We all experience stress from time to time, whether it’s related to work, the kids, relationships or other aspects of your life. However, extreme and chronic stress can have a heavily negative impact on your mind and body, and therefore it is important to have a range of techniques that you can turn to at any time, to alleviate and cope with ongoing stress.
Stress compounds and puts pressure on our nervous system and so it’s imperative to employ daily practices that allow us to return to a normal state of relaxed awareness and alertness. Below, we’ve created the ultimate guide to stress relief, and outlined easy and simple strategies you can incorporate into your everyday routine to help de-stress the mind and body and improve your overall health and wellbeing.
How to Naturally Relieve the Mind and Body of Stress
1. Exercise
You can relieve stress and improve your mood by staying active (including walking, swimming, gym, pilates, yoga etc.). Exercise releases endorphins, which boost your mood and promote positive wellbeing. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week. Popping on some headphones and listening to music or a good podcast, can help distract the mind from ruminating over any stresses during your workout.
Incorporate our MAGZEA Sports Cooling Spray to maximise post-workout relief and restore sore muscles and joints.
2. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is important for everyone to try and implement into their lifestyle, even if it's as simple as 10-15 conscious breaths. This can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, and help you understand and move through them, instead of feeling overwhelmed by them.
A great addition to creating the perfect environment for mindful meditation is our Meditation Essential Oil. Add a few drops of this blend to an aromatherapy diffuser, and let the relaxing scent of Patchouli, Sweet Orange and Ylang Ylang cocoon your senses and peacefully bring you into a tranquil state of mind.
3. Get enough good quality sleep
A lack of sleep can lead to a higher release of cortisol1, the stress hormone and therefore increase stress levels - so it's important to get enough sleep each night. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and try to establish a regular sleep schedule. Incorporating techniques such as turning off your mobile phone at least 1 hour before bedtime or eating earlier and cutting out late-night snacks, can contribute to improving your sleep quality. For an extensive guide to getting a good quality sleep and waking up well-rested, check out our blog post HERE.
Add a few drops of our Calming Essential Oil or Breathe Easy Essential Oil to a diffuser, set a timer on it and let the natural sedating and calming properties of these blends assist in getting you a restful night’s sleep.
4. Connect with others
Social support can be a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood. Some quality time with your friends and family can help to significantly boost your mood and distract the mind from any stressors. This can be in the form of doing a relaxing activity together such as painting, having a classic movie night or even meeting up to take a walk in the local park. You might even enjoy spending some time snug on the couch with your pet - it’s still a great way to improve your mood!
5. Practice self-care
Carve out some time for activities that you enjoy and help you relax. Whether it be half an hour or even just 5 minutes, taking some time out for yourself can be extremely effective in calming the mind, body and spirit.
Self-care activities such as reading a book, taking a bath (add a handful of our Kunzea Bath Salts for ultimate relaxation) or trying your hand at a new recipe (check out our blog for some culinary inspiration) are important for taking care of yourself and prioritising your own well-being.
6. Steam inhalation
An easy and effective way to alleviate tension and anxiety, is a method called steam inhalation. This involves spending a few minutes to breathe in the steam from a bowl of water and essential oils. We would recommend steam inhaling our Stress Relief Lifestyle Blend - which is specifically designed to help reduce stress levels and anxiety.
Pausing for these few minutes can help to slow down your heart rate, encourage deep breathing and instil a sense of calm within the body. Steam inhalation is also beneficial in clearing the airways - especially if you are experiencing congestion or sinus cold and flu-like symptoms.
Try adding a few drops of our Stress Relief Lifestyle Blend to a bowl of hot (not boiling) water. Close your eyes and cover your head with a towel. Lean over the bowl at a comfortable distance (approximately 20cm). Inhale through your nose for 4 to 5 minutes to capture the full benefit of the steam and breathe in deeply.
Stress is a part of life, and it is impossible to avoid entirely. Therefore, it's important to have some strategies up your sleeve that can help bring calm back to the mind and body. The next time you're feeling a little overwhelmed, try taking a step back and utilise one of the above methods to naturally bring your stress levels down. All these small ways to reduce stress can have a huge, positive impact on your overall health and wellbeing.
References
- Banner Health. How Sleep Can Affect Stress. https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/teach-me/how-sleep-can-affect-stress#:~:text=Sleep%20decreases%20cortisol%20levels,in%20anticipation%20of%20a%20fight. Accessed 14 April 2023.
