Written by: Sophia Smith
Stress is a natural part of life, especially in the midst of a major health crisis the likes of the ongoing pandemic. Even without it, we often lead fast-paced lives that cause burnout, insomnia, and not to mention chronic anxiety and other mental health troubles.
What poses the biggest problem is the fact that too many people notice these stress-trigged problems too late. The later you start treating these issues, the more difficult it becomes to find a way to relax and unwind, let alone reverse the negative impact of stress.
To prevent all this, you can turn to calming habits and build your own self-care routine that will curb the many negative effects of stress. Finding your Zen in these modern, hectic times calls for a strategic approach, so we’ve compiled a list of the kind of habits that deliver the best results.
Reset your mind with breathing
When you’re under tons of stress every single day, you might experience anxiety attacks, headaches, exhaustion, insomnia, and a slew of other troubles affecting your productivity and happiness. Defeating stress takes a holistic approach, so you’ll need to be mindful of your dietary habits and levels of exercise, but you also need a healthy way to tackle those bouts of stress immediately.
One of the best ways to experience immediate Zen is to start focusing on your breath. Slowing down your breathing and counting while you breathe can be of great help to soothe you in that very moment. You can practice mindful meditation if you have a few more minutes, too, as meditation can last for as long as you like, be it five minutes or an hour.
Take a break from digital
As the pillar of healthy living, your quality of sleep heavily depends on your everyday habits, and that includes the kind of relationship you have with your digital gadgets. If you have a tendency to use your smartphone and scroll endlessly through your Instagram feed right before bed, it’s no wonder you’re feeling exhausted the next day.
Even throughout the day, we’ve become addicted to spending too much time online. When you’re feeling stressed, it could be caused by exposing yourself to bad news and negative information constantly. Why not try reading a book instead? Or you can write in your journal to process your thoughts and have a little less chaos in your mind when you go back to your daily activities.
Take up photography lessons
Sometimes, and especially when we’re stressed, we fail to notice all those beautiful details around us that would otherwise have the potential to bring a smile to our face. If you live in a beehive of a city that’s also majestically beautiful, like Sydney, all the more reason to look up from your phone and find new ways to appreciate its architecture, natural nooks, museums, and amazing sunsets.
There are many wonderful photography workshops in Sydney that allow locals to learn how to make the most of their camera and perceive the city through a new lens. Why not do the same? This stress-defeating hobby is meditative, it helps you develop new skills, and it might even turn into a lucrative side-gig.
Learn how to dance
Great cardiovascular health, plenty of happy hormones, better coordination and balance, and an elevated mood – all of these and many other perks of dancing have inspired so many people to take up dance lessons. No matter what kind of dancing you like, be it modern hip-hop, the basics of salsa, or those fun and fitness-focused Zumba lessons, dancing gives you the chance to learn a new skill and boost your health and wellbeing, too.
You can easily find a local dance class where you can take up some of those fundamental lessons, but over time, you can advance and learn more intricate steps and use the opportunity to go out dancing, too. It’s a skill that enriches your life beyond that hour that you actually dance. It helps imbue your life and your mind with more music, and you’ll definitely notice a spring in your step!
Learn an Instrument
Learning an instrument is a great way for you to enhance your repertoire. It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can benefit from getting into this as a hobby.
There are so many different instruments out there that it makes it easy for you to find something that will suit your taste. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of taking up the piano, guitar or violin.
Bear in mind though that if you are going to take up the violin at some point you’re going to ask yourself what violin size do I need? Getting this correct is critical because you want to make sure you have an instrument that is comfortable in your hands.
Learning an instrument is a long-term goal so be prepared to spend months learning. There is joy in mastery and soon you will be playing for your friends and family, as well as yourself.
Take a walk
If your job requires you to sit for long hours and take short breaks, then your body might be feeling cooped up in your chair, without the chance to get some fresh air and move around. Taking a walk might be just the thing to help, because it doesn’t require any complicated equipment, you don’t need to make a calendar appointment to make it work, and it will serve you to clear your head.
If you have a nature reserve or a beautiful park nearby, all the more reason to make time for regular, daily walks. Removing yourself from a noisy, traffic-dense environment such as a typical city, and your body will be forever grateful for this effort. Walking will get your body temperature up, your muscles will wake up, and you’ll feel infinitely better, and ready to tackle anything.
Finding a way to offset the negative impacts of stress means getting creative, but also being open-minded about trying new options at your disposal. Maybe your training routine needs a revamp, and some yoga is in order. Whatever the change might be, look for ways to refine your lifestyle and to discover what makes you feel better and calmer. Try out some of these tips, and you’ll be on the right track towards a calmer, less stressed future!
