Eat healthily. As well as regular exercise, eating a healthy balanced diet
can make a significant contribution to a less stressful lifestyle. By making
healthy positive choices with your diet you can make yourself both physically
and emotionally stronger. Taking active care of yourself will boost your
self-esteem as well as giving you more energy and more control over your body.
Having a good diet will help your body function more efficiently.
- Have a balanced diet that includes the food groups from the FDA food plate.
- Taking the time to cook a delicious healthy meal in the evening can be a good way to de-stress at the end of a tough day.
Get enough sleep. The average adult requires between 7 and 9 hours of sleep
per night. Not only can a lack of sleep lead to increased stress, but chronic
sleep deprivation can impair your judgment, reasoning ability, appearance,
libido, and your performance at work or school. Increase the amount of sleep
you get by doing the following:
- Establishing and sticking to a daily sleep schedule.
- Doing something relaxing before bed, such as reading or breathing exercises.
- Turning off your electronic devices.
- Sleeping in a comfortable environment.
- Avoiding alcohol and caffeine, which can disrupt sleep.
Limit your
alcohol intake. Avoiding drinking above the
recommended amounts of alcohol can help you to be more emotionally healthy. Men
are recommended not to regularly drink more than three or four units a day. For
a woman the equivalent is two or three units a day. Drinking can be attractive
when you are particularly stressed, but it can exaggerate those feelings,
making you angry and aggressive.
- One unit of alcohol equals approximately a 25 milliliters (0.85 fl oz) measure of spirits (ABV 40%), a third of a pint of beer (ABV 5 to 6%), or half a standard (175ml) glass of wine (ABV 12%).
- You can download digital tools to help you keep track of how many units you consume.
- If you feel like alcohol is becoming a problem you should speak to your doctor.
Be smoke
free. If you are a smoker, cutting down
or quitting helps to relieve your stress and anxiety, as well as giving you a
more positive outlook on life. Together with the well-known benefits to your
physical health being smoke free brings, there are proven benefits for your
mental health too. Despite the myth that smoking relaxes you, in fact it
increases anxiety and tension.
- Smokers are more likely to develop depression or anxiety disorder over time. Cutting down will improve your mood in the long-term.
- It will also save you a lot of money which can help lower financial stresses. If you stop smoking ten cigarettes a day you will save around £1000 a year.
