(BPT) - Americans experience varying levels of stress for a wide variety of reasons and many struggle to find healthy ways to manage. Minimizing occasional stress is important as it can affect overall health and well-being. Stress can feel overwhelming at times but setting aside time to unwind each day to focus on your physical and mental health can help you manage those feelings. To better manage occasional feelings of stress, consider incorporating the following into your daily routine:
1. Prioritize exercise
Research has found that exercise in any form can help reduce occasional stress and provide a natural distraction from other thoughts and worries.[1] Taking 30 minutes a day to focus on movement, whether going for a walk, taking a yoga class or practicing high-intensity training, can support moods and help manage stress. Just don't forget to hydrate!
2. Safeguard sleep
Sleep is important for your overall well-being.[2] A survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that many adults report that their stress increases when the length and quality of sleep decreases.[3] To help you fall asleep and stay asleep, try limiting or turning off distracting devices like the television, computer or cellphone before bed and getting into bed earlier to encourage achieving a full eight hours of rest. With these changes, the quality of sleep should improve, leaving you feeling happier, more refreshed and better able to accomplish tasks on your to-do list.
3. Appease stress with passion
A study published in The Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that finding a passion to pursue not only reduces stress levels, but also contributes to greater happiness overall.[4] Finding passion in a hobby or activity you love is a form of self-care and can make life feel a little less heavy. Setting aside time each day to focus on projects like decorating, painting, joining a book club or whatever inspires you can offer a sense of excitement and something to look forward to. It can even be an opportunity to reset your overall outlook and mood. Acting on something you are truly passionate about is sure to keep stress levels at bay, so don't hesitate to start a new project today.
4. Wellness support with botanicals
According to a poll from the American Psychological Association, more than half of Americans experience feelings of stress during their days.[5] Managing stress is important to our overall health and immune system, so choosing products that support both of those aspects of wellness is equally important. With a dietary supplement like Emergen-C Ashwagandha you can reduce occasional feelings of stress*^ and support your immune system*.[6] For more information visit www.emergenc.com.
Focusing on how we can reduce occasional stress and finding ways to manage it on an ongoing basis offers a variety of wellness benefits. Simple everyday changes such as being active, getting a good night's sleep, actively participating in passion projects and incorporating a daily supplement that supports the immune system are habits that can all add up to support well-being.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469 - US, Mayo Clinic, 2020
[2] https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/health - US, The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, 2008
[3] https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep - US, American Psychological Association, 2013
[4] https://www.ucmerced.edu/sites/ucmerced.edu/files/documents/zawadzki-paper-2015.pdf - US, The Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2015
[5] https://www.stress.org/daily-life - US, The American Institute of Stress, 2022
[6] *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
