Making changes to your lifestyle can help lower your stress level.
Starting with basic good health is a good idea. If your body is in good condition to begin with, it may be able to cope with stress better — or in a more healthy way.
- Eat a balanced diet — fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to fight stress and other health issues.
- Get moderate exercise at least three times per week — the more the better.
- Get enough sleep — your body recovers from the day’s stress while you sleep.
- Balance work, family needs, personal needs, and other obligations. Over-committing yourself is a recipe for stress.
- Limit consumption of alcohol.
- Don’t smoke (or if you do smoke, it’s time to quit).
- Have a sense of purpose in life. Feeling lost, adrift, or hopeless can make little stresses seem like big, insurmountable stresses. Having a goal or purpose gives you a positive thing to work towards.
Make sure you have a social support system. That includes family, friends, and your community! Research has shown a strong relationship between social support and mental and physical health. If you feel completely alone, you are more likely to have mental and physical health issues — including stress.
There are lots of options for social support. Family and friends, coworkers, religious leaders, support groups, counselors, and more. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak. Asking for trust and understanding doesn’t make you a failure. In fact, asking for help can actually bring you closer to friends and family — they feel good being able to help someone they care about. And getting help from someone you trust can help reduce your stress level greatly.
Your support system can also help you defeat negative thoughts that come in the face of great stress. Stressful events can induce fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and more. Dealing with negative thoughts can help reduce stress, too.