We all encounter stressful situations and moments in our lives...

With the last few years being quite unpredictable and unstable, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed by even the smallest of things. There are some simple ways to help deal with the day to day stress of life. Here are five ways that can help you to de-stress and create some balance in your life.

1. Exercise

One of the easiest ways to de-stress is to physically move the body. A simple walk can do wonders for the mind and the body. Exercise can also help with increasing energy and helping you sleep better. Even just small body movements each day can help with your circulation and wellbeing.

2. Get Into Nature

Spending time in nature can help relieve stress and anxiety, improve your mood, and boost feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on easing stress and anxiety.

3. Meditate

Taking the time to slow down and be more mindful can do wonders. A few minutes a day to unwind can help to calm the racing thoughts that often take over our thinking. Listening to a guided mediation, or even just closing your eyes and listening to some calming music will benefit your mindset.

4. Gratitude

It’s easy to focus on the things that we do not have, so shift your focus and be grateful for the things that you do have. By practising gratitude, you become more aware of the people and things in your life that benefit you, and that are wonderful. Make a list of all the things you are grateful for. You can continually add to the list when you can. Then, when you feel overwhelmed you can read your gratitude list to help make yourself feel fortunate.

5. Practise Positivity

It’s not easy to be positive all the time, but we can change our mindset to see the positive side of things more. So, when things go wrong, try to find the positives in the situation. It takes practise but it gets easier over time. The more you focus on positives, the more your brain will notice them.