There are often times in life when everything seems like it is all too much for us. Stress can build up because of a culmination of a lot of different reasons, and when we are under stress for a prolonged period of time, it can lead us to become anxious and depressed too. Stress can really have a negative impact on our mental health and it is essential that we manage stress when we see the signs of it.
But learning to identify the early warning signs of stress, depression, and anxiety can be tough. Often, these problems gradually build in us without us even realizing.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the ways that you can take care of yourself when you are stressed.
Focus On Getting More Sleep
When we are stressed, depressed, or anxious, it can be hard to get to sleep at night. Or, if you are able to get to sleep, you may not be able to sleep right through the night. You need to be aiming to get eight hours of sleep each night. If you are struggling to get enough sleep then this can have a detrimental affect on your mental health. It can become a vicious circle.
There are a few things that you can do to improve your ability to fall asleep, and the quality of your sleep. Firstly, you can avoid using your phone or tablet for an hour before you go to bed. Use the time before you go to bed to have a relaxing bath or read a book.
When you do go to bed, sprinkle the bed with lavender oil. This will help you to relax.
Use CBD
One way of reducing your stress and anxiety levels is by taking CBD. But what is CBD?
CBD is useful for the treatment of stress and depression. CBD comes from the cannabis plant. But unlike the cannabis drug, CBD doesn’t make you high and there is no risk of addiction when you take it.
Plan Your Time Better
One of the biggest causes of stress is not managing your time effectively. Instead of allowing yourself to become overwhelmed by stress, make a to-do list and focus your energy on working on one task at a time in a methodical fashion. Make sure you proritize your most important tasks.
Don’t Be Affraid To Say No
If you feel as though you can’t say no to things when people ask you to do something, this can cause you to take on too much. In turn, this brings about stress. Learning to say “no” when you are overwhelmed is vital.
Turn To Friends For Support
When you are feeling stressed or low, turn to those around you and talk things through with them. A problem shared is, after all, a problem halved. If you don’t have anyone that you feel close enough to, you should turn to a professional for support. Get in touch with a counselor and talk through your problems with them.
*This is a collaborative post*
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Life is about the experiences we go through. We can go around with all kinds of things assigned and attached to us, but what we see and how we spend our lives are what really matters. It’s a cliché, but when you’re led on your deathbed, do you really care about the tedious pieces of fine print that you had to deal with? Probably not. You’re going to look back on the times you enjoyed yourself while caring very little about what people thought of you. If you barely do much, you’re going to look back on the times you missed out, and you’re going to think ‘Why didn’t I bother? Why did I worry so much?’
It’s not as easy as just changing one morning and becoming a lot more carefree in life. If you’re a worrier, then you’re a worrier for a reason. One of the best ways of releasing tension and stopping yourself from panicking over certain aspects of life is to know in your mind that you’re going to be secure and protected. Once that barrier is out of the way, you can release your full potential. Here are just a few ways you can do just that in this day and age:
Speak With A Mental Health Professional
You need to make sure you’re doing okay in your mind before you think about many other aspects of life. We all have barriers and constraints in the way, but one of the biggest barriers is the one in our heads. We could literally have no issues in front of us, but our minds stop us from continuing for all kinds of reasons. Be sure to have your mental health in check by opening up to someone who can help. When you share things and get different perspectives, you often find that things become clearer and you feel an extra spring in your step.
Have The Right Law Firm Behind You
Lawyers aren’t going to be necessary for a significant percentage of your life, but you just don’t know when they’re going to be called into action. You might have an issue with someone, or someone might take umbrage with what you do. You might even be a little cautious with regard to your health as you get on with a dangerous job. Having personal injury attorneys who fight for your best interests will make you feel a lot more at ease as you go through with certain commitments in life. Having that kind of reinforcement would allow most people to continue on with fewer worries.
Wear A Mask & Keep Your Distance!
The virus isn’t going anywhere, so doing what you can to keep the virus away with help out a lot more than just in terms of your physical health. When you know you’ve gone through all the right measures, and you’re doing all you can to keep yourself safe, that’s when you’ll feel better about heading out.
Approach Everything As Though You’re A Beginner
When you think you know it all, you often make more mistakes. Even if you know a lot about a certain subject, you should question things and get the full story. You need to head into a situation with full knowledge of what’s going on. While heading into the unknown can be helpful, it’s wise to get to grips with things before proceeding. The idea here is to allow your mind to go out while keeping yourself secure and with a freer mind, and rushing into things won’t make that happen at all.
*This is a collaborative post*
If there's one thing that most of us can agree on it's that the modern world never stops. It can often feel as though there simply aren't enough hours in the day to fit in all of the stuff that many of us need to get done. It shouldn't be much of a shock then that many of us are pretty stressed a lot of the time and this is something that can take a pretty heavy toll on a lot of people. Trying to just push through stress can be a dangerous choice. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do if you feel like you're reaching the end of your rope.
Plan your time carefully
One of the most common reasons that a lot of people start to feel overwhelmed by the stress of modern life is that they aren't planning out their time carefully enough. If you're not planning out your time then you will often end up trying to get everything done all at once which can leave you pulling your hair out. By learning to plan your time and prioritize tasks, you're going to be able to not only fit more stuff in but you can also figure out which things really aren't worth getting stressed over in the first place.
Take care of yourself
The world often tries to teach many of us that there's something wrong or selfish about wanting to take some time for ourselves. There's this idea that there's a virtue in only ever thinking about other people. However, if you're not looking after yourself, you're not going to be able to function at all. One of the best places to start is by getting a decent night's sleep. Click here to check out some natural supplements that can help you sleep better and feel more alert. A few simple changes to help you prioritize your own wellbeing can make all the difference in the world.
Learn to say no
There's nothing wrong with wanting to help out the people around you. If someone asks for a favour, most of us are happy to say yes. However, if you find yourself in a position where you simply cannot take on anymore, learning to say no to things is one of the most important things in the world. Whether it's at work, in your social life, or even something as simple as asking your partner to take care of the kids while you have a break, there's nothing wrong with learning to say no to things.
One of the most dangerous elements of the modern world is the idea that there's something positive about being able to just live with constant stress. The attitude of "rise and grind" is one that often just ends up making people feel pressured to ignore when the stresses of modern life are having a direct negative impact on their health. Learning to step back from that stress is one of the most important things that you can possibly do in order to take the best possible care of yourself.
*This is a collaborative post*
I was kindly gifted 'The Existence of of Amy' by the author, Lana Grace Riva. I happily accepted knowing that the book explores mental health issues and having suffered with depression myself I was intrigued how mental health disorders were going to be portrayed.
The book is written in the first person about a girl called Amy. Amy has a normal life. She has friends, a home and a job it quickly becomes clear that all is not what is seems. Amy struggles everyday with life and we come to learn that she suffers with OCD and depression. She finds daily tasks hard, meeting with friends very difficult but this all gets on top of her when her closest friend announces he is moving to Singapore. I don't want to give any more of the story away as it will spoil it for you.
Lana Grace Riva has written a wonderful portrayal of people suffering with a mental illness. These issues are normally hard to tackle as many people still don't understand them or want to believe that they exist.
The first chapter packs a big punch. The short sentences and paragraphs reflect Amy's busy chaotic mind and gives a clear insight into OCD and depression.
The story is an easy, enjoyable read. It almost feels like a diary. You will become easily invested in Amy and her life and keep willing her to take chances and seek the help she desperately needs.
My only criticism is that I would have liked to have read more about the counselling sessions. I didn't want the story to end as I wanted to know more of what happens to her. Perhaps this gives an opportunity for a second book.
Overall, it was a wonderful, easy flowing read. I'd recommend it to anyone suffering with a mental illness as it'll help you not to feel alone or to anyone hoping to gain a better understanding of what other people have to endure.
Thank you again Lara. 4/5 stars.
Many people desire to lose weight from around their belly area as this is the main area where fat begins to accumulate. Many individuals feel self-conscious about their stomach area and are often seeking the best ways to lose belly fat. In order to lose belly fat however you must participate in various exercises.
Some exercises promise to target certain areas of your body and provide instant results, unfortunately however this is not true. You have to do exercises which target all muscles in order to lose belly fat. This includes upper body exercises you can do at home and lower body exercises too.
Here are some exercises that will help you on your quest to lose weight from your stomach...
Lie down flat on your back and keep your hands at the sides of your body. Slowly begin to raise your legs up to a 45-degree angle, and then begin to move them in a cycling motion. Do this cycling action for about fifteen times, and then repeat the exercise a further two times. This exercise helps to strengthen your abdominal muscles and lose belly fat
The next exercise is a simple contraction work that you can do a number of times during the day whilst sitting down leisurely. Keep your palms wide open on your abdomen and then breathe in slowly, thus pulling your abdomen in. Stay in this pose for five seconds and then breathe out slowly. This will help to strengthen the walls of your abdomen as well as lose body fat.
Lie on the floor on your side with on hand supporting your head and the other hand resting on the side of your body. Slowly raise one of your legs to a 45-degree angle and stay in this position for two seconds before returning to the initial position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions, and then switch legs and do the same for the other side. This will help strengthen your side as well as your lateral ab muscles in particular.
Lie down flat on your back with your hands placed behind your head. Place your legs on a stool in order to make your thighs perpendicular to your lower stomach. Now, gradually start to move your head towards your thighs, contracting your stomach. Stay in this position for a few seconds before returning back to your natural position. This will help to strengthen your side abdomen muscles and of course, will help you lose belly fat. I would recommend doing three sets of 15 repetitions.
Lie down flat on your back with your hands and slowly begin to raise your legs to a 90-degree angle this time, which will make your legs stand perpendicular to the floor. Lift your hips slightly so that your bum are not resting on the floor. Stay in this place for 5 to 10 seconds before returning back to your normal position of lying on the floor. This will help to strengthen your lower abdomen and of course, burn excess body fat
Lie down flat on your back and put your hands behind your head. Slowly raise your legs to a 45-degree angle. Now begin to gently start shifting your body to your legs and hold this state for three seconds before returning back to the normal positions. Do five sets containing 15 repetitions of this exercise. This will target and strengthen your upper ab muscles and help you to lose belly fat.
Breathing control is very important in regard to doing exercises with the aim of losing belly fat. You must follow a regular breathing schedule in order to get the best results from your exercises.
A simple and misused exercise in regards to losing belly fat is cardiovascular exercise. A lot of people spend a lot of time doing cardio exercises, yet because they do not execute the exercise properly they fail to achieve the correct results. Partaking in the right kind of cardio is important. Cardio exercise with the aim of losing belly fat, in particular, must be intensive and short. There is no need to spend hours doing cardio exercises, instead, you should perform intensive cardio in short interfiled spells rather than a long duration cardio workout. Find the best workout for you as it is essential you enjoy what you are doing.
High-intensity interval cardio is the most effective way to lose belly fat. After every few minutes of your workout make sure you change the pace. For instance, the first segment may exert you greatly whilst the second segment makes you slow down. This type of cardio done for 2—25 minutes will give you the same results as a 45min basic cardio work out. Try the following rhythm for as long as you like:
- 2-3 minutes medium-paced run
- 1-2 minutes high paced run
- 2-3 minutes fast walk
- 1 minute sprinting
- 2-3 minutes medium-paced run
- 2-3 minutes high paced run
- 2-3 minutes walk
Here is a brief on some of the best cardio exercises which will lose belly fat:
Running:
Running is great because it works the entire body; from head to toe. It is strenuous and can be done outside or indoors on a treadmill.
Cycling:
This can also be done outdoors or indoors on a stationary bike.
Swimming:
Swimming is a great cardio and strength workout. It builds muscle tissue and many people find it one of the most enjoyable exercises to do.
Hiking and Walking:
These are another great way to burn belly fat.
Yoga and Pilates:
These exercises focus on strengthening your core muscles whilst improving balance, stability, flexibility, and of course losing body fat.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of some of the different exercises and routines you can follow to lose weight around your stomach area. If you try out these exercises, you should notice a difference within a few weeks or so, and definitely a considerable difference over months. Remember to stick at it; patience is a must.
*This is a collaborative post*