6 Proven Steps to Overcome Stress

Stress is our mind & body’s response to a real or imagined threat.  Dr. Hans Seyle, an endocrinologist and a pioneer in the study of stress has classified stress into ‘eustress’ (positive stress) and ‘distress’ (negative stress) .

Eustress can be a challenging work but it should match our skills. Eustress helps us to perform a demanding task. But in this article we will mainly limit our discussion to the causes of (bad) stress and how to overcome it.

Stimulus of stress can be acute (eg: examination anxiety); recurring (eg: rotating work shifts) or chronic (eg: any chronic illness).

How to manage and reduce your stress levels ?

1. Indulge in physical activity- Regular physical exercise helps in preventing some diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, dementia etc. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to our tissues.  Doing physical exercise is like taking anti-depressants without any side effects. Do some aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling etc for at least 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Apart from preventing various diseases you will look good and feel energetic.                 
2. Eat healthy  food –  Ideally food should be fresh and healthy. Few basic thumb rules to follow are-(i) Eat wholegrain cereals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and avoid fast food like burgers, pizza etc. (ii) Drinking adequate amount of water will help the body to flush the toxins out. Moreover drinking lemon water in empty stomach has many health benefits. (iii) Try to include fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Our body is made up of more than 60 percent water. Vegetables like cauliflower, spinach, broccoli etc and fruits like watermelon , pineapples, peach are extremely water rich and easy  to digest. 
3. Develop good hobbies- Hobbies are undertaken for pleasure and relaxation. Hobbies like gardening, fishing, dancing, reading etc not only reduces stress but can be rejuvenating for the mind.        
4. Sleep- Healthy sleep habits can reduced stress dramatically . Get at least 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Set your alarm when you actually have to get up and avoid snoozing, says Dr. R. Pelayo, a sleep specialist at Stanford University.                                                             
5. Social Support- Having friends and family members who love and care for us act as a buffer during challenging times. Confiding in close network of support helps us to overcome mental agony.             
6. Meditation- Practicing meditation on a daily basis has many advantages, boosting concentration and reducing stress are just the starters. Any simple meditation technique practiced for as little as 10 minutes can significantly increase the quality of our life.