Lifestyle Habits for Healthy State of Mind

People undergo a great amount of stress these days due to plenty of lifestyle factors. A little bit of stress and tension is normal and unavoidable. Too much stress, however, puts your body in fight-or-flight mode, thereby speeding up the heart rate and making you breathe faster.  Long-term stress, also known as chronic stress, has an adverse effect on your physical as well as mental health. Although it is very difficult to reduce stress in this competitive and hectic world, it is something that is a must to maintain good overall health.  Developing healthy living habits such as eating a proper diet, exercising on a regular basis, quitting smoking, and getting a sufficient amount of sleep can help a lot to overcome stress. There are a number of things that you could do to minimize stress levels. These include yoga, exercising, visualization, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, etc.

Performing yoga regularly has numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. It increases flexibility, reduces stress, and improves the functioning of your lungs. People suffering from serious diseases can practice yoga to reduce stress and pain. Meditation is helpful for lowering the level of blood pressure and also reducing muscle tension. It is also known to reduce your body’s response to adrenaline. Performing yoga and meditation early in the morning lowers stress and keeps you relaxed and in a good mood throughout the day.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is used to lower the level of anxiety and also reduce skin problems like rashes and allergies. This technique involves isolating a muscle group, creating tension on it for about 10 seconds, and then allowing it to completely relax. To perform progressive muscle relaxation, tense every muscle in your face, maintain a tight grimace for approximately 10 seconds and finally achieve complete relaxation or the next 10 seconds. Once done with your face, repeat this process with your neck, shoulders, etc.

Creative visualization involves picturing a happy memory. It could be a memory of a family vacation, your childhood, or anything that makes you smile and feel happy. Visualization is one of the best techniques to reduce tension.

Almost everyone is aware of the physical health benefits of exercise. What many people don’t know is that exercising regularly lower stress and improves mental health. This is because exercise makes the brain release endorphins that make a person feel stress-free, happy, and relaxed. Exercise, as we all know, also helps to lose weight. Overweight people often feel stressed and depressed because of their physical appearance. Exercise promotes a fit body and makes people feel good about their physical appearance. Regular exercise of thirty minutes is also known to boost self-confidence and self-esteem.

Getting a sufficient amount of rest and sleep is extremely important for good physical and mental health. Inadequate rest or sleep makes you feel irritable and tired. People who don’t get the proper amount of sleep are more prone to stress and emotional problems than people who sleep for at least seven hours every night.

Combining the activities mentioned above with a healthy diet plan will ensure overall good health. Avoid or minimize your consumption of fatty, junk, processed, and fast foods. Start eating more organic dark green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits every day. Dehydration causes fatigue and increases stress levels. Therefore, always ensure that you stay well-hydrated by drinking a lot of water and fresh fruit juices.