Chronic stress may not even currently be an issue in your life. However, a preventative approach is beneficial – adding relaxation into your day can increase resilience to cope with future stressors.
Some stress management strategies:
- Connect – High-quality relationships can reduce chronic stress and social support also predicts better outcomes for those experiences psychological distress. Research from the pandemic has suggested that video calls can provide a lot of the benefits that were previously only thought to occur from face-to-face interaction; it’s possible to check-in and connect from the comfort of your own home!
- Laugh – Whether you laugh with your friends or take two minutes out your day to watch a funny video – laughing activates our parasympathetic or ‘relax’ system.
- Sing – From belting out your favourite song at home to joining a choir; breathing is slowed down in order to sing. Research suggests that some people find this kind of breath work more engaging than standalone breathing exercises and meditation!
- Take up a new artistic activity – Stress reduction is not confined to singing when it comes to the arts. Anything from a paint by numbers, to cooking can help! It is believed there are over 100 health promoting mechanisms involved with participating in something artistic. Importantly, people’s perception of being able to cope with stressors increases after participating in the arts.
- Touch – Human to human contact can activate the parasympathetic system. Alternatively, massage can relieve tension (you can self-massage by placing a tennis ball behind the wall and area you want to concentrate on). Stroking an animal, whether it’s your own pet, or going on a dog walk with a friend, is perfect for stress relieving touch!
Everyone is unique and some activities will appeal to one person and not feel right to another– choose what feels good to you and what helps you to feel relaxed! Our programmes place a lot of emphasis on empowering our clients as individuals. Here at One You, our health coaches can support you in finding ways to add more relaxation to your life! They can also help you get fitter and keep your heart healthy. Sign-up today using this link https://bit.ly/OneYou-WM-RBKC.
Written by Danielle Taffel (Specialist Mental Health Weight Management Practitioner)
