stress reduction techniques

Everyone deals with stress, as sad as it is, it's a part of life.The average workplace has to pay 300 billion dollars due to stress related healthcare things and missing workdays. 30% of people say they are "always" or "often" stressed at work. Not only that, but 50% of people who experience stress experience lots of fatigue as well. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the amount of stress you're feeling. These include (but are not limited to) time management, breathing techniques, and meditation. 

Time management isn't fun. I wasn't and am still not very good at it. However, I find that spacing out my homework assignments over multiple days vs cramming it all on the last day. Doing something chunk by chunk is much more relaxing than doing it all at once. It's better for your heart too. By relaxing more, you lower your heart rate and have a higher life expectancy as well.

Breathing techniques are actually an easy way to reduce stress. My favourite is the following. Take a deep breath for 8 counts, hold it in 8 counts, and release it for 8 counts. Feel better? If not, try taking long deep breaths. There are plenty more breathing exercises you could find on the internet as well. 

Finally, meditation is also a great way to relax. There is a free app called "Stop, Breathe, and Think" that assesses your mood and gives you guided meditation soundtracks based on it. If you aren't able to get the app, meditation goes as follows. First, you breathe deeply, trying to calm your body and mind. Next you think of something calming, like ocean waves or a field of flowers. You then progress to thinking about all of the other beauty in the world, and when you're ready, you return yourself back into the room. Meditating also lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. Which expands your life expectancy. As hard as it is to remember, we need to know that things will always get better. 

Remember to keep calm and live happy, reader! 

​Sophia