We can give ourselves joy by reminding ourselves about the simple things we enjoy. It can be as simple giving your dog or cat a little furry lovin' or cuddling with your kids. It can be enjoying your favorite cup of tea or learning how to cook (this is one that's bringing joy to my life). You deserve a treat every day. What can you do that allows you to lower your stress, forget everything for a while, and just enjoy life. The goal to reducing stress is identifying what you can change, and making peace with what you can't. Maybe you already have some favorite stress-relief activities, but in case you need a little guidance...
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Start the day with Exercise. Exercising 30 minutes a day will help improve brain function, increase energy, and generally lift your mood. And!... it helps lower cortisol levels. https://www.verywellmind.com/cortisol-and-stress-how-to-stay-healthy-3145080
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Get 7-8 hours of sleep at night. This is a tough one for a lot of us right now. But if your body doesn't lower its cortisol levels before bedtime, sleep doesn't happen. The same is true if cortisol production doesn't happen in a normal fashion. Many people can fall asleep but often wake up throughout the night.
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Bring out your inner writer. Writing down your thoughts everyday allows you to recognize what has you feeling stressed, and why. It helps you develop creative solutions to solve problems, or make peace with what you can't.
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Learn how to deep breathe. Do this during the day when you feel your anxiety levels rising, or at night when you're trying to go to sleep. This is a great technique for https://www.verywellmind.com/cortisol-and-stress-how-to-stay-healthy-3145080
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Meditate. Easier said than done. There are many guided meditations online to help. It may take some practice before you feel a difference, but worth the effort. https://www.verywellmind.com/cortisol-and-stress-how-to-stay-healthy-3145080
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Sex. https://www.verywellmind.com/sex-as-a-stress-management-technique-3144601
How can we talk about stress without talking about the affects it has on the skin. The stress response—whether we’re being chased by a saber-toothed tiger (dear God, NO), we’re having trouble with family or love, or we're faced with fluid uncertainty—is all the same. If your genetics, environment, or both make you susceptible to certain skin-related ailments, the inflammation caused by stress can also make them flare up. Stress is a general trigger that can make the skin misbehave in whatever way it’s prone to misbehaving. Which means I should be welcoming a pimple, or two soon. :(
The goal to reducing stress:
Identifying what you can change, and making peace with what you can't. <3
