Better living isn’t just a saying. It requires discipline and effort to make it happen. When it comes to your health, cutting corners should be the last thing that you do, but too often, we look for easy solutions and convenient fixes. 

When we get busy, overwhelmed with things, whether at work or at home, the tendency is to find comfort in choosing convenience. 

We choose quick meals over ones that may be healthier selections because they may take more time to prepare. We decide to binge shows rather than get enough sleep, making us more tired and stressed the next day. 

We choose to skip the workout for the day because we just don’t have the energy.

It’s a pattern and a slippery slope that can lead to various coping mechanisms, some that may not be as healthy as we could be. 

These actions we take when we’re feeling overwhelmed stem from our ability, or inability, to handle stress in our lives. 

Stress can lead to several significant health ramifications from sleep disorders, impaired immune systems, upset digestive tracts, and more. In fact, prolonged stress can elevate your blood pressure and heart rate, leading causes to heart attacks and strokes. 

In other words, you need to find ways to manage your stress to improve your quality of life.

For someone with a preexisting condition such as heart disease or diabetes, finding ways to minimize your stress is crucial to your overall health. 

Anyone managing diabetes knows that heightened blood pressure puts unnecessary stress on an already taxed body, leading to more severe complications. 

And anyone managing diabetes knows that you can still have a quality of life post-diagnosis. In addition to managing your blood sugars, getting enough sleep, as well as getting exercise, finding ways to minimize stress in your life is crucial. 

Ways To Minimize Stress In Your Life

According to Rolling Paper, the dangers of stress in your life can be much more severe than we’ve previously understood. It’s crucial then to find ways to minimize the amount of stress we have in our lives and learn to manage what we can. By learning a coping mechanism, we’re improving the quality of our lives and that of those we love. 

Here are four of the best ways to minimize and manage stress in your life. 

Establish An Exercise Routine

Exercise is one of the best ways to release stress from the body and mind. Increasing your heart rate helps burn excess calories, improves cardiovascular function, enhances your immune system, heightens mood, assists with quality sleep, and invigorates mental function. According to Rolling Paper, the link between improved mental function and exercise is apparently due to increased heart rates facilitating anti-anxiety neurochemicals such as serotonin, GABA, and endocannabinoids. These obviously decrease stress, and regulate your mood so that you feel happier and calmer.

Eat Better

Whether you have specific nutritional needs or not, eating better is one way to decrease stress in our lives. Too often, when we feel run down and overwhelmed, we reach for the fastest, easiest foods. All too often, those comfort foods are loaded with sugars and other fillers, don’t offer much in the way of nutrition and stimulate us to act opposite of what we need for our bodies at the time.

Consider changing your diet to include pure ingredients, less processed foods, and if necessary, look to add supplements. 

Be Mindful

The practice of being mindful is the idea of being in a relaxed state that is focused on the moment and nothing else. Findings show that even 15 minutes a day of meditative relaxation helps release tension in the body, lower blood pressure, improve our concentration and focus, and improve mood. Clean protein powders and those that are nutrient-rich. 

Pamper Yourself

One tactic to minimize stress in your life should consider a little personal care. Pamper yourself to a day at the spa, get a massage, or visit the chiropractor and get your body right. The benefits of releasing stress from your mind and body will make you feel better, calmer, and happier, meaning you’ll have a better quality of life and be more fun to be around for your loved ones!  Besides, who doesn’t deserve a little “me” time now and then? 

We all feel overwhelmed at times. It’s a natural feeling. The key is to find ways to manage it before it can cause lasting health issues in our lives, impacting our bodies and minds. Taking a little time every day for self-care should be a priority in your life for better living.