Life can be extremely stressful. Luckily, there are countless ways to de-stress, with anything from exercise, doing art, to taking a long relaxing bath. When we’re stressed out, we are less productive at work and not that fun to be around. What works for others won’t necessarily work for you, so you need to explore different options and find your vice. Everyone has different stressors, but one common factor is an increase in the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for causing stress. To lower these levels, we can do all sorts of activities – keep on reading to find some great suggestions.
Laughter
When you’re busy laughing, the chances are you aren’t feeling stressed. Laughter will help to reduce your stress levels and can relieve tension in your muscles. You need to find what makes you laugh, but you could try going for an adventure with your friends or watching a comedy and letting your hair down. A lot of things can distract you from stress, but laughing has been proven to relieve stress.
Masturbation
You might not want to talk about it, but masturbation yields many health benefits and can work wonders for our stress levels. For example, there is a direct correlation between stress levels and self-esteem. Everyday stress can be harder to deal with if you have poor self-esteem; it’s also pretty exhausting to be self-deprecating all the time. By regularly giving yourself a bit of physical love, you can boost your self-esteem considerably – you can also give yourself a great night’s sleep if you masturbate before bed. If you want to love yourself even more, you could treat yourself to some bedroom toys over at Wicked Wandas.
Cuddle Up
If you’re lucky enough to have yourself a cuddle buddy, then get in close for some positive physical contact and let your body flood with oxytocin, which fights off cortisol and helps reduces stress levels. Simply put, physical contact with your significant other can do wonders for your stress levels.
Sink Away to Music
Listening to slow-paced instrumental music, like low-fi, can help reduce your stress and even lower your blood pressure. This doesn’t mean that you can’t just listen to your favourite tunes because that can help too. If you struggle to sleep, know that nature sounds can be extremely relaxing – getting the right amount of sleep will help you destress.
Say No
Having too many demands on our time can leave us feeling stressed out because there’s no allowance for “me time”. Although some demands on your time can’t be controlled, like work, you must learn how to just say no. If you feel like you just need some time on your own to run a bath and get things done, then it’s okay to say no to drinks at the weekend.
The Takeout
Stress can creep up on you at any time, but it doesn’t have to spell the end of the world. Finding ways to manage your cortisol levels will see your stress levels being washed away – you’ll feel much happier for it.
