Change is the only constant in our world. Stress is caused by change; therefore, we must accept the fact that stress will always be a part of our lives. In this article, fitness instructor and life coach Dylan Celli recommends 3 strategies to help you relieve your stress.
What is stress? Stress is a physiological and psychological response to anything that disturbs our personal balance. Stress usually feels bad; however, it can also be good. Stress is good when it motivates you to perform your best when studying for tests in school, trying to be the best parent you can be, or preparing for an interview. Anything that can result in a better quality of life can be considered “good” stress.
However, if the stress becomes too much or becomes too difficult to manage, then stress becomes bad for your psychological, emotional and physical health. Stress will cause a pounding heart in your chest and can cause tension in your neck and shoulders. It can cause depression, tiredness, and lack of sleep. Living with stress long-term increases your risk for weight gain, mental distress, and heart disease.
Sometimes reducing stress requires a mindset change. There are times you have to realize no matter how hard you try there will be circumstances you can’t change and you can’t spend time worrying about things you can’t change.
A consistent exercise routine can help manage stress. Taking a walk through nature is a great way to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are additional forms of exercise that can relieve stress.
Despite being an ancient technique, meditation has recently become widely accepted. Meditation helps you learn to slow your breathing to feel calmer and reduce the physical feelings of stress. By practicing meditation, you can calm stress, erase depression, and lower your blood pressure.
Yoga can also help control your blood pressure and levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in your system. Yoga promotes balance, endurance, strength, and flexibility. Through each pose, you will learn to concentrate on how and when you inhale and exhale.
Focusing on breathing helps you forget about anxiety and external thoughts. Both meditation and yoga concentrate on how you breathe.
Many adults have sought massage therapy for stress relief benefits as well as pleasure. It has been claimed that at least one sixth of Americans benefit from massage therapy for stress relief. (AMTA, 2006) Massage therapy is also beneficial for injury recovery, circulation problems, anxiety, migraines, sleep problems, back pain, and arthritis.
Effective coping skills have been linked to increased levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), also known as “good cholesterol”. Hostility and stress have been shown to affect cholesterol levels. Therefore, the better you learn to manage stress, the more likely you will be to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. (WebMD, 2007)
Additional research has shown blaming yourself and coping by avoidance is linked to anger and hostility issues and is very unhealthy. Anger and hostility are linked to lower HDL and higher blood pressure. Hostility has also been linked with elevated glucose levels in both diabetic and non-diabetic people. Elevated blood glucose also raises the risk of developing heart problems. People who are hostile haven’t learned effective problem solving. Instead, they try to cope with an emotional response such as avoidance and anger.
According to Dylan Celli, if you have a stressful lifestyle, you may consider stress relief techniques to bring balance back into your life before it takes a toll on your psychological, emotional, and physical health.
About Dylan Celli
Dylan Celli is a yoga instructor, fitness trainer, and life coach who specializes in leading people towards inner perfection by helping them achieve outward gains. Dylan primarily focuses on high-end clients: executives, athletes, and industry leaders by applying a progressive, goal-oriented strategy that improves self-confidence and inner peace.
