Stress Busting: 8 Ways to Reduce Day-To-Day Stress

As humans, it is natural for us to experience regular stress. With the current state of the world, it would be impossible to remain stress-free. With global warming, a global pandemic, and the questioning morality of those in control, it would be weird for someone to not experience stress right now. For some of us,  the stress of daily life can be disruptive to the daily schedule, so it would make sense why so many people are set on trying to reduce the stress.   

Trying to reduce your stress levels is easier said than do and some of you may not know where to even start. Don’t worry, we get it. Here are 8 ways to reduce day-to-day stress.  

Don’t overdo your workload  

One of the main reasons why stress is such a big problem these days is because we are a generation of overworked. With the increased economic stress of the world and the uncertainty associated with employment, many of us feel the need to overdo our workloads to feel as though we are contributing to society and climbing the social ladder.  Though it is commendable to want to achieve good things, it is important that you don’t take on more than you can handle. This will only lead to you burning out and could even potentially ruin the quality of what you do manage to get done. Decreasing the work you do will mean less stress and more productivity.  

 

Introduce CBD to your routine  

A new trend that you may have noticed taking off in the last few years is the use of CBD. CBD has been proven to relax the muscles in your body and also alleviate your mind of excessive stress. CBD can be introduced into your schedule in many ways, in fact, you can purchase disposable vapes that allow you to vape CBD oil. You can also buy CBD oil that can be put into your food. However you choose to take it, we recommend doing it at the end of your evening so you can wind down and enjoy a full night of sleep. As you all know, sleep is extremely important for the function of your brain, so the more sleep you get the better. 

Take time to do things you enjoy 

We can all get so overwhelmed by external issues that we forget to focus on taking the time to do what we enjoy. Enjoying at least an hour a day of wind downtime has shown to significantly reduce your overall stress levels. The body also releases oxytocin and dopamine when we are taking part in tasks that we enjoy. These chemicals create that ‘happy feeling’ that we all long for. These chemicals will overpower feelings of stress and give you some time of relief during an exceptionally stressful time.  

Spend time with the company  

Many people do not know that isolation can be a large factor behind feelings of stress. When we are alone we are often left with nothing but our thoughts, which makes many of us hyperfocus on the sheer amount of responsibility and jobs we have to carry out. When you are alone, it can be hard to distract from focusing on these thoughts. However, when we decide to spend time with the company, the brain becomes more preoccupied with interaction with other humans, which can be a much-needed break from thoughts of responsibility. Spending time with friends also increases the probability of laughing, which once again encourages the release of those happy chemicals that we all love.  

Go out for nice food 

Though this may not seem too obvious, treating yourself to some delicious food can actually be a great way to relieve any stress. Partaking in tasty food stimulates feelings of pleasure within the body and can lead to an improved mood.  It is not only the food that can help, being in an environment that you are not constantly exposed to can be very beneficial to your mood as it will give you an escape from the thoughts of your daily tasks. Not having to think about these tasks will mean that you can think about other things, such as hanging out with friends and relaxing. 

Take time to have a creative outlet  

Though you may choose to just unwind and watch Tv after a long day, it is recommended that you take the time to find a creative outlet. There is a reason that adult coloring has become so popular over the years, focusing on something relaxing can allow you to unwind without any problems.  Creating something will also give you a sense of achievement that will alleviate any feelings of pressure and stress. Doing something creative is also just very refreshing when compared to having to complete the rest of your responsibilities.  

Sleep Enough 

Arguably one of the most important yet most neglected ways of reducing stress is ensuring that you get as much sleep as you possibly can.  It is recommended that the average human should have at least eight hours of sleep a night, this will make sure that the brain is well-rested enough to be able to process the stress of completing everyday tasks. Your body also needs to recover after a long day of tasks before waking up and having to deal with more, so be sure to have an early night when you can.  

Finding The Right Doctor: Things to Look Out For

Your health is not something to be taken for granted. Looking after your mind and body is pivotal. So if your health is so important, it also means the Doctor you visit is able to provide you with the care and treatment that works best for you.

Medical professionals are not one size fits all. Some are better in their field than others. And some are simply interested in making a quick buck off your insurance provider. So we have put together this guide of things to look out for while you are searching for a new primary carer.

Bedside Manner

Being a Doctor is about more than just treating an illness. It also involves caring for a patient. Having a rude or angry doctor working as your primary carer will undoubtedly have negative effects on your mental health. It has also been proven that doctors with poor bedside manner discourage patients from returning as often as they should, which can lead to further issues.

So you will want to make sure the doctor you are seeing is friendly, patient and it also helps if they are a little bit charming too.

Medical Knowledge

This one will require you to do a bit of medical research yourself. Medicine is an ever-changing field. As such, doctors need to constantly be reading up on the latest advancements and putting them into practice. For example, a recent medical study found doctors prefer microcannulas over sharp needles as they are safer and more effective. So you might question your doctor about this to see if they are keeping up with the times.

You want to make sure your primary carer is giving you the best treatment you can get. So take to the internet and get read up on the latest medical innovations.

Specialist Training

The medical field is massive. There are countless different fields a doctor can specialize and study in. And not every doctor will be versed in every other field. To that end, you need to make sure you have found a doctor that can provide what you need.

This is particularly important for anyone with preexisting conditions or a predisposition to certain ailments such as migraines. Every year hundreds of people have serious conditions or illnesses that go undiagnosed because of poor medical care. So it is crucial that you find a doctor who is skilled and well-read. But most importantly, you want a doctor who isn’t going to dismiss you out of hand.

Reviews

Thinking of reviews when it comes to doctors might seem silly. But reviews aren’t just for restaurants and hotels.  But hearing what other people have to say about a medical professional is vital in making sure they are right for you. A doctor might seem great when you first meet them, but this could all be a front. Don’t be afraid to dive in and do some research on the man behind the medicine.

 

 

Why Board Games are a Great Way to Stay Mentally Fit

Doing activities that promote healthy mental health has never been more important, with so many people all over the world currently finding themselves bored or with nothing to do, activities like playing board games offer relief from this boredom by providing entertaining mental stimulation. The great thing about board games is that they often have ways of teaching you something whilst hiding it in a  fun concept, this has been proven to be one of the most effective methods of teaching as it encourages you to have fun whilst learning something new. Apart from board games, if you do sports at home regularly, it helps to improve your mental health.

 

Spend Time With Loved Ones

With mental health having strong links to a person’s emotional state, one of the biggest mental benefits of playing a board game would have to be the fact that it makes you spend quality time with a friend or family member. If you are feeling down or you feel your mental health is in a negative state one of the best things you could do is to sit down and spend some quality time with a loved one, small experiences like these often help and may even encourage you to talk about your problems whilst you play.

 

Maths Within Board Games

You will be surprised to know just how many board games actually require mathematics style skills, some in a very subtle way and others rely heavily upon maths in order for you to be able to play. Games involving dice require the player to be able to do simple adding and especially for younger children, this is a very good way to sneak teaching into playtime. Other games like backgammon and connect four have elements of maths to them also, playing games like these has been proven to encourage good mental health as it occupies and stimulates the mind in a situation where you could be doing nothing. Using maths in board games is also a great learning tool for young children, gently encouraging them to learn more about maths in a relaxing and easy-going environment, which often gets the best results.

 

Scrabble

Scrabble is a classic family board game consisting of players finding space for words created from their given tiles, each letter used is worth a number of points with the obscure letters being worth more. This game has been around for quite some time with many experts looking at whether or not this game impacts mental fitness, after extensive research the fundamental concept of the game is to encourage children and families to share words that they are familiar with.

This is a great method of getting children to learn new words as they are having competitive fun as well, widening your vocabulary is a great way to keep mentally fit as you are learning new things in a way that is natural and not forced. If you find that you are becoming too advanced for classic scrabble you may want to think about playing scrabble go cheat, this takes the classic scrabble format with a modern twist, this game is playable online and would be great for those who wish to be challenged even further.

 

Occupying the Mind

A final reason why board games are great for mental fitness is that they offer an escape from the negative aspects of your life, in moments where you feel that your mental health has dropped one of the best things that you can do would be to take your mind off what is affecting you. Board games are a great way to occupy the mind and spend some time with family, doing this can help you to forget about what is making you feel bad and improve your mental state.