The Best Physical Ways To De-Stress
Stress can have some harsh physical effects on our bodies, and as such, it only makes sense that you need to do something physical in return to dial it back! Because stress is a malady of both the mind and the body, and you can do both mental and physical exercises to shake it off and feel like you can breathe again. In the interest of giving you some highly impactful ways to truly combat the amount of stress on your shoulders, here are 3 ways to physically fight off the weight on your shoulders.
Exercise Regularly, Not Intensively
Exercise is the number one way to deal with the physical effects of stress. In a way it helps you to simulate the fight or flight response that stress was designed to be a part of, and by getting your heart rate up, you’ll be effectively ‘running’ away from the problem at hand. And that’s good for you!
However, you don’t need to be intense about your workouts here. You just need to do them regularly; two or three times a week is the best scale to work on, and you can even just go for a brisk walk or swim for half an hour. Anything works, as long as you’re doing it!
Try Out Acupuncture
There are a lot of traditional medicines still on the market, and they’re still around for a very good reason: they work! And one of the best ancient techniques we still use today is acupuncture - it’s a great way to help you feel less stressed, as it physically stimulates your nerves to release endorphins in your brain on demand.
If you’re not too sure what endorphins are, they’re brain chemicals that overall just really help you to relax, and a few rounds of acupuncture can do wonders to calm the physical effects of stress that are starting to grate on you. Of course, acupuncture isn’t for everyone, but even just trying a short, one-time session could have big benefits!
Start Laughing!
It’s true when they say that laughter is the best medicine! Because when you laugh, you’re physically expressing joy in the most passionate and true way possible, and that’s excellent for getting rid of stress. Not only does it let more oxygen into your body, which is great for your organs, but it also helps you to regulate your heart rate and blood pressure, which stress is currently causing to soar.
So put something funny on, or call a friend and have a bit of a gossip - whatever it takes to get you to laugh, even if that’s the last thing you feel like doing right now, is going to help you feel calmer and lighter within yourself.
If stress is getting to be too much for you, and you’re feeling it physically affect your body, make sure you do something physical in response. A bit of exercise, a bit of alternative medicine, and even just a laugh works wonders.
