Managing stress as you age might become more challenging as our bodies respond to stress in different ways. When changes occur in the body, stress is a normal reaction that causes physical, emotional, and cognitive responses. Stress is an inevitable aspect of life, and each new stage of life brings with it new pressures.
“It has been verified through scientific exploration that more than 80 percent of all diseases are due to stress and strain that originate in the mind and reflect on the body.” – American Medical Association
In order to avoid having health challenges that can cut your life short as a result of stress, you must make out time to relax from your busy days. Below we put together a few tips that can help manage stress as you age.
- ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL EXERCISE:
Engaging in regular exercise can improve your mental and physical health as you age. Exercise has a significant impact on brain health, in addition to other physical benefits such as increased lung capacity, bone density, and general longevity. It is beneficial to ease stress by joining fitness classes or getting personal trainers as it also tends to reduce anxiety.
2. EAT HEALTHY AND PROPER MEALS
Having a proper diet can also help reduce stress. Are you wondering how food can help you manage stress? Well, it’s true, having a proper diet and stress level work hand in hand. You realize that whenever you feel overwhelmed, we might forget to eat properly or may even lose our appetite, then we go for quick bites that are sugary and fatty.
Including fruits and vegetables in our diet plan is very important as they very healthy for us. Also eating foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin B helps in managing stress e.g., avocado and fatty fish. Eating healthy and nutritious food is important as it’s a source of strength to the body, it boosts the physical and mental growth of an individual and lets the body function effectively.
3. SLEEP PROPERLY
Sleeping properly can help your mind and brain function well. It is a very powerful stress reducer. We all know how stress can deprive us of sleep but then the truth is the sole cause sleeplessness is stress. As you age, juggling between work or retirement, family, and other commitments can be very straining
and stressful but being able to sleep would help you stay sane and more organized to avoid pressure which might lead to other health challenges.
When you’re well-rested, you’re a better problem solver and can handle stress better. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, strips away your energy and affects your mental clarity. Doctors recommend seven to eight hours of sleep; it is important we meet up to these hours in order to wake up with enough strength to carry out your other day to day activities.
Make sure to get the doctor-recommended seven to eight hours of sleep.
4. TALK TO A COUNSELOR/ FRIEND
Another way to handle stress is by talking to a companion/ friend or a counselor. When you let out your troubles to someone you can confide in you relieve yourself of the stress you’ve been holding on to. This might seem random to you because most times you might feel no one would understand but then simply having a listening ear can help a lot in tangible way. We need all the assistance we can get as we get older from loved ones, family and friends or even caregivers so help up un-bundled a lot of tensions on our mind.
5. TRY SOMETHING NEW!
Tips for managing stress Doing something completely different from your normal routine can also help you manage stress. Instead of sleeping in, take a walk, go to the movies, hangout with friends, take up an interesting hobby. You can go swimming, try out a new restaurant, go on picnics etc. Sometime we just get tired and frustrated with our day-to-day routines that we find ourselves stressing over irrelevant things that can cause our health. So, by simply switching things up, we can manage our stress and have fun.
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