When you feel stressed, your body feels stressed.
This can mean sleepless nights, loss of appetite, crankiness… just to name a few things. Your body is letting you know it’s time to relax and re-balance.
“Reducing stress helps you physically, and emotionally you get to breathe easily again and enjoy life more,” says Glenda Morrissey, a psychologist and owner of Morrissey Rehabilitation and Treatment Counselling, which has offices in Halifax, Truro and Amherst.
Here are 10 things Glenda says you can do to reduce the stress in your life – and increase your sense of satisfaction and well-being.
- Take time to relax. Having too much to do – whether it’s at the office, around the house, or even with friends – can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Try to develop a manageable schedule that allows you time to unwind, reflect, and enjoy.
- Reduce tension. When your body feels relaxed, you feel more positive and healthy. Relaxation exercises can help you achieve this by stretching your muscles, getting more oxygen into your body, and encouraging pleasant thoughts.
- Sleep tight. There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep – eight hours of it – to make you feel alert and energized. Try to set a regular time for bed, and hit the hay. If you’re not tired, read a book or take a stretch and make yourself an herbal tea. You will eventually get sleepy. After awhile, your body will get used to the routine, and you’ll be ready for shut-eye when you tuck between the covers.
- Eat a healthy diet. It sounds simple – and tastes delicious – but when we get busy we often opt for fast food or sugary treats to help us make it through the day. What our body really needs is nutrition from a healthy, balanced diet. Canada’s Food Guide offers tips and insight into what to put on your plate, and how much. There is even an online tool to build your own menu options.
- Run, walk, climb a mountain. Exercise is good for what ails us. Finding a physical activity you like helps to strengthen your body. It also reduces the risk for chronic disease and manages stress more effectively.
- Think positively. It’s not only what we do that can add more stress to our lives, it’s what we think. The more you can focus on the positive, the better you’ll feel. That can be difficult to do, but you can start by taking a few minutes each day to count the blessings in your life.
- Drink less alcohol and coffee. A towering cup of coffee may feel like a pick-me-up in the morning and a few drinks may make you feel relaxed at the end of the day, but both are hard on your body and may actually make your feelings of stress worse.
- Find the source of the stress. As simple – and as difficult – as this sounds, the reality is we don’t always know why we’re feeling stressed. It might be a very hectic time at work, there may be some problems at home, money might be tight. Or all three. Finding out what’s causing your stress is the first step in finding a solution that will let you address the issues.
- Talk about it. Take time to talk with a trusted family member, a friend, a colleague, or a health professional. This will let you look at the issue without feeling judged. It also helps to put problems in perspective.
- Treat yourself. You deserve to do something special for yourself. This might be a giant bubble bath, a drive to your favorite spot for a picnic, sleeping in late on Saturday. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extensive, but it does have to be something that will make you feel pampered and positive.
Relaxation exercises
To help manage stress, and to help avoid becoming over-stressed, there are simple exercises you can do each day. “These exercises can often be done at your desk and usually only take a few minutes,” says Dr. Lydia Makrides, president and CEO of Creative Wellness Solutions.
Exercises
Release. This exercise requires you to first tense your muscles, then relax them. Start with your toes and work your way up to your face. Go through each body part. “This exercise helps you to understand what it feels like to relax, and it can rid your body of unwanted tension,” notes Dr. Makrides. It will take several minutes to complete; remember not to rush. This may be an exercise you can do over lunch in the park or in your office with the door closed.
Inhale. Deep-breathing exercises are a great way to relax and unwind. Start by taking a good breath in through your nose, then breathe out through your mouth. “As you breathe in, focus on your breathing, focus on the breath going in and out of your body,” says Dr. Makrides. This exercise will only take a minute or two. You can do it between phone calls, before a meeting starts and sitting in front of your computer.
Imagine. It is relaxing, and energizing, to imagine the stresses and strains of the day floating away. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply and picture something pleasant. “This may be a favorite vacation spot, a room in your home, or an enjoyable pastime,” says Dr. Makrides. “Picturing such images helps to put the day in perspective.” It only takes a few minutes for positive thoughts to have a powerful effect.
Stretch. When the body is tense, muscles contract. Nothing helps to loosen them like a good stretch. Stand up from your desk and put your arms above your head. Stretch. Bend your arms down to the floor. Stretch. Sitting in your chair, extend your legs. Stretch. “You will feel much better right away,” says Dr. Makrides.
Build your own menu options
The Canada Food Guide has created My Food Guide an interactive tool to help you personalize the information found in Canada's Food Guide.
Here’s how it works:
By entering personal information, such as age and sex, selecting various items from the four food groups and choosing different types of physical activities, you can create a tool that is customized just for you.
There are lots of foods to choose from in each of the four food groups, so be sure to try different combinations when creating this tool that illustrates how you can eat well with Canada's Food Guide.
In addition to English or French you can choose to print this tool in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (traditional or simplified), Farsi, Korean, Russian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil or Urdu.
When you feel stressed, your body feels stressed.
This can mean sleepless nights, loss of appetite, crankiness… just to name a few things. Your body is letting you know it’s time to relax and re-balance.
“Reducing stress helps you physically, and emotionally you get to breathe easily again and enjoy life more,” says Glenda Morrissey, a psychologist and owner of Morrissey Rehabilitation and Treatment Counselling, which has offices in Halifax, Truro and Amherst.
Here are 10 things Glenda says you can do to reduce the stress in your life – and increase your sense of satisfaction and well-being.
- Take time to relax. Having too much to do – whether it’s at the office, around the house, or even with friends – can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Try to develop a manageable schedule that allows you time to unwind, reflect, and enjoy.
- Reduce tension. When your body feels relaxed, you feel more positive and healthy. Relaxation exercises can help you achieve this by stretching your muscles, getting more oxygen into your body, and encouraging pleasant thoughts.
- Sleep tight. There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep – eight hours of it – to make you feel alert and energized. Try to set a regular time for bed, and hit the hay. If you’re not tired, read a book or take a stretch and make yourself an herbal tea. You will eventually get sleepy. After awhile, your body will get used to the routine, and you’ll be ready for shut-eye when you tuck between the covers.
- Eat a healthy diet. It sounds simple – and tastes delicious – but when we get busy we often opt for fast food or sugary treats to help us make it through the day. What our body really needs is nutrition from a healthy, balanced diet. Canada’s Food Guide offers tips and insight into what to put on your plate, and how much. There is even an online tool to build your own menu options.
- Run, walk, climb a mountain. Exercise is good for what ails us. Finding a physical activity you like helps to strengthen your body. It also reduces the risk for chronic disease and manages stress more effectively.
- Think positively. It’s not only what we do that can add more stress to our lives, it’s what we think. The more you can focus on the positive, the better you’ll feel. That can be difficult to do, but you can start by taking a few minutes each day to count the blessings in your life.
- Drink less alcohol and coffee. A towering cup of coffee may feel like a pick-me-up in the morning and a few drinks may make you feel relaxed at the end of the day, but both are hard on your body and may actually make your feelings of stress worse.
- Find the source of the stress. As simple – and as difficult – as this sounds, the reality is we don’t always know why we’re feeling stressed. It might be a very hectic time at work, there may be some problems at home, money might be tight. Or all three. Finding out what’s causing your stress is the first step in finding a solution that will let you address the issues.
- Talk about it. Take time to talk with a trusted family member, a friend, a colleague, or a health professional. This will let you look at the issue without feeling judged. It also helps to put problems in perspective.
- Treat yourself. You deserve to do something special for yourself. This might be a giant bubble bath, a drive to your favorite spot for a picnic, sleeping in late on Saturday. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extensive, but it does have to be something that will make you feel pampered and positive.
Relaxation exercises
To help manage stress, and to help avoid becoming over-stressed, there are simple exercises you can do each day. “These exercises can often be done at your desk and usually only take a few minutes,” says Dr. Lydia Makrides, president and CEO of Creative Wellness Solutions.
Exercises
Release. This exercise requires you to first tense your muscles, then relax them. Start with your toes and work your way up to your face. Go through each body part. “This exercise helps you to understand what it feels like to relax, and it can rid your body of unwanted tension,” notes Dr. Makrides. It will take several minutes to complete; remember not to rush. This may be an exercise you can do over lunch in the park or in your office with the door closed.
Inhale. Deep-breathing exercises are a great way to relax and unwind. Start by taking a good breath in through your nose, then breathe out through your mouth. “As you breathe in, focus on your breathing, focus on the breath going in and out of your body,” says Dr. Makrides. This exercise will only take a minute or two. You can do it between phone calls, before a meeting starts and sitting in front of your computer.
Imagine. It is relaxing, and energizing, to imagine the stresses and strains of the day floating away. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply and picture something pleasant. “This may be a favorite vacation spot, a room in your home, or an enjoyable pastime,” says Dr. Makrides. “Picturing such images helps to put the day in perspective.” It only takes a few minutes for positive thoughts to have a powerful effect.
Stretch. When the body is tense, muscles contract. Nothing helps to loosen them like a good stretch. Stand up from your desk and put your arms above your head. Stretch. Bend your arms down to the floor. Stretch. Sitting in your chair, extend your legs. Stretch. “You will feel much better right away,” says Dr. Makrides.
Build your own menu options
The Canada Food Guide has created My Food Guide an interactive tool to help you personalize the information found in Canada's Food Guide.
Here’s how it works:
By entering personal information, such as age and sex, selecting various items from the four food groups and choosing different types of physical activities, you can create a tool that is customized just for you.
There are lots of foods to choose from in each of the four food groups, so be sure to try different combinations when creating this tool that illustrates how you can eat well with Canada's Food Guide.
In addition to English or French you can choose to print this tool in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (traditional or simplified), Farsi, Korean, Russian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil or Urdu.