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How To Reduce Your Stress Levels for a Brighter New Year

According to recent studies, 33% of us will experience stress at some point in our lives. Stress can be a result of many things. This can include a stressful day at work, a recent breakup, or money problems, and you may feel as if the world is collapsing around you. Often it’s difficult to know how to proceed. But you can help yourself with simple and effective ways of reducing your stress levels as we head into 2022.

Stress can be a result of many things. This can include a stressful day at work, a recent breakup, or money problems, and you may feel as if the world is collapsing around you. Often it's difficult to know how to proceed. But you can help yourself with simple and effective ways to reduce your stress levels as we head into 2022.

Record Your Feelings

While the importance of dreams is debatable, some people find it helps cope with underlying issues or bring problems to the surface. Keeping a dream journal subscribes to the Jungian psychotherapist notion of making the subconscious conscious. Keeping a journal or diary can be highly beneficial for clearing your mind. By keeping a journal, you can flush specific negative thoughts from your mind and bring your subconscious to the surface. Dream journals are also recommended by some psychologists. Write down your dreams as soon as you can because you tend to forget them easily. You can then reflect on its meaning later on.

 

Take Comfort in Family and Friends

A loving family and good friends can help you when challenging times, but not everyone has this option. If you can call up a friend or see family, this alone should provide excellent comfort. When you feel down or stressed, do something nice with your partner, or call a friend if you’ve had a bad day. Many people feel lonely and isolated as a result of COVID-19 stress. And the Omicron variant isn’t helping. Despite the restrictions, you can still call and text. Chances are they’ll be just as pleased to hear from you as you are to hear from them.

 

Try Essential Oils

Increasing numbers of people are turning to aromatherapy. Whether odors are medically beneficial or not can be debated, but essential oils make you feel better without a doubt. The sleep-inducing, calming, and relaxation properties of lavender, chamomile, and jasmine are widely-known.

Essential oil diffusers are also becoming increasingly popular for utilizing CBD oil. CBD oil has nothing to do with smoking marijuana, even though it is made from cannabis. There is growing evidence that CBD can treat epilepsy, balance serotonin levels, and relieve endometriosis when taken in small doses.

 

Don’t Forget to Exercise

Exercising causes more serotonin to be released, much like aromatherapy and CBD. It is well known that low serotonin levels cause severe anxiety and depression and allow the stress hormone cortisol to negatively impact how you feel.

These feelings can be relieved by balancing serotonin. In addition to its effects on mental health, cortisol also contributes to increased stress and anxiety levels. Exercise in general releases the serotonin you need, but jogging outdoors or in nature will have a calming effect as you clear your mind.

 

Just Dance

While your favorite music increases serotonin, the type you prefer to calm down is different from the type you choose to energize you. For example, an uplifting beat with a faster beat may generate positive feelings. On the other hand, slower-tempo music is more relaxing. However, mixed with some dancing, serotonin is boosted, and you may get your recommended daily amount of exercise. And for some extra entertainment, you could try the dancing game Just Dance for Nintendo Switch. Whatever your taste in music, whether it’s grunge or Enya, listening to your favorite tunes is one of the oldest and still most effective ways to relieve stress.

 

 

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TWL Working Mom

Jennifer is the Owner of TWL and Co-Owner of a Influencer Facebook Group Influential Mamas.  Along with blogging + freelance writing and selling Zyia Activewear, she is a mom, army wife and full-time teacher. Jennifer lives in Washington State and is a born + raised New Yorker. In her spare time, she loves traveling, yoga, the beach, writing, listening to books and drinking coffee.

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