Have you ever come home from a stressful workday hoping to wind down, only to find you can’t shake off the day and relax? Stress can be debilitating, and make it hard to calm down.. When you feel stressed or anxious, your brain is often operating in emergency preparedness mode, which can deplete your nervous system and impair your ability to make good decisions. The goal of natural remedies is to help yourself move back into balance. Seven natural remedies rise to the top as the most effective ways to accomplish this.
Physical Exercise
Exercising regularly is believed to benefit every system in the body. In addition to the physical health benefits of exercise, it releases various hormones that generally promote more restful sleep, a better mood, and more vitality.
Intentional Relaxation
The process of progressively tensing and releasing your muscles can reduce the stress you hold in your body and leave you feeling calmer. To practice this, begin with your toes and move through your whole body, tensing each muscle group for several seconds, then releasing it. This technique can be so relaxing that it is used to treat insomnia.
Meditation
Mindfulness meditation teaches us to observe our thoughts and inner experience without attaching emotion to them. It is a simple way to shift into the more supportive nervous system track. Regular meditation to reduce stress is widely practiced, and numerous types may be beneficial. Even a few minutes of sitting quietly and bringing your attention to the moment is known to induce a more balanced emotional state.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are pure, natural extracts from various plant parts. Some oils can be ingested and many have calming aromatherapy properties. The sense of smell has a powerful effect on brain chemistry and can affect your moods and emotional regulation. A few drops of chamomile, clary sage, or copaiba essential oil can calm your mind. If you don’t have an oil diffuser, you can put a drop on a cotton ball that you move under your nose frequently, until the anxiousness begins to calm. Certain oils can be ingested, but it is a good idea to check with an expert before taking an oil internally.
Organization
Feeling disorganized can contribute to stress because it may mean you can never find what you need and don’t make appointments on time. Devoting a little bit of time each day to organizing your communications, your schedule and your desk can make a difference. Even the act of engaging in organizing activities can be stress relieving. You may find you are less anxious when you can easily locate that important file folder and make it to your meeting on time.
Journaling
The benefits of journaling your thoughts and feelings are well-documented. Stress and anxiousness are known to dissipate when you express how you feel in some way. Writing minimizes negative thoughts and, in a way, moves stress out of your body and on to the paper. Carrying a small journal with you is simple and enables you to write, no matter where you are.
Interacting With Animals
It has been observed that when people spend time interacting with or caring for animals, their nervous system calms. Service animals are now used in therapy sessions for this purpose. Just a few minutes of animal time can reduce anxious feelings and the bonus benefit is your pet will love it too.
Most people’s lives are packed full of work and recreational activities, and self-care time is neglected. Committing to a bit of time daily to practice stress-reducing activities can help prepare you to keep up with that busy schedule, stay in the present moment and balance your brain chemistry. Keeping some essential oils in your desk and a journal in your bag is a good starting place to freedom from stress and anxious feelings.
