers known to man. There’s lots of food that can help lower your anxiety and stress levels. Why drown yourself with all those pills when all you need is a dollop or two of any of the things mentioned below?

Smile, have chamomile

If you’re looking for an herb known to be one of the best natural stress relievers, you’ve come to the right place. Chamomile has been used for ages to help people sleep. This is especially perfect for those who are suffering from stress. There has been a lot of research done on this wonderful herb.

A native to Asia and Europe, this herb, once you infuse it in hot water, can curb the contraction of the muscles brought about by stress. Because it relaxes you, you can now rest quietly, especially through the night. One note, though. If you’re allergic to pollen, make sure that you’ve asked your physician if you can use this.

Hallelujah! Dark chocolate

If you particularly love dark chocolate, you’ve every reason to smile. Now, you’ve all the reasons in the world to eat one of the intoxicating natural stress relievers: chocolate. You might wonder how dark chocolate can lower your stress levels, right? It’s the endorphins, baby! Talk about the happy hormone. Endorphins, which are naturally produced by the body, lowers the cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the hormone that causes you to be stressed.

Think milk

Remember the time when Mom would coax you to drink milk before sleeping? That isn’t just for good health. Milk is one of the better known natural stress relievers you can easily get! Milk is enriched with tryptophan. Tryptophan is a certain kind of amino acid that makes you drowsy in a good way. If you’ve trouble falling asleep, this wonderful reliever can blow sleeping kisses to make you go to sleep.

Be better with peanut butter 

Ever had insomnia? What’s nasty about insomnia is that aside from not being able to sleep the usual number of sleeping hours, you feel cranky the day after. What better way to help you relieve yourself of that crankiness than eating peanut butter. Peanut butter has Vitamin B6.

This kind of vitamin balances out your sugar levels. Be sure to use the natural one. Since peanut butter is used in the usual PB&J sandwiches, make sure that your choice of peanut butter isn’t full of sugar. It defeats the purpose if you use the latter.

Who would have known that these natural stress relievers are commonly found in your pantry? Go ahead. Live a little and be natural. What do you think?

Ever wonder how successful people beat stress? Are they using natural stress relievers or do they employ other relaxation techniques?

What do Adam Levine, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Matthew McConaughey have in common besides good looks and superb bodies? It’s yoga. Adam treats it like a religion. Gwyneth is so determined that she wakes up in the wee hours in the morning to do yoga. Matthew always makes time to do yoga, even at the beach.

How about David Lynch, Oprah Winfrey, and Lena Dunham? Aside from being successful, they are very outspoken about using meditation to reach a certain level of consciousness and relaxation.

All these techniques are natural stress relievers. You can say that because they have been using these methods, these wonderful people have become successful in their craft and field.

There are many advantages of using stress relievers to beat stress. Just take a look at them. You can see why. They are happy at what they are doing.

The only way that you can enjoy what you’re doing is by not being stressed out about things. But, then again, stress is inevitable. In this fast-paced world, single women hardly find time to chill out the proper way to beat stress. Who says you need to go to far-flung exotic beaches just to kill stress? Well, you don’t have to. Here are some ways that successful people have been getting stress out of their system.

Have you been trying various methods of de-stressing lately but finding that they just don’t appeal to you?  If you’re one of those very active women who find it hard to relax by lying still, have no fear. Below are four natural stress relievers that are way more fun:

Play a childhood game

Remember days when you were playing Monopoly, Pictionary, Scrabble, or Boggle? Remember how much fun you had playing those games as a kid? Well, those board games are probably hiding somewhere in your house collecting dust, but if you’re feeling stressed out lately, you might want to take out those board games again.

Here’s why: they are the perfect distraction to get away from the busy (sometimes maddening) daily lives we have. It puts you in a playful and childlike mood.Notice how when kids are playing, they are so in the moment with no cares about the past and future? Playing will keep you focused in the present and put you in a good mood. When played with others, it’ll be a fun natural stress reliever !

Eat chocolate

It’s already proven scientifically that eating certain foods can help you de-stress. But what can be more fun than eating chocolates, right? You don’t need to be a chocoholic to enjoy them. And nowadays, there are so many varieties available out there to choose from. Studies reveal that cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolates, has an effect on our brains. It triggers a release of dopamine,also known as the ‘pleasure chemical’. So not only does it taste good, eating chocolates will also make you feel good. What a sweet treat!

Join a club

Being around people, especially ones that you’ve common interests with, can be a great natural stress reliever. One study showed that women who were regularly participating in a group that shares their interests have more stable blood pressure and are less likely to have a heart attack. Putting aside time for socializing is beneficial to one’s health, and it’s way more fun than keeping yourself shut away dealing with your stress alone. So what are you waiting for? Check out your local bulletin board or go online to see if you can join a meetup group. 

Garden

Not a green thumb? Don’t worry; we all need to start somewhere, and gardening is one of those very forgiving hobbies. There’s something about gardening that relaxes women. It’s both creative and therapeutic at the same time. For some people, digging holes in the backyard seems pointless, but many gardeners report time and time again that something happens when they tend their garden.

They become instantly relaxed, more focused and alert, and can think more clearly.For many, it’s a form of release, an activity that makes them productive and, at the same time, is very calming.

If you don’t have much space where you live, you can start indoors by looking after a few potted pots; you can also start with a small garden in your balcony. In some countries, they offer allotment plots that you can rent. Or start small; buy a few plants that you’re really drawn to and keep them in your room. Later on, you can expand your ‘plant collection’ and create a proper garden.

Breathe Stress Out 

One of the natural stress relievers you can use is the breathing technique. This stress reliever is very simple. Yet, this is also very versatile because you can mix it with music and aromatherapy. All you need to do is breathe deeply. Perhaps, many would agree that this is the building block of many relaxation techniques.

What is important when doing deep breathing is engaging your stomach. Make sure that you breathe from there. Also, allow your lungs to be filled with oxygen and fully exhale it in a slow and uniform manner. To make sure that you’re doing this properly, place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.

When you breathe deeply, your hand that is placed on the stomach should move more than the one on your chest. Use your nose to breathe in and your mouth to breathe out.

Tai Chi Here, Yoga There

There are many types of yoga you can use. There are those that have stationary poses and there are those that have sequential movements. Not only will yoga strengthen your core, but it’ll also improve your response to stress. Yoga encourages proper breathing techniques.

Tai chi, on the other hand, is a traditional Chinese relaxation method. This is characterized by slow and fluid movements. Though easy as it may look, these movements encourage concentration and relaxation. This further advocates the calming of the mind. What’s good with tai chi is that regardless of age, physique, and the like, it can be for all.

These two relaxation techniques have been used for over centuries by successful and ordinary people to beat stress. Why don’t you try it to see for yourself? What do you think?

Reasons Why You Are Stressed Out

You just cannot evade having emotions. You can be happy one moment and full of sadness the next. Don’t think for a second that this is about bi-polar syndrome. It’s not. It’s about stress. Stress can manifest itself during your saddest times. In fact, it can show at any emotionally-charged event. Even by just thinking about a stressor, stress can occur. So, before discussing any natural stress relievers, it’s important that you identify what makes you stressed out.

A lot of research says that the condition of the body can greatly impact how a single woman is able to handle stress. For example, when you’re hungry, sick, or tired, you react to simple day-to-day events with more emotions than usual. Then, you seek stress relievers to ease you out of your dilemma. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what is more important than knowing the stress relievers you can use is the fact that you need to understand what makes you stressed out.

Take, for example, this scenario: You’re driving your car after a long and hard day’s work. You come to an expressway. You find out that you’re stuck in traffic. But you just can’t wait to go home. What is your feeling at that moment? Agitated? Becoming angrier and angrier?

Understandably, stress is inevitable. It’s the amount of stress you’re taking in that’s making it worse. But think of the time when you were in tip-top shape? Were you still easy to anger? Probably not.

Truth be told, a balanced life reduces stress. If you’re not sleeping enough, you body keeps on producing hormones that tell you that your late nights are not doing you good. But then again, these manifest as stress. Yet, you deal with this condition in a different way. You may take pills, or use some kind of natural stress relievers. Either way, you still were not able to pinpoint why you’re stressed out.

Another example is you’re on a diet. You practically starve yourself. You even avoid dark chocolate, one of the best natural stress relievers. You think that this might make your hips wider. You think that there are only two important meals in a day: lunch and dinner. You have forgotten about breakfast.

The last example isn’t doing the right kind of exercise. You may have all the reasons in the world not to exercise. But then again, there’s nothing more gratifying, other than the natural stress relievers, than doing exercise. You might even argue that you’re too tired to exercise.

On the other hand, you need to remember that excessive sleeping  and lack thereof can both make you stressed out. What you need to note is that sleep is as vital as breathing. That is the time when your cells rejuvenate. A full 8 hours of sleep is the recommended amount you need.

Further, eating the right kind of food and sticking to a diet plan is important. No food entering the stomach at midday makes a woman cranky. No, it’s not PMS kicking in. It’s the drop in blood sugar.

Lastly, being tired isn’t an excuse not to exercise. In fact, that should be your motivating factor. You see, exercise produces endorphins, the happy hormones. By being fit, you’re able to cope better with the everyday stress.

Now that you understand the common reasons why you’re getting more and more stressed out, why don’t you try changing your lifestyle?

How Not to Get Rid of Stress

Stress is basically a state of mental tension caused by your problems, which can be as small as not waking up when you were supposed to, or as big as losing your keys to your apartment. Hence, the things that can cause you to feel stressed are virtually endless. Luckily for us, there are practically as many ways of dispelling this awful feeling as there are things that can cause it. But we should be careful in choosing which way to improve our mood because some are good examples of how not to get rid of stress.

One way of not getting rid of stress is getting wasted. No matter how good you feel while doing so, there’s no guarantee that you’ll feel better when you wake up. Getting wasted does nothing for you except temporarily distract you from your problems. Until you actually deal with the cause for your stress, it’ll remain in your life and make you feel distressed or agitated.

If you still proceed to get wasted when you’re stressed, know that you’re effectively putting yourself in a vicious cycle of discomfort with no hope of ever truly feeling better until you stop.

To avoid putting yourself in such an awful situation, here are some other ways how not to get rid of stress:

Ignoring Your Health

Many of us live fast-paced lives that seem great at first but are actually doing us more harm than good. For example, rendering overtime may be good for you and the company in which you work, but you’ll get sick if you keep doing so without stopping every once in awhile in order to rest. If you keep doing so without caring for your health, you’ll become fatigued, stressed, or worse. 

Not Spending Time Alone

Stress, whether we like it or not, is an unavoidable part of life. Persons and things that can cause us to feel stressed will always be around. If we don’t spend time alone, away from them, we’ll always feel stressed. But we aren’t telling you to avoid your problems. Some time alone gives you time to recuperate and thereby have renewed mental and physical energy to deal with them.

Being Pessimistic

No matter how bad your problems get, believe that you can deal with them. Your problems may be tangible, and you may feel more awful than you’ve ever felt before, but stress occurs in your mind. You won’t ever be able to dispel this feeling of distress or agitation until you put yourself in a positive state.

There are so many ways to dispel stress that some are not ways to get rid of stress at all. No matter how good some of those ways can make us feel at first, they won’t be worth it because they will cause us more harm than good in the end. Having explained the ways that won’t enable us to feel relieved, we hope to help you dispel your distress effectively.

Women and Stress Hormones

Do you ever experience a day when it feels like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and that anyone or anything that you come across is just simply annoying?  Or do you go to work one day and just snap at everyone who asks you anything for no apparent reason?  Well, you can blame it on the hormones.  These hormones dominate your entire system, which affects a lot about you.  Understanding it is important because it has a direct impact on your behavior and your overall health.

The first thing you’ve to understand is that, other than the usual hormonal changes that we feel due to changes in our bodies, some of our habits can cause hormonal imbalance.  Here are some examples: Staying up late at night.  During night time, the level of stress hormones drops, causing you to feel relaxed and sleepy.  When you stay up late at night, the level of your stress hormones gets elevated and raises your blood sugar.  A cranked up blood sugar means you feel anxious and stressed.  That’s probably why you suddenly become Debbie Downer the next day.  

Too much coffee.  Some women can’t start their day right without their Venti.  But it can also be the reason why you’re restless the entire day at work.  How much coffee do you drink?  Coffee has caffeine.  Caffeine boosts production of stress hormones.  Stress hormones mean you’re up for one awful day.

Lack of exercise.  Yes, this affects your hormones, too.  When you exercise, your body produces hormones called endorphins.  These hormones are responsible for making you feel good and upbeat.  With regular exercise, your body produces more feel-good hormones, which affect your demeanor.  The lack of it can be a good reason for why you just snapped at your seatmate.

Munching on sweets during PMS.  If you think grabbing a chocolate bar from the nearest vending machine can cure your irritable state before your menstrual cycle, you’re wrong.  That bar of chocolate you just put in your mouth can cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, making you more sensitive and irritable than you were before eating it.

Hormones play a big part in all of your body functions.  While ‘being hormonal’ is often used as an excuse to one’s misdemeanor, it can’t be the sole culprit of your bad behavior.  The more you understand how your hormones work, the more you work on getting the right balance to your hormones.  You aren’t a slave to your hormones, are you?

Surprising Natural Stress Relievers Readily Found at Home

Gone are the days when everything was so simple. Many would agree on that part. In this fast-paced world, becoming more and more stressed is more common than being relaxed and in the now. Single women hardly get in touch, really in touch, with friends. More often, believe it or not, you catch up through emails and Twitter, right?

The expression “stop and smell the roses” seems to be lost in today’s generation and culture. There’s information overload and, to be honest, it’s hard to move with the flow. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why stress is so rampant nowadays. The need for natural stress relievers is ever more popular now than it was before.

Even if you don’t admit it, stress affects everyone. People in the past wanted world peace; now what people want is peace of mind. The mind is in such turmoil because of stress. Young women try lots of things just to get rid of stress. Some employ natural stress relievers. Others do more extreme things. Some of the stress might be too upsetting that natural stress relievers are not enough to compensate for young single women’s needs.

But come to think of it, you really don’t have to be so drastic about it. Meaning, before you employ other stress-busting strategies, perhaps taking the stress relievers up a notch higher can be the answer.

Instead of drinking more coffee, try to cut back on it

Coffee is a stimulant. It may perk you up on your groggy mornings, but overloading on caffeine isn’t going to answer your stress woes. It may be able to gear you up, but you’ll eventually fall down. This effect will result in you being more fatigued. So, you need another shot just to keep being on that level where caffeine works best on your body. This practice isn’t good. This will eventually hurt your precious kidneys. So instead of loading up on coffee all the time, transition to a much milder version: tea.

Now that you’ve cut back on your coffee intake, reduce your sugar as well 

Like coffee, this will also give you a boost. But that boost is short-lived. What’s worse is that sugar, after it has played you, will leave you dry. Instead of empty calories, why not substitute your table sugar intake with fruit. You’ll get more than you bargained for in a more positive way.

You’re never too old for supplements. And herbs

By adding some medicinal herbs in your diet, you get a boost of energy.  The kind that is all natural. For example, you can use holy basil to calm your nerves. You can also use that as your calming tea. Other herbs that can provide you with similar results are chamomile, passionflower, and valerian. If you need some supplements as your natural stress reliever, you need to stock up on magnesium. This mineral is good if you want to relax.

These small gestures are more than enough to keep stress at bay. Why don’t you try one or two of these? Your stress will definitely be reduced. What do you think?

Somebody once said that the best remedies can be found in the kitchen. That is definitely true. There are many kitchen ingredients that you can consider great natural stress relievers. It goes beyond the teas and the like. They can range from the spices that you use in cooking and baking to the vegetables that you munch on.

They say nature gives the best ingredients. There’s no denying that fact. Many stress relievers come from nature in all its natural beauty.

There’s a reason why celery is always on the health buff’s list.

Celery contains phthalides. This is a kind of phytonutrient known to produce a calming effect once ingested. It’s better to eat your celery raw. Munch on it or use it in a salad.

Lettuce also provides a calming effect.

Lettuce contains lactucarium. This chemical is known to give a sedative-like effect. Lactucarium is found in small concentrated amounts in the stalk. If you happen to snap a stalk of lettuce, you can see a whitish juice oozing from its stalk, which is where the most concentrated lactucarium is.

There’s a perfectly good reason why you need to eat pasta more often. 

Believe it or not, pasta can be considered as one of the natural stress relievers. Why? Pasta contains serotonin. Serotonin is often called the happy hormone. Eating pasta and rice elevates your serotonin levels. This means that the more you eat carbohydrates, the happier you become. But you also need to remember that carbohydrates are still carbohydrates. It may give an instant happiness boost, but don’t overindulge.

There’s also a very good reason why whole wheat bread should be preferred. Apart from being a carbohydrate-rich food, it also contains vitamin B-complex vitamins. Food rich in vitamin B-complex enhances the nervous system.

You can use cardamom seeds in more ways than one.

Yes, cardamom is a stress-buster. You can either make tea out of them or add them in baking cookies and cakes. To make a cardamom tea, boil water. Once it boils, add the cardamom pods. Steep it for about ten minutes. You can either strain your tea or not. If you wish to cook cardamom, be sure to crush the pods or buy the ground cardamom in the spice section of the grocery.

Have some tea.

As you very well know, teas are known to have a calming effect. It reduces the stress level of your body. Some herbs and spices that are known to calm you include peppermint, chamomile, and catnip. This should be taken before you go to sleep. Tarragon can also be used as tea. The dried leaves can steep in boiling water for about ten minutes before you can sip it.

These are natural stress relievers found at home that you can use to relax and say good-bye to stress. These are substitutes. You definitely need to consult your dietician or physician to see if you can use these herbs for stress. What do you think?

How All-Natural Stress Relievers Helped my Sister

“I’m sorry, but tricho. . .what?” – was the only thing that I was able to say when the dermatologist said that her diagnosis of my sister’s case was trichotillomania. Hearing medical terms would induce nosebleed and confusion to me, so all that I did manage was to give her a totally blank stare. After explaining what the situation was all about and after doing my own research, I’ve found out that trichotillomania (pronounced: trik-oh-till-oh-may-nee-ah)is a condition of a psychological nature which compels individuals to pull out their own hair without the use of stress relief method.

The dermatologist said that it may be triggered by depression or stress. Due to social implications, the disorder is often unreported and it’s difficult to accurately predict its incidence. What medical statistics would rather show is that this condition is very high in women than in men. Data reveals that the lifetime occurrence is estimated to be between 0.6% (overall) and may be as high as 1.5% in males to 3.4% in females.

Though our family was glad that we have been able to pinpoint the nature of my sister’s predicament, still, we are very much worried for the amount of my sister’s hair loss was increasing day by day, and a small portion of her scalp was already thinning. What’s more difficult was that, at times, she’s even unconscious when she’s already pulling her hair.

Since the dermatologist said that this psychological condition is stress-induced, our family helped my sister to fight against stress and to handle stressful situations. My sister is my only sibling and I love her very much, so I really showed her my support and I tried my best to make her feel better despite the fact of her thinning hair.

Our family was so intent on helping her to overcome this compulsive behavior that we tried every way that we could possibly think of just to make her overcome her stress problems. We tried group therapy sessions, calming exercises, painting lessons and we even bought a puppy (because they said that pets can help you to let go of your stress). But what really helped her a lot are the soothing stress relief sounds that we made her listen to.

It’s crucial for her to keep relaxed and stress-free so we saved it in her mp3 for her to possibly listen to it anywhere, whenever she’s stressed-out and just want to instantly relax. The sound therapy gave her all the stress relief techniques that she needed to know in order for her to relax and have peace of mind.

After a week of listening to stress relief sounds, my sister was more cheerful and positive than she was before. We also noticed that she’s less anxious and less tense. She also stated that she slept more peacefully at night and we noticed she was less grumpy upon waking up in the mornings!

It has already been a year since my sister was first diagnosed of trich o tillo ma n ia , but anyone who would see her now, without knowing what happened last year, wouldn’t think that she had suffered through that stress related psychological condition. She has battled with her stress problems and has positively conquered it. T

oday, she has become a jolly person and she smiles and laughs a lot. Hearing her laughter has been the music to our family– the sound of relaxation which confirms that gone are those days of hair pulling, depression and a stress-filled atmosphere .

Kill Stress Softly with Music

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just tune yourself out when you’re stressed? Whenever someone or something is making you feel distressed or agitated, to feel better, all you would have to do is change the station, like you’d do with a car radio. Such a scenario may happen only in our dreams, but there’s actually a way of getting rid of stress that can have a similar effect on you. To be specific, you can learn to do just that with music. Since time immemorial, good music has had a soothing effect on people.

For instance, when you’re stuck in an awful traffic jam, in order to keep yourself from losing it, you switch to a station playing a song you like, don’t you? When you’re stressed, you can make yourself feel better in the same way. In fact, music is used in therapy. During music therapy, patients experience lowered heart rates and blood pressure, relaxed muscles, and decreased anxiety. If you use music to get rid of stress, you’ll feel the same way.

But we aren’t saying that all kinds of music will have a soothing effect on you. In order to get rid of stress, you need music that’s actually soothing. Soothing music can be described as compositions with slow or moderate tempos and pleasant lyrics. 

Here are some examples of such pieces of music:

1. “Weightless” by the British Academy of Sound Therapy and the Marconi Union

According to the aforementioned institution, this song is the most relaxing song ever recorded. Indeed, the heart rate and blood pressure of 40 women in a study it conducted were monitored as these women tried to solve puzzles while listening to different songs, including this song. It was the most effective in making the women feel relaxed.

2. “Flamenco Sketches” by Miles Davis

Many music enthusiasts swear that this song by the iconic Jazz trumpeter puts them to sleep every time.

3. “Watermark” by Enya

Enya is known for her distinctly soothing voice and musical style. The aforementioned song of hers is one of the most soothing she’s composed so far. Indeed, it was one of the songs used in the aforementioned musical experiment.

4. “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay

Coldplay is known for composing relaxing melodies made even more soothing by the hypnotic voice of its front man Chris Martin. Music critics say the aforementioned song is their most soothing piece yet.

5. “Some One Like You” by Adele

Adele is another female singer best known for having a calming voice and composing soothing pieces of music. The aforementioned song of hers is among her particularly relaxing compositions so far.

Stress is a state of mental tension caused by your problems. By definition, stress occurs within your mind. If you put yourself in a positive state of mind, you won’t feel stressed anymore. If there’s something that is sure to put you in a good mood, it’s music. Having explained how you can get rid of stress by way of music, we hope to help you feel better whenever you’re stressed by simply listening to some good tunes.

When you’ve no one to turn to and no exercise to relieve your stress, what should you do? One of the best natural stress relievers you can try is music. Music brings a lot of good things to you. For one, you enjoy listening to your preferred genre. It even can bring back memories, good or bad. It’s one of those stress relievers that are just easy to get.

You can basically download your set of music online. Just turn on your phone, and you can have music. It’s pretty much available everywhere. It’s also inexpensive. You don’t even have to spend a dime to listen to just one track. But what if somebody says that music can save a single woman’s life? Would you believe it? You should. Music can actually do that. Here are three ways to kill stress with music.

Good morning, music

There’s no better time to play your kind of music than the moment you wake up. And the music should be done subtly. This is never the kind of music that booms and wakes everyone up.

Try playing something more mellow. This should ease you through the day by setting you in a good mood first thing in the morning, a good way to kill stress with music.

Sing me a tune 

Who says that you should only listen to others singing? Why don’t you hear yourself sing? You can express how you feel through your singing. Sing with emotions. Don’t be surprised if a lot of people sing while taking a shower. That’s the time they know they can express how they feel without people around to judge them. It’s not about how great or lousy a singer you are.

Natural stress relievers like music go past what is good or bad in a person. It’s more about the experience and how that experience can help alleviate stress. The point here is to enjoy it.

Move with me

Do you use your MP3 player while exercising? Well, that is another take on how to kill stress with music, a very effective natural stress reliever. By exercising alone, it tends to become boring. With music to liven your spirits during your exercise regimen, your exercises will never be boring. One thing you need to know about this is that the choice of music is important. You want results, right? With the right kind of music, you can achieve that. That being said, your music must also be in tune with the result you wish to achieve.

Music can be very subjective. One kind of music might work for one person, but that doesn’t mean that it would work for another. You need to be more active in choosing the right and appropriate kind of music for your needs.

Music can also bring a lot of negative emotions. Choosing the right kind brings more positivity in you. Why don’t you try one of the ways you can kill stress with music listed above. Manage your music list by making a list of emotions or moods that music brings. Then, you can have your own playlist. What do you think?

Even though music therapy and stress reduction is regarded as one of the most convenient and easiest methods to manage stress and fatigue, there are still those who think that incorporating it in their daily lives is an impossible task.

Incorporating Music Therapy and Stress Reduction in Daily Routines

They think that in order for music therapy to work, they need to invest a lot of time and effort to make sure that they can utilize it every single day or whenever necessary. What they don’t realize is that there are a lot of time-saving ways that you can add this in to their daily lives. Here are some of the ways on how to incorporate music therapy and stress reduction in daily routines.

Singing on your own

Music therapy and stress reduction isn’t just about listening to the music of other people in order to get rid of the stress. It’s also about using music to express your pent up emotions that you may have been harboring for minutes or even months through singing. You may either choose a song where the lyrics match the thoughts that are forming in your head or a song that has a melody that matches your emotions.

If you don’t like singing in the first place, you may start with humming certain parts of the song whenever you’re alone. Eventually, you’ll find yourself singing your heart out whenever you’re alone.

Find your idle times

No matter how busy you are, there will always be times where you can listen to music. You just don’t know it yet. These are the times where you find yourself doing fewer things than normal and where you’re alone. A perfect example of these situations is when you’re in your car and you’re off to work.

During these times, you’re usually alone and you’ve nothing else to do but to concentrate on driving. Hence, this is the perfect time to incorporate music therapy and stress reduction since you can truly feel the effects of this form of therapy. Another perfect idle time to listen to music for therapeutic reasons is when you’re taking a bath.

Listening to Music before Sleeping

Unknown to many, you can still benefit from music therapy and stress reduction techniques even if you make use of them while you’re sleeping.  This is the reason why you wake up whenever you hear rustling in your room and why you dream about the things that you normally hear in reality while you’re sleeping.

This means that if you listen to songs or sounds that are highly therapeutic, you’ll still reap its benefits while you’re sleeping. This is also the best time to make use of music therapy since your brain is already in the process of winding down.

Through these simple tips, you can incorporate music therapy and stress reduction into your daily life without sacrificing so much of your time and energy. Hence, you won’t need to rearrange your other plans just to make way for these techniques.

Best Times to Make Use of Music Therapy and Stress Reduction

One of the advantages of using music therapy and stress reduction in comparison to the other methods of eliminating stress and fatigue is that it can be utilized in almost any circumstances.

However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to consider or deeply think about the instances wherein you’ll make use of this therapy. This is because there are certain cases or scenarios wherein this form of alternative therapy is more effective and beneficial. Here are the circumstances where music therapy and stress reduction are best used.

Fear

Whether you’re stressing about an upcoming exam or work evaluation, fear can become incapacitating, especially if you’ve anxiety problems. Fear can also increase your blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate, which lead to your inability to focus. Through music therapy and stress reduction, your body will be able to relax despite being exposed to fear.

This is because relaxing music enables your body and mind to unwind and go back to its natural state instead of the hyperactivity that fear may induce. For people who tend to feel incapacitated whenever fear looms in, music can provide a healthy distraction, which enables them to get over this feeling and think straight.

Frustration

Considered as a lighter form of stress, frustration can serve as a gateway to more disruptive emotions, such as anger and panic. This is why frustration is best handled by making use of relaxing techniques, which can help diffuse this type of emotion. This is where music therapy and stress reduction can come in handy, especially if you listen to relaxing music. Relaxing music counteracts the feeling of frustration by distracting the brain and lessening the effects of stimulants that caused this feeling. Music therapy can also be used to prevent frustration, which is why it’s best to have a playlist of relaxing songs on your mobile device so that you can listen to these songs when you’re stuck in traffic or when you’re having a bad day at the office.

Exercising

Even though exercising is proven to increase the level of endorphins in the body, there are times where it can be stressful, especially if you’re following a rigorous routine that your body isn’t used to. When this happens, you begin to lose interest in the routine and start thinking that it’s starting to make you feel stressed instead of happy.

In order to prevent this from happening, it’s best to make use of music therapy and stress reduction in order to take your mind off of the routine while you’re doing it. This will enable you to push through a set of rigorous exercise routines without even noticing it.

By making use of music therapy and stress reduction during these circumstances, you’ll be able to accomplish more things and reap more benefits. This is why it’s best to create a schedule of the times when you’ll be listening to music that will be clearly plotted so that you can easily follow them.

Health Conditions Best Treated by Music Therapy and Stress Reduction

Because of the fact that music therapy and stress reduction is technically categorized as non-pharmacological and a form of alternative medicine, there are some people who think that it’s only effective for people who are not clinically or officially diagnosed with an illness. What they don’t realize is that music therapy is already considered a legitimate form of therapy for certain medical conditions. Here are some of the medical conditions that make use of music therapy and stress reduction.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a condition that can cause sudden panic attacks to occur at the most unexpected of times. It’s also known to cause or play an important role on the development of other mental health issues, such as depression and bipolar disorder. This is why anxiety should be treated as soon as the symptoms become evident. However, this is easier said than done since the medications that are normally prescribed for this problem can be expensive.

Considering that music therapy and stress reduction is one of the most cost-efficient forms of alternative therapy, it’s highly recommended for those who are suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. It’s also recommended for those who are suffering from depression and other forms of mental health issues.

Sleep deprivation

Even though sleep deprivation doesn’t sound as chronic and serious as other types of diseases, such as disease, this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t count as a serious health concern. Continuous and regular lack of sleep is known to weaken the immune system, cause heart abnormalities, and promote fatigue.

These conditions can cause other more serious diseases, such as heart attacks. This is why sleep deprivation should be avoided at all costs. Through music therapy and stress reduction, sleep deprivation can be avoided since it promotes better relaxation. Music therapy is also known to promote better sleeping quality by allowing the brain to fully relax.

Autism

Autism is known as a brain disorder that causes stunted emotional, social, and even intellectual development. This is the reason why patients who are diagnosed with this disease don’t have the same abilities and skills as other people. They may lack the ability to feel empathy or interact normally with other people.

Because of the fact that autism is one of the many diseases that don’t have a definitive cure, people often think that this condition is unmanageable. However, the truth of the matter is that there are a lot of studies that show that music therapy and stress reduction can greatly help those with autism. Through this form of therapy, patients who are suffering from autism become more open to learning communication skills and other abilities that are blocked by autism.

Based on the efficiency of music therapy and stress reduction in managing these health conditions, it’s easy to see why a lot of healthcare professionals and researchers advocate the usage of this form of alternative therapy. Aside from being affordable, it’s also known to have little to no side effects, which make it ideal for patients of all ages.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction: Choosing the Songs

For years, the best songs for music therapy and stress reduction have been a debatable topic for healthcare professionals and stressed individuals alike. This is why it’s a good idea to know more about the ideal songs for stress reduction as well as the recent studies regarding this topic. Here is a short rundown of the songs that are normally selected for music therapy and stress reduction.

Pre-selected Songs

The internet has made it easier for those who want to know more about music therapy and stress reduction to find and download songs for their concern. This is because there are a lot of websites and articles that feature a series of pre-selected songs that are perfect for music therapy. These songs are normally pre-selected by therapists or other people who are aware of the relationship between music therapy and stress reduction.

Through these songs, you no longer need to pick specific songs to include in your playlist. However, one disadvantage of this option is that there’s no way to guarantee that the songs will be to your liking. Even if you get a hold of the title of the songs that will be included in this pre-selected list, there’s no sure-fire way to guarantee that you’ll be in the mood to listen to all of them whenever you’re stressed.

Classical Music and New Age Music

Many experts agree that the best type of music for those who want to get into music therapy and stress reduction is classical music, as the songs that belong in this genre are generally calming and soothing. Despite these proven effects, they may not be the best option for the younger generation. Considering that the age demographic of people who are experiencing moderate to severe stress are younger and younger, being open to other types of music is the best option.

What Recent Studies Suggest

In 2007, experts from the Department of Surgical Science at L’Aquila University conducted research that is focused on determining the relationship of music therapy and stress reduction for patients who will be undergoing surgery. In this study, a group of sixty patients who were scheduled for a surgery were grouped into three.

The first group listened to new age music before and during surgery while the second group listened to the music of their choice. The third group, on the other hand, was made to listen to classical theater music, which was normally played in operating rooms in the majority of hospitals.

Based on the plasma cortisol levels of these patients, which paints an objective picture of the stress level that they were experiencing during surgery, the second group had the best results. This just goes to show that the group that had control of the music that they listened to and were able to listen to the songs that they like before and during their surgery were the least stressed.

What Are the Best Songs Then?

Considering the fact that despite being neutral and beneficial, classical music and pre-selected songs may not be the best choice for those who want to learn more about music therapy and stress reduction. At the end of the day, even though it may be more time-consuming, personally choosing the songs that you’ll listen to during stressful occasions or events is more beneficial.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction As a Profession

Because of the fact that music therapy and stress reduction don’t make use of any pharmacological method or medical equipment, there are a lot of people who are still skeptical about the therapeutic effects of music on people who are suffering from actual health problems such as disease.

What they don’t realize is that music is now recognized as a valid form of therapy and is slowly starting to develop its own field in medical science. Here are the facts regarding the validity of music therapy and stress reduction in medical science as an actual profession.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction for Chronic Illnesses

Music therapy started out as a supportive cure for simple health concerns, such as migraines and mild anxiety or panic attacks. Nowadays, music therapy is being used to manage several chronic illnesses, such as disease, due to the fact that its benefits go beyond the scope of mild or acute diseases.

Several studies were conducted to rectify the ability of music therapy and stress reduction for patients who are suffering from chronic illnesses. One of these studies includes the one that was conducted by professionals at the Greater Poland Centre wherein the benefits of using music therapy for disease patients were strongly established.

In this study, they were able to prove that music can help patients manage the pain of the therapy and the disease itself. Music was also able to uplift their moods, which led to more promising therapy results.

It’s with these solid and scientific studies that the groundwork for music therapy as a professional career was laid.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction Professional Career

Aside from reading self-help books on music therapy, those who are interested in making use of this technique may also opt for professional help in the form of music therapists. These therapists modify several components of music therapy in order to suit the specific needs of clients. They consider the emotional wellbeing, physical condition, and spiritual wellness of a patient before formulating a playlist and an entire program to ensure that their holistic needs are met. They may also make use of music improvisation in which they choose specific sounds that are not technically categorized as music. These sounds include the sound of rain, waterfalls, and chirping birds.

Where Are Music Therapists Found?

Music therapists are often found in medical facilities, such as hospitals, since their expertise is mostly utilized by patients who are suffering from a chronic disease or severe pain. These therapists can also be hired to visit the homes of patients who don’t have the ability to leave their house because of their medical condition. Nowadays, music therapists are easier to find since they are recommended to patients by a lot of doctors, especially those who deal with chronic or permanent medical conditions.

This just goes to show that the credibility of music therapy and stress reduction has successfully transcended into medicine and is widely recognized as a professional career and mode of therapy. Hence, it’s highly advisable for patients who are looking for an alternative form of treatment to consider the effects of music therapy when it comes to managing their conditions the non-pharmacological way.

Because of the fact that several studies have been able to prove the legitimacy of music therapy when it comes to reducing stress, anxiety, and aggravation, more and more people are realizing the actual connection between music therapy and stress reduction. They were able to see that music can really be used to lessen stress and other problems. However, what most people don’t realize is that the relationship between music therapy and stress reduction has benefits that go beyond stress relief.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction: The Benefits

Music improves physical wellness

Music therapy can greatly benefit patients who suffer from a condition that inhibits them from moving any part of their bodies normally. These patients can include those who suffered from a heart attack or head and spine injuries. This is because music can serve as a distraction from their current medical condition, which will let them concentrate on the exercises that are designed to promote mobility.

Music promotes the expression of feelings

The relationship between music therapy and stress reduction is best illustrated in the ability of this therapy to promote the expression of feelings. By choosing from different types of music with different lyrics and melodies, people can choose songs that best explain what they are currently feeling towards another person or even a traumatic event. This will allow healthcare providers to apply the right form of treatment, which addresses both their physical and emotional problems.

Music improves memory

There are a lot of ways listening to music can help improve one’s memory. For starters, healthcare providers can ask patients to choose a song that they like and ask them to remember the lyrics or even the melody. Patients can then sing it back to healthcare professionals in order to give their memory an exercise. For people who are not receiving any type of medical care, making use of music therapy will also enable them to sharpen their memory. This is why music therapy is also used to manage patients who are suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Music promotes overall wellness

Overall wellness refers to the total well-being of a person in body, mind, and spirit. With music therapy and stress reduction, people can strengthen their immune system and prevent physical health conditions, which can impair their bodies. This therapy can also make it easier for them to calm down from a stressful or traumatic event and help promote a better mental health. With this therapy, people can also meditate or concentrate on being self-aware, which promotes better spiritual health.

Considering that these are just some of the benefits of knowing the connection between music therapy and stress reduction, knowing and understanding this relationship is important for everybody regardless of their age and gender. This will allow them to reap its benefits even if they are not suffering from a specific medical condition or even if they feel like the stress that they are feeling are not enough to merit a response or to seek any form of therapy or help.

Choosing Songs for Music Therapy and Stress Reduction

When it comes to music therapy and stress reduction, choosing the right songs is just as important as putting all of your effort into this type of treatment. Nowadays, this is easier said than done since the internet is full of lists of songs that can be used for this type of therapy. This is why it’s important to learn how to choose the right songs. This can be done by keeping certain criteria in mind during the selection process. Here are some criteria that can help you choose the right songs for music therapy and stress reduction.

Age

According to certain studies, lullabies are proven to be the best types of music for infants who are undergoing music therapy and stress reduction since it naturally lowers their heart rates and anxiety level. For elderly people, on the other hand, classical music is the most recommended type of music since it can be very hard to find the right genres for patients who belong in this age bracket. This just goes to show that even though different people have different tastes in music and that preferences are still greatly affected by one’s age.

Medical Conditions

The studies that aim to discover the other benefits and aspects of music therapy and stress reduction have gone as far as discovering the possibility that certain types of songs can help people who are suffering from a specific type of medical condition. More and more researchers are performing experiments on the types of music that can help patients who are undergoing therapy to lessen the pain that they are feeling.

They are also trying to find specific songs that can help patients who are suffering from certain mental health conditions such as dementia. Some have even developed charts that aim to help healthcare providers choose the right songs based on the specific symptoms that are being experienced by patients such as anger management issues and lack of self-confidence.

Setting

Nowadays, music therapy and stress reduction are used by other healthcare facilities aside from hospitals. They are now used in other settings, such as nursing homes, schools, and even restaurants. Restaurants often choose generic songs that don’t contain any lyrics since they understand the importance of catering to the general public while schools prefer to use more modern and age-appropriate songs in order to connect with the audience. This is why it pays to think about the environment that you’re always exposed to when it comes to choosing the right music.

Personal Preference

The definition of the term “good music” is very similar to the definition of the term “good food” in the sense that it’s highly subjective. What you consider to be good music may not be well-received by other people. In music therapy and stress reduction, it’s important to make use of songs that you consider to be good music. This just goes to show that you should always consider your personal preferences when making your playlist or simply choosing songs that you’ll listen to for your music therapy.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction Coping Mechanisms

Despite being non-pharmacological in nature, music therapy and other stress reduction coping mechanisms can lessen or even completely eliminate the effects of stress in the body. Most of them are also very inexpensive and convenient since they don’t require the usage of high-powered gadgets or medical equipment.

However, there are still those who are skeptical about the efficiency of music therapy as well as other coping mechanisms. This is why it’s important to learn why these mechanisms are so effective at lessening stress. Here are some of the reasons why music therapy and stress reduction coping mechanisms are very effective.

The lyrics have a great impact

Even though there are a lot of songs that are generally shallow or meaningless, there are also those whose lyrics are compelling for some. These lyrics may represent the emotions that they could not put into words or express in other ways. The lyrics may also explain the current situation that they are in clearly and in the best way possible. Hence, those who make use of music therapy and stress reduction coping mechanisms can directly come to terms with the causes of their stress or problems.

Music stimulates the right types of brain waves

In theory, brain waves determine the overall mood of a person as well as his or her activity level. Considering that people with high activity levels are more prone to stress, the coping mechanism that you should use must focus on lowering your activity levels. This is why music therapy and stress reduction coping mechanisms are very important.

They have the ability to stimulate the part of the brain that releases brain waves that can trigger relaxation by lowering the body’s activity level. Since you don’t spend all of your energy on activities that can only trigger stress, you’ve more energy to spend on more productive activities.

It puts you in the mood for meditation

Slow and soulful music has the ability to lower your activity levels and, ultimately, bring your body to a very relaxed state. Going to this state is highly advised for people who want to meditate since this refers to a condition in which you can devote all of your energy to meditation. Hence, music therapy and stress reduction coping mechanisms can work successfully with minimal to no distractions. Considering that meditation is one of the best ways to eliminate stress, making use of music therapy and other coping mechanisms can help eliminate stress both directly and indirectly.

These are just some of the ways that music therapy and stress reduction coping mechanisms or methods can help eliminate stress from your body. This is why it’s best to do your research on these forms of therapy even if you’re not feeling any type of stress. This will allow you to prepare for the future in which you may feel pressure or stressed because of your job or other factors that you may or may not be able to hold.

Music Therapy and Stress Reduction in Hospitals

For many, music therapy doesn’t play an important role when it comes to reducing stress in any environment since it doesn’t have a direct effect on the body like certain medications such as anti-anxiety drugs. What these people don’t realize is that official organizations and professional establishments, such as hospitals, recognize the connection between music therapy and stress reduction. Hence, they fail to see that music therapy is actually one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to deal with stress. Here are some of the ways that music therapy and stress reduction are recognized by hospitals.

Music Therapy is used in Emergency Rooms

It’s common knowledge amongst those who work in hospitals as well as those who are frequent visitors that the emergency department or room is the most hectic and busiest part of a hospital or any healthcare facility. This is because they normally receive patients with the worst injuries or patients who are in the worst and most stressful conditions.

It also doesn’t help that most patients who visit emergency departments are suffering from stress and depression, which signifies that their problems are based on these two issues. Hence, the relationship between music therapy and stress reduction are best illustrated or showcased in this part of a hospital.

According to a pilot study that was published in the Oxford Journals in 2010, it was revealed that emergency departments that make use of music therapy have noted a significant change in the overall atmosphere of the room or department. This means that there’s a strong relationship or connection between music therapy and stress reduction and that this connection can still be seen in even the most stressful conditions. Hence, its efficiency doesn’t solely depend on the level of stress that is being experienced by people.

Music Therapy is used to Treat Post-op Patients

Post-op patients refer to patients who’ve just undergone a surgery, may it be major or minor, and are currently recovering from the procedure. Oftentimes, these patients feel the most amount of pain since the wound in the surgical site is still fresh and new. Pain relievers are also not immediately administered in order to avoid untoward problems, such as blood or even lung-related issues.

In the study that was conducted by professionals at the Örebro University Hospital in Sweden, it was revealed that music therapy can significantly decrease the post-operative pain that is felt by patients after surgery. It even goes as far as to claim that in some circumstances, music therapy was more efficient than pain medications such as morphine. This just goes to show that the relationship between music therapy and stress reduction can be seen in people who feel strong physical pain.

Based on these studies alone, it’s easy to see that the relationship between music therapy and stress reduction isn’t just a theory. Music therapy can actually be used to help people who are under severe stress due to postoperative pain, depression, and other health concerns.

Using Music Therapy and Stress Reduction at Work

According to the statistics that were released by the American Institute of Stress, out of all the people who experience stress because of their work, 48% cite their workload as the main cause of their stress while 28% claim that the people that they work with or for are the main cause of their stress. This just goes to show that feeling stressed during working hours is very common. This is why it’s important to learn how to make use of music therapy and stress reduction at work. Here are some tips on how to get into music therapy and stress reduction without lowering your productivity.

Spend a couple of minutes alone

Even though it’s highly advisable for people to talk to other people in order to relieve stress or to serve as a distraction, this isn’t the best idea when the interaction with other people in the workplace is actually the main cause of your stress. Spending some time alone will also allow you to gather your thoughts and focus on the calmness that music therapy and stress reduction can bring. This is why it’s best to spend a couple of minutes alone before undergoing music therapy. You can do so by taking advantage of your snack breaks or even bathroom breaks.

Choose the right type of music

There’s no use denying the fact that different people may like different genres of music. However, it pays to remember that listening to more mellow tracks is very important when undergoing music therapy and stress reduction. This is because these types of songs are scientifically guaranteed to slow down your respiration and other vital signs, which can help you become less stressed. Choosing fast-paced music isn’t advisable if you’re working in a hectic environment since it can put your vital signs into hyperactive mode. Hence, you’ll feel more stressed even if fast-paced and loud music is your preferred genre.

Learn music therapy ahead of time

One of the main reasons why a lot of employees feel stressed is that they don’t learn more about music therapy and stress reduction at work during their free time until they feel the need to do so. By the time that they realize that they need to make use of these techniques, it’s already too late and they don’t have the time or resources to learn more about this type of treatment for stress. This is why it’s better to learn more about music therapy ahead of time.

As an employee, you should always remember that doing an excellent job is just as important as making sure that you know how to handle stress at work. This ensures that you don’t experience any type of burnout or that you don’t end up releasing your stress and anxiety on other people in the workplace. This is why it’s best to know how to make use of music therapy and stress reduction even if you feel like your workplace isn’t very stressful or that your workload isn’t affecting you in any negative way.

Top Choices for Stress Foods

When people overwork or become too overwhelmed with things, the first thing they do is sleep it off. They are hoping that after they wake up, everything will be bright and sunny. Their troubles will simply go away. But the case is often not as simple as that. For some other people, they use coffee to break the monotonous activities of the day. They even use their cups of joe to relieve them of the stress. However, that should not be the answer to stress.

In reality, coffee is a stimulant. Stimulants bring nasty feelings once the effects die down. Altogether, these are really not good for the body. What the body needs is natural stress foods. It can’t get much better than the foods that nature provides. Yes, superfoods can relieve stress. Isn’t that amazing? Listed below are three of the less known superfoods that can also be considered stress foods.

Asparagus

This tiny green vegetable is packed with nutrients. Folic acid is one of them. If you’re stressed, folic acid can help you maintain and calm your nerves. In addition to that, folic acid is also vital so that your body can provide you with more serotonin. Serotonin is also known as the happy hormone. The elation you can feel from a burst of serotonin is practically the same when you’re truly happy. Who doesn’t want that?

Milk

Milk is quite a popular superfood. This is one of the natural stress foods that has been used by man for ages. What makes milk a superfood? It’s the vitamins such as Vitamin B2 and B12 that are found in milk. But you don’t just get those mood-altering ingredients. You get more! Milk contains calcium. It’s practically a protein.

If you want to use milk as one of your stress foods, you need to take note of the recommended serving. If you’re going to drink whole cow’s milk, drink only half a cup. This contains 66 calories. However, if you wish to drink low-fat milk, you only get 46 calories for the same amount of milk.

Almonds

There’s a perfectly good reason why almonds is included on the list. Almonds have been used by the Greeks and those living in the Mediterranean in their diet. If you notice, these people hardly look stressed. It’s loaded with all those minerals and nutrients that cause the stress level to go down. It contains Vitamin B2. It also has a high concentration of zinc and magnesium. In addition to these, it has Vitamin E. As you very well know, Vitamin E combats the free radicals in the body. It actually eliminates them just like what Vitamin C does.

If you really want to include almonds in your diet, you can only have a third of a cup. The fact that it already contains 306 calories should be considered. There you go, the three lesser known superfoods that can also act as natural stress foods. 

Beating Stress at Its Own Game

How many times have you tried sitting in front of the boob tube and lulling yourself to sleep? Most single women do that after a long and hard day’s work. Being a single woman, you can use a lot of relaxation techniques to combat stress. You might go out with your friends. You can go to the pub and have a drink or two. Perhaps that is your idea of naturally beating stress.

Although  it may not sound all too natural in the clearest of sense, it might be your way of describing what stress relievers are. These activities have become a routine. You hardly notice that it really does provide you with a way to reduce stress.

Stress and relaxation

You see, when you talk about stress relievers, these should trigger your body’s natural response to relaxation. Okay, let’s talk about the way your body reacts to stress. Stress creates chemicals in your body that prepare you to fight. In emergency cases, this is quite helpful. The chemicals make you do something faster in dire situations. But then again, emergency cases don’t happen all the time, right?

The chemicals produced in the body during emergencies and everyday stress is practically the same. When you experience stress on a daily basis, these chemicals wreak havoc on your body. This makes your body weaker and weaker.

But the good news is that you can counter the effects of stress through relaxation. Relaxation is a stress reliever you can do every day for less than an hour.

Know what’s best for you

With all the different kinds of ways of beating stress out there, particularly the relaxation techniques, it’s hard to pinpoint which ones would suit you best. Factors such as what you require, how fit you are,and how you react to stress should be considered. After all, you don’t want to be stressed about these relaxation techniques, right?

Here are some guide questions to answer in order to know which relaxation technique would work best for beating stress to your advantage.

When stressed, do you often get angry? Do you feel restless? Your best bet for relaxation would be something that makes you slow down. Techniques such as deep breathing and meditation work best for you. You can also use imagery to help you slow down. This is done by imagining a place that makes you calm.

When stressed, do you often space out? Do you often day dream and feel withdrawn? When you feel depressed during stressful times, you need to pump up and stimulate your body. The best way to do this is by rhythmic exercise. You can walk around your office. If you’re at home, take the dog for a walk in your neighborhood. Cycling is also a good rhythmic exercise for beating stress.

When stressed, do you feel that everything is fast-paced yet nothing gets done? Your best shot is to look for some relaxation techniques that will help you recharge your mind and body. In beating stress, yoga will work for you and so will walking.

Letting stress flow out of your body may seem daunting in the beginning, but it’s so doable. You might even be surprised by what you can do once you’re done with beating stress. What do you think?

Natural Stress Relievers: How to Bust Anxiety Like Oprah

There are many ways to kill anxiety and live a little. Ever wonder how a very successful woman like Oprah Winfrey reduces stress in her life? She uses natural stress relievers. Considering that Ms. Winfrey is, perhaps, one of the busiest people in the US, how would she handle stress? But the better question would be: what does she do when she is stressed?

Take walks in the park

What’s more natural than bathing in the wondrous and amazing beauty of nature? Who says that natural stress relievers are only limited to drinking teas? Walking, after all, is a stress reliever. Remember the expression “take a walk”? It might be a literal take on things, but it sure beats stress, right? Natural stress relievers are far more natural when you take it literally, too. Don’t you agree?

Forest-bathing is a new way of basking in the beauty of nature. Forest walking can make you say, “What kind of joke is this?” But it’s not a joke. It’s actually done by lots of people. You can actually say that it’s one of those stress relievers that you might be surprised that you’ve been doing it without knowing.

Taking leisurely walks in the park or the woods actually lowers the cortisol levels of the body. For those who are not familiar with cortisol, this is a hormone that makes stress. This is the same hormone that stress relievers want to eliminate.

Even if you only take a few minutes walking in the park, your cortisol levels can also decrease dramatically. But nothing beats staying and communing with nature for a longer period of time.

Valerian Root

No, it’s not the name of an alien. Nope, it’s not the name of an ancient king either. Valerian is a plant. Think of it as a plant that you can either use as a perfume or a tea you can use to lower your stress. But then again, perfume is also a stress reliever. Think aromatherapy.

You can use the roots of the Valerian plant as tea. You see, the root of this kind of plant has valepotriates, a known sedative. Think of it as Nature’s Valium. 

Say  “Here, Kitty”- or Doggie

Would it surprise you if somebody said that having a pet can also be considered a natural stress reliever? By just stroking the soft fur of a cat or dog can actually lower the blood pressure of a person with anxiety.

So go ahead, adopt one. Wait, why don’t you try fostering first. This way, you’ll know if you’re really cut out for being a mom to a cat or dog. Also, if you really want to get one, try to avoid buying at puppy or cat mills. You need to go to a reputable dog or cat breeder so you can really get the value for your money.

These three natural stress relievers may come as a surprise for you. Nevertheless, these will provide you with the escape you need from stress.

Relaxing Massages to Fight Stress

They say the best things in life are free. There’s no doubt about it. That being said, there’s no need for you to spend a lot just to de-stress. With so many factors that can contribute to stress, you just cannot add more to the mix. Perhaps this might be the reason why there are many natural stress relievers available on the market. Stress, believe it or not, is a normal part of everyday life.

If you don’t have stress, you might be stressed because you don’t have stress. It’s also normal for people to look for ways to relieve their stress. They go to places just to get some fresh air, so to speak. They may take some form of natural stress relievers. Others take prescription drugs just to relieve what they feel. But if you’re looking for something thrifty, you might want to consider relaxing massages. Yes, that is one of the stress relievers you should try. Maybe you’re sick and tired of drinking tea. Perhaps you think eating stress-relieving food is too much. This is another way to enjoy getting rid of stress.

The stress relievers used here are basically your hands. That being said, you can always do these relaxing massages practically anywhere you want. There are three parts that you need to focus on. These are the hands, the neck, and the head. Are you ready to do this?

For the hands

There are four processes to relax your hands. First, pull each finger softly. While you’re pulling each one, you should also be rubbing and twisting it one by one. Next, find the portion of the palm where there’s the most flesh. Massage that part with your index finger and thumb. You must also massage that fleshy part between your thumb and index fingers. You end the massage by massaging softly the whole hand, including your wrists.

For the neck

In order to do some relaxing massages for your neck, you need to sit in a comfortable position. Put your hands together at the nape. Try to pull your neck forward using the weight of your hands. This will allow the neck and the back muscles to stretch and will remove the tightness in those areas.

For the head 

If you’re stressed, you tend to have headaches. This is the focal point of this massage. Find your cheekbones. Put your thumbs there as an anchor. Then using your remaining fingers, rub the temples with pressure.

When your muscles have relaxed, rest assured that the tightness of the muscles brought about by stress may be eliminated. Remember that this is just the fast and easy cure for on-the-spot stress and headaches. There are still more natural stress relievers you can use when you get stressed. What do you think of these stress remedies?

How to Destress Your Life in 8 Easy Ways

For a single woman, you would assume that life would be a lot less complicated; having no significant other to argue with, enjoying every ounce of your freedom, and indulging every cent of your hard earned money is great, but despite all these benefits, being a single woman can also be stressful. A good majority of you put too much pressure on yourselves to become successful and at the same time strive to find your soulmates. With all the unpredictable situations that life may bring, you certainly need to take some time and learn how to destress your life in the midst of chaos.

Take a vacation. You worked so hard to get where you’re that taking a small vacation won’t hurt. Taking a trip to a private island, going camping in the woods, or going on a cruise can be great ways to let you sit back and enjoy your vacation.

Pamper yourself

Knowing how to destress means you know how to take care of yourself despite all of the problems that are circulating your life. There’s no need to let yourself go and forget to get your weekly mani and pedi; that’s just ridiculous! When life is uneasy, at least you can face it with clean cut nails and a touch of color.

Retail therapy

A clever woman knows how to destress by going on a shopping spree. Grab your credit card and purchase that gorgeous purse that you’ve had your eye on or those pair of wedge sandals that fit you like Cinderella’s pair of glass heels. Retail therapy is a term that most women use to take their minds off of their stressors by spoiling themselves to material things in order to fill that void in their lives. Although this may be temporary, it can still teach you how to destress your life, even for just a little while.

Go out with friends

There’s nothing more comforting that having people who are very dear to you keep you company. The presence of friends helps you set aside your anxieties and just have a good time laughing, smiling, and being yourself.

Sit back and relax 

Although having friends to talk to and have a good time with can relieve you from life’s anxieties, spending some personal time with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee (whichever you prefer) and listening to stress-relieving music can help soothe your mind from a hard day’s work and teach you how to destress in the comfort of your own home.

Exercise

You’ve probably already heard about the wonderful benefits that exercise can do for your body, but did you know that it also reaps many wonderful advantages to your mind? During and after exercise, chemicals are released that make someone feel happy and think better, causing them to have a better perspective in life. So, get your fitness on and know how to destress by running, walking, or dancing along to your homemade calming music playlist that will get your heart pumping.

Learn to breathe

Breathing deep and releasing it slowly can help calm down any uneasy feelings from your system, causing you to think clearly and positively. Knowing how to destress your mind starts with clearing your mind, and that can be achieved with proper breathing.

Get rid of your stressors

Whatever is bringing all the negativity in your life – may it be a co-worker, a job, a significant other, or any other factors – the best thing to do is to figure out a way to remove it from your life. You don’t need to be surrounded with something that makes your life even more complicated than it has to be.

How to destress your life when it’s hectic only takes a few pick-me-ups to lessen your load. Don’t be too hard on yourself; just relax. Don’t forget that you’re only human. Knowing how to destress your life with these 8 easy ways can assist you in taking full control of life’s obstacles rather than let them control you.

Dance That Stress Away!

It’s safe to say that Jane Fonda started it all with her Dance Aerobic routine in the 80s that she made available to the public via VHS tapes. A lot of women got hooked, and it was the most popular routine at that time. With increasing pressure from our daily lives, more and more women are seeking natural stress relievers that are inexpensive and easily accessible.  And while women know the importance of exercising, most just cannot find the motivation to hit the gym, run on treadmills, or lift some dumbbells.

If this is you, then maybe a dance routine is something you should try. There are many forms of dancing exercises out there from belly dancing to bollywood, but below are some that I have tried and can personally recommend:

Zumba

I first heard about Zumba from a friend who was doing it way back in 2009, although Zumba came out as early as 2001. My friend has 4 kids (2 are toddlers) and helps her husband run a family business; she was definitely busy. But despite this, twice a week she would head to a local club that offers zumba classes for $8 per session. I really admired her determination and making it a priority to spend some time away from work and family, even if it’s just for an hour.

She said it’s so important to keep Zumba part of her schedule since it keeps her fit and helps her cope with the stress from the business and looking after the kids.

Zumba is a natural stress reliever that uses various types of music, such as Salsa, Pop, Caribbean, Meringue, etc.

At the moment, Zumba is my preferred choice of exercising. I love dancing to the music (mostly popular tunes), and seeing the highly charged instructor is extremely motivating and energizing.

Hip Hop Abs by Shaun T.

I came across Hip Hop Abs a year ago after doing P-90X (an extreme exercise routine done in 90 days that is geared toward ‘muscle confusion’); both routines are made by Beachbody, a company that produces DVDs that promote fitness.

Hip Hop Abs is a natural stress reliever that is fun to do, especially if you like hip-hop music. There are 3 levels, the 1^st one of course being the beginner’s level, which lasts for 17 minutes. I had a tiny room back then (about 10 sq meters),and it’s amazing how I was able to do the routine in such a small space.

It was very easy to follow, and you’ll sweat in the first 10 minutes. I always feel great after doing it, and I find that I sleep much better on nights when I do the program.

Jazzercise

Jazzercise is named as the number one fitness franchise in the United States.I first got a taste of Jazzercise way back in 2004, but it has been in existence since 1969.I remember the first time I went to a Jazzercise class; it was held in a large basketball hall/stadium in a New Jersey suburb, and we were about a hundred in that covered court. I was so far back that I could barely see the instructor in the front, but the music they used was really upbeat and soon I was dancing away.

The first thing that came in my mind was that this was aerobics but way more fun. After that, I was hooked; I would come regularly, and this was my form of escape, my me-time, and my distraction from the stress of working. Even driving out in the snow during winter didn’t keep me from going to the classes. I only stopped attending when I moved to another place that didn’t offer Jazzercise classes, and I really missed doing it. 

Pole Dancing by Carmen Electra

I discovered this natural stress reliever dance routine through a friend of mine who lent me her DVDs of Carmen Electra’s Pole Dancing series. Initially, I wasn’t interested, thinking hmmmm…. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use that in the future. And how exactly can I do it when I don’t have a pole?So it just sat there for weeks on my table. After about a month, I saw it featured in an article, which got me interested and I finally tried it.

I couldn’t be more wrong; you actually can do the routine even without having a pole. It starts with simple basic moves that are easy enough for any beginner to follow. The stretching in the beginning was very helpful and even the background music will put you in a very relaxed mood. It isn’t full of cardio moves like Zumba or Hip Hop Abs, but it will make you sweat nonetheless. What I loved about this routine is the fact that the moves are very easy to follow and, of course, it’s a bonus to see Carmen Electra doing it.

The Role of Meditation in Achieving Inner Peace

Stress is a state of mental tension or worry usually caused by problems. Stress may also be described as a feeling of distress or agitation. Just like dealing with the rest of the other feelings of discomfort we occasionally have, if you know how to calm yourself down, you’ll be able to get rid of stress at will. In other words, by tapping into your inner peace, you’ll be able to figure out how to get rid of stress easily.

When we say inner peace, we’re referring to that overall feeling of calm that not only makes stress virtually disappear but also enables us to deal with the cause of this unease. If you don’t know how and are worried that doing so is hard, don’t be because there are many ways to tap into your inner peace, and one is sure to suit you. For starters, we suggest meditation.

Meditation is an exercise in which you quiet your mind for a certain period of time in order to relax. Unlike working out, meditation requires no equipment or gear. All you’d need for this exercise is a quiet place at home, where you won’t be disturbed, and a sincere desire to tap into your inner peace.

To help you learn how to meditate properly, here are the steps to do so:

Find a place at home in which you can meditate without being disturbed

Not being distracted is necessary to tap into your inner peace. If you cannot focus, you’ll never be able to do so.

Make sure that you won’t be distracted

Even after finding a quiet, distraction-free place where you can meditate, you still have to make sure that you can do so in peace. Again, not being distracted is necessary, so once you settle down, put your cell phone on silent mode, lock the door, put your computer to sleep, and switch off your TV.

Position yourself comfortably

Although you may have successfully insulated yourself from distractions, if you aren’t in a comfortable position as you meditate, you won’t be able to focus on doing so and will likely fail. Lying on your bed would be a comfortable position, but you might fall asleep, so we advise against it. We suggest the lotus position instead. 

Stretch before positioning yourself comfortably

Stretching loosens both your muscles and tendons, enabling you to sit or lie comfortably. Stretching also enables you to begin focusing on the task at hand, ensuring you’ll be able to do so properly.

Begin breathing deeply

Breathing deeply slows down your heart rate, relaxes your muscles and tendons, and helps you focus.

Close your eyes

Not only does closing your eyes help ensure that you won’t be distracted, but it also helps you focus.

Begin calming yourself down

Remembering joyous events in your life for at least 30 minutes is one of the best ways to do so. Such thoughts can simply make you happy and thereby dispel your stress.

Return to reality

When you feel better, slowly open your eyes, resume breathing like you normally do, and stand up.

Stretch again

You may have become a bit stiff due to staying still for several minutes, so stretching again will prevent you from feeling discomfort once again.

Make meditation one of your new habits

Now that you know how to meditate properly, you’ll be able to perform this exercise whenever you feel stressed, enabling you to tap into your inner peace and dispel this feeling of discomfort at will.

Stress may be an unavoidable part of life, but you shouldn’t leave yourself at risk of this feeling of distress. There are many ways to deal with stress, and some, like meditation, require nothing from you except time, focus, and determination. Having explained how to get rid of stress by meditating, we hope to help you remain protected from stress.

Use Your Mind!

There are a lot of things that can cause us to feel stressed. Seeing a relative whom you dislike at a family reunion, being kept awake at night by the sound of a leaky faucet, and taking a vacation abroad alone are a few of these things. Luckily, no matter how many there are, you can learn how to get rid of stress easily. Indeed, there are many ways to do so, likely as many as the causes for this discomfort. One of these ways is to do it mentally.

Stress is basically a state of mental tension and worry caused by your problems, like tight deadlines, your rent being due, your rising credit card debt, etc. By definition, stress occurs within your mind. The causes for your problems may be tangible, and you may be feeling more awful than you’ve ever felt before, but the stress you feel is, frankly, a figment of your imagination. Hence, if you put yourself in a positive state of mind, you won’t feel stressed anymore.

But we aren’t saying you can just ignore stress and hope you’ll soon feel better, as if this awful feeling would disappear if you refuse to acknowledge it. This discomfort may all be just in your head, but not dealing with it can make things worse. Stress can cause you to work poorly; withdraw from your friends, family, and acquaintances; stop doing the things you like to do, like watching a movie and having dinner out; not eat properly; feel angry, sad, and sorry for yourself all the time; and—worse—get sick.

The longer you let yourself remain feeling stressed, the worse you’ll feel. The worse you feel, the more you put yourself at risk of getting sick. There’s no guarantee that you’ll feel better by just ignoring stress, just like there’s no guarantee that your problems will disappear by simply not acknowledging them.

If you really want to get rid of stress, you’ve to do so properly. To help you, here are some examples of how to get rid of stress using your mind: 

Change Your Expectations

No matter how much we would like our lives to be perfect, they never will be because nothing’s perfect—not anybody or anything—and nothing can ever be perfect. It’s simply not possible to be perfect. But if you expect perfection from yourself, everybody around you, your life, and everything in it all the time, you’ll always be disappointed and thus always feel stressed.

You should cut yourself, everybody else, and everything some slack. By doing so, you’ll be able to accept other people’s and things’ shortcomings easily, making it less likely that you’ll feel disappointed and stressed.

Don’t Take Things Personally

Your boss might have made a joke about you recently that really hurt and still does. Despite how hard forgetting about it would be, you should do so and try your best not to take things personally. Not only is it likely your boss thought nothing of the joke but a quick, innocent laugh, it’s likely your problems were caused by things without any relation to you. Unfortunate events occur simply because they can. By accepting that unfortunate events are part of life, you’ll be able to deal with such events easily and thus avoid feeling stressed.

Relax

If there’s something you could do that is sure to stress you out, it’s being wary of everybody and everything all the time. There’s such a thing as being too careful. For example, constantly worrying that you’ll get mugged during your vacation abroad is sure to stress you out and ruin your trip. Remaining relaxed enables you to go with the flow and accept people and things easily. If you do, it’s unlikely you’ll be wary toward others and thus won’t feel stressed.

Stress can be described as an enemy that will hurt you on the inside. This awful feeling can magnify your problems to such a degree that you’ll be left incapacitated, helpless, or worse. It would be best to begin learning how to get rid of stress by doing so mentally. Your mind is the best place to deal with the enemy because everything you do here can affect it. Given the 3 ways of getting rid of stress mentally, we hope to help you indeed do so.

What the Experts Are Saying

Stress can eat you up. Now that is an understatement. Stress can actually kill you. If you let stress consume you, you’re bound to have all sorts of diseases that natural stress relievers can’t cure. One of the underlying factors of many diseases that have been affecting millions of single women all across the globe is stress.

Stress is everywhere. It can be at home, at school, and most especially, at work. But stress isn’t all evil. In fact, you need stress to balance things out.  Stress and natural stress relievers are like yin and yang. Once these two are mixed, the result is balance.  So don’t think of stress as something that is very negative.

For single women, there are many ways to handle stress. Some smoke while others drink and party more. Others become angrier than usual. All of these things do more harm than good, not only to themselves but also to others.

There are many ways you can handle stress, but the best would be utilizing natural stress relievers. However, your perception of these must go beyond just relaxing. These relievers actually cover a lot of areas. Let us discuss each area one by one:

It’s all in the mindset.

It might be easier said than done, but the good news is that this is doable. Instead of focusing and ranting about what stresses you out, you can always set your mind to something that can give positive results. It could be that you just let your mind wander to that special place where all is bright and sunny. You can also brush all the negativism aside and focus your mind on something else. This is also one of the least-known natural stress relievers that many have not realized yet.

Go for mantra. 

This is perhaps one of the oldest stress relievers man has ever known. If you keep repeating a mantra, you tend to suck it in and become more pacified.  Saying the usual “om” can also do the trick.If you don’t feel comfortable with the “om,” there are some more mantras you can use on the Internet.

Meditate, meditate, and meditate some more.

 One of the best meditational practices that many experts recommend is focusing on the now. Try answering the question “What is happening now?” Focus first on your feelings and thoughts. Think of the changes in your body as you consciously become aware of how stress wreaks havoc on you. Once you’ve done that, think of the changes you’ve observed around you. Take note of what you’ve seen.

Aside from that, you should also take note of what you’ve smelled and heard. Sometimes you can even think of what you can touch. By being more attuned to your body, you’ll realize that you’ve lowered your stress level.

More and more single women are becoming more aware of how they can handle stress. They have developed this defense mechanism wherein stress becomes something really easy to handle, if not eliminate.

How to Avoid Stress Eating

Unknown to many, stress eating is one of the most common problems that affect millions of people worldwide. According to a survey that was published by the American Psychological Association, the number of people who turn to smoking, shopping, gambling, and alcohol are just the same as the number of people who turn to food whenever they feel stressed. Another startling fact about stress eating is that many of these people are not aware that they are suffering from this problem. This is why it’s important to learn how to avoid stress eating, even if you think that you’re not guilty of this bad habit. Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Always remember that at some point, it’s inevitable

Because of the fact that eating triggers a pleasurable response by satiating hunger or cravings, the body naturally aches to consume food whenever it feels stressed out or emotionally drained. This is the reason why there are times that you may not be able to stop your brain from having the desire to eat after a stressful event. However, by realizing that this type of hunger is inevitable, you’ll find it easier to identify this need and to avoid it entirely.

Stop rewarding yourself with food

Some people have made a habit of rewarding themselves with food whenever they excel in school or at work. This is a very bad habit, especially if you’re already fond of eating whenever you’re stressed. This is because this habit reinforces the thought that food is extremely comforting and that consuming it leads to positive and happy emotions. This means that rewarding yourself with food can increase the chances of stress eating to cope with negative emotions.

Stay away from food sources whenever you feel stressed

If you’re prone to experiencing stress at work, stay away from the fridge or the pantry, even if it’s the best place to unwind and have alone time. If you normally receive bad news at home, stay away from the kitchen or the pantry whenever you feel that stress is about to loom in. This simple tip is one of the most effective ways to avoid stress eating since you won’t be physically able to fulfill your body’s needs.

Replace the contents of your fridge or pantry

Most of the time, people who feel stressed eat anything that they can lay their hands on at that particular time. This is why it’s a good strategy to fill your pantry or your fridge with healthy food that you don’t normally eat or are not fond of eating. This sends signals to your brain that you won’t be able to eat something that you like as soon as stress hits you, hence enabling you to wane from stress eating.

Don’t go ‘cold-turkey’

For many, avoiding food entirely whenever they feel any type of negative feeling isn’t a feasible option because of the nature of their work or the fact that they have done it for so long. When this happens, your best chance of avoiding stress eating is to minimize your food intake little by little whenever you feel stressed until you’re left with nothing. This is the easier and more effective route for those who’ve been suffering from stress eating for a very long time.

When your work is piled up and your long to-do list is never ending, what do you do?  While others brave through their day-to-day tasks without breaking down, others just simply ignore their diet and turn to food for comfort.  The majority of us are faced with stressful events on a daily basis, especially if we have work, household chores, and other activities that drain all our energy away.  When you’re stressed, you’re more susceptible to what is called ‘stress eating,’ which will make you gain more weight.

Unfortunately, stress eating doesn’t really remove or fix the stress.  Yes, it gives you the temporary relief from what you feel, but it won’t last for long and the effects will highly impact your health.  So what should you do when you’re up against something and all you can think about is running to the kitchen and grabbing some chips and a cup of coffee?  Here are some strategies you can do to break your stress eating habit.

Tame your stress through relaxation.

Take the time to do some breathing exercises to calm your nerves.  If you’ve to walk away for a minute or two from what you’re doing, go ahead.  Do a quick meditation or try some yoga techniques to ease your stress.

If you’ve to drink, try black tea.  

When you’re stressed, the level of stress hormones, cortisol, increases and makes you crave for food.  Try to calm your nerves by drinking a cup of black tea. Black tea has been proven to lessen cortisol levels.

Check what you eat.

If you can’t fight the urge to munch on something, then go for foods that provide great health benefits.  Oranges are great as they are packed with nutrients that satisfy your sugar craving and calm your nerves.  If you’re itching to get some chips, try pistachios as an alternative.  These contain the right elements that will help regulate your blood sugar.

Awareness is key to overcoming stress eating.  Before you soothe your stress by eating, think about the long-term effects that will probably add to your stress and affect your overall being.  If you’re aware of what you’re going through, then it becomes easier for you to plan for better remedies.

Being Single: The Antidote for Stress?

Romantic relationships are hard to find.  Most of the time, they hide beneath the unreachable space of your TV screen for you not to experience it yet.  However, if you’ve just ended a long-term relationship because of some irrational reason, don’t cry your heart out yet.  Mind you, being single is the best way to move on. . . or to at least shake off some stress.

End of Pretending

The best thing about being single is the fact that you can finally be yourself – alone or not.  You have no one to impress.  You can be careful with your words but not to the extent that it shadows your true feelings.

Who Needs Permission?

Unplanned night out with your girls: what’s holding you back?  After a long, harsh week with work or school, you deserve to have some fun at least some time in a week.  Relieve stress by being free – this is the best thing about being single.

Another benefit of being single is that lack of a relationship that prevents you from thinking of yourself. So shake off the old woman within you that’s forcing you to be responsible. Being single means you can feel young and go out!  Take advantage of your youth for as long as you can.

Comfortable “Me” Time

Who cares if you don’t take a bath for a whole week?  If that makes you comfortable, why live with the pressures of the world?  However, that is unnecessary.

The point is that no one will ever scold you for wearing a baggy shirt, eating ice cream all day, and singing your heart out in the shower.  Since you’re single, there’s no need for makeup or cute dresses during your “Me” time.  As long as stress doesn’t like what you’re up to, then there’s no need to think of pressures at all.

Guilt-free Meals

Especially during PMS, everyone understands your need for time alone.  One of the effective PMS relievers is eating your cravings.  Sometimes, these cravings are unhealthy in nature, quite expensive, and full of fatty minerals.

Being conscious of what women eat is usually attributed to the comments given by their partners.  Mind you, even supermodels eat pasta and meatballs from time to time.  This is relatively healthy in some ways – balancing every nutrient needed by the body.  Satisfying your cravings without any judgments and side comments from your partner is one of the great things about being single.

So, if your conscience ever protests every intake of cheesecake, be the bad girl and satisfy your cravings.  Feeling guilty, on the other hand, has more aggressive side effects than toning down your PMS food needs.

Spacious Home

Vast bed, spacious closet, cut-off expenses, lower maintenance – just you and what’s yours. Remember the last time you asked for space?  It felt good, right?  Meaning, space is something that cannot be really shared unless you’re used to the feeling.

Being single is an opportunity to get used to being alone.  If you happen to be planning to settle down some day with a family, take advantage of your single time to enjoy your space.  When the married days come, space is a high-priced commodity you can never afford to buy.

Flexible Schedule

Freedom means lax time for everything that matters.  It may be a surprised family dinner, unexpected overtime, or quality time you want to spend alone; all of those are possible if you’re nothing but free.  Free from the decision of someone.  Free from the ties of responsibility – just you and your stress-free life.

Lite Travels 

Cultivating the wanderlust within you is also a good thing about being single. REAL traveling experience is one of the exciting things couples miss.  This is due to the extra baggage each partner needs to carry, extra expenses they need to cater, and an extra person each one needs to think about each day.  The pressure is there – to make your partner feel special in the said special journey.

For once, cut off the romantic ideals that usually suck in real life.  It takes a real single woman to appreciate the separating hairline between life and romance.