Tricks for Managing Stress at Home

Tricks for Managing Stress at Home

Stop reading this now! Close your eyes. Take three long deep breaths before you come back. We’ll wait.  

Don’t you feel better already? Taking a moment to breathe is one of the simplest ways to find stress relief at home. Since we are all spending more time at home, some of our traditional stress management techniques, like a spa day or hanging out with friends, may not be readily available.

So, we thought we would provide a few tips for how to manage stress at home.

Stress Management Techniques at Home

1.   Create a peaceful environment.

What makes someone feel peaceful obviously varies from person to person. Being surrounded by happy memories, objects you love, or things you find beautiful can help with managing stress at home.

 2.   Take a warm bath.

A warm bath with bubbles or delicious smelling bath products is a quick stress relief therapy at home. To wind down in the evening, fill the bathtub with warm water, add your favorite products, and light a fragrant candle and relax the night away.

3.   Exercise

Breaking a quick sweat is a great way to quickly relieve stress. Exercise boosts feel good endorphins right away. At home, try an online workout video or take a brisk walk around the block.

4.   Watch a funny movie.

A good laugh is one of the easiest ways to change your mood. Put on your favorite funny movie, a comedy special, or a sitcom and spend a little time laughing after a busy day.

5.   Take stress-relieving supplements.

There are many supplements that can help relieve stress. Some common ones include adaptogens, like ashwagandha, rhodiola, or mushrooms like lion’s mane. These can help improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed.

6.   Talk to a friend.

If you are stuck at home alone, sometimes the stress can become overwhelming. Humans need social support to work through problems and concerns. It is easy to make stress worse when you don’t talk it out. So, call up a friend or schedule a Zoom call and vent!

7.   Separate yourself from work.

With many of us working from home, we are all dealing with managing work stress at home even more than before. The work day can sometimes last forever when you are working from your dining room table. This can mean work stress starts to infiltrate all areas of your life. To manage this, you have to create hard boundaries around “work time” and “home time”.

8. Indulge in a warm treat

Remember dozing off after a warm glass of milk when you were a child? Milk contains an essential amino acid called tryptophan which plays a role in the production of serotonin and melatonin. These hormones work as mood stabilizers and can help with regulating sleep patterns all of which are key to helping you relax and reduce stress. Not only will the contents help you reduce stress from a biological standpoint, the act of sitting down with a warm beverage can also help set that calming mood. Lactose intolerant? Soy is also a good source of tryptophan. Try a warm glass of cow’s or soy milk topped with a dash of cinnamon for a soothing and nutritious treat.

9. Lose the Cortisol, Keep the Calm

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone and it’s primal function is to help us survive during “Fight or flight” situations. An example would be seeing a cougar hidden along your favorite hiking trail and having to decide whether to toss a rock or run away. Luckily scenarios like that are extremely uncommon, but our bodies are still programmed to chemically react in that same way when we stress over something like showing up late to a work zoom meeting or whether your Amazon package will get delivered on time. Stress will cause an increase in cortisol which in turn stimulates A rise in blood sugar, raises blood pressure, and produces insulin. All these reactions are designed to give you that quick burst of energy, but aren’t really necessary unless you’re wanting to be in “fight or flight” mode when your delivery person shows up. As a result of all this unused blood sugar and insulin spike, your body will go into storage mode and store that energy as fat around your midsection. This excess belly fat (adipose tissue) will in turn create an inflammatory cycle where cortisol production is increased and the belly fat continues to pile on. Luckily healthy eating habits including eating whole grains, adding a variety of colorful veggies, and drinking more water can break that cycle and help you keep the belly fat off. Work with your Doctor and Dietitian to help set realistic goals that will help you lose the cortisol and keep the calm.

10. Keep it regular with Probiotics

Is irregularity something that stresses you out? Lose that stress by adding a probiotic to your routine. The healthy bacteria in your stomach can reduce stress from inflammatory processes that make it tough for you to you digest your favorite foods. Healthy gut bacteria play a role in breaking down food, strengthening your immune system, and boosting your metabolism. Probiotics will strengthen your healthy gut bacteria and improve your stomach‘s ability to work at its optimal Level. Adding probiotics to your day can come from a tasty treat like a fruity yogurt or creamy fortified protein shake. Do yourself and your stomach a favor and add some probiotics today.

These are just a few simple stress management techniques that can help you manage stress at home. Adding simple relaxation rituals like these to your day can help you find the peace you are looking for no matter where you are.