Feeling stressed and don’t know how to reduce it or feel better about it? You are not alone, having high levels of stress and trying to navigate through life with it can be very challenging. What I often say is that for most of us, stress isn’t going anywhere so in order to deal with the higher levels of stress we need to be able to find ways to help us manage it better and learn to cope better. The majority of us have stress present in our lives, whether that is stress at work, stress with family members, financial stress, school stress, etc. In an ideal world we would strive to have zero stress in our lives but in a realistic world, coming up with ways to help reduce and take control of stress will help to ultimately manage stress levels. Stress resilience is the ability to adapt to stressful situations and find ways to help cope better with stress. One of the ways we can support our body’s ability to cope with stress better is by making some lifestyle changes.

Here are 5 lifestyle changes to help you manage stress better:

1. Get outside 

This is something that I often find is an instant mood changer and creates a sense of calm. I will make an effort to schedule outdoor breaks in my work day to help change up the scenery but to also help to regulate my nervous system and allow my body to relax. There is something about the healing power of nature, especially being in the presence of the sun, I encourage you to take even 5 minutes out of your busy day to spend time outside and see how good you feel after getting some fresh air. 

2. Move your body

This can be paired with getting outside if you are able to, even a 10 minute walk counts as movement! Movement/exercise is very helpful in reducing stress levels, most people feel a significant reduction in stress during exercise and especially afterwards too. Exercise is effective at reducing stress by improving mood, boosting endorphins, reducing stress hormones (like cortisol and adrenaline) and by improving your overall well-being. The best part is by having regular exercise/movement part of your daily routine this helps to build resilience to stress and supports your body’s ability to cope with stress better. If you are finding it difficult to find time to fit movement into your daily routine, my best suggestion is to schedule it in as an appointment, this helps you to prioritize it and make you more accountable. We are all more likely to commit to something if it is booked as an appointment, just in this case it’s an appointment with ourselves.

3. Prioritize good sleep

Stress and sleep go hand-in-hand, so if you are stressed it’s likely that you are struggling to sleep and if you are struggling to sleep it is likely affecting your stress levels or causing some of your stress. By prioritizing good quality sleep you will help to reduce your stress as well. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, try your best to avoid screen use before bed, ensure your bedroom is dark and cool for an optimal sleep environment.

4. Eat balanced meals and prioritize protein

It is important to eat balanced meals to support our hormone production as well as to balance out our stress hormones. What do I mean by balanced meals? Great question! Balanced meals refers to making sure you have a source of good quality protein, healthy fat, carbohydrates and fibre with each meal. To break it down even further, when I say carbohydrates, I mean vegetables and fruits mainly, it is okay to have some bread and grains but trying to prioritize vegetables and fruits is the best for a carbohydrate source. Paying close attention to the amount of protein is also a big factor as it will help to keep us feeling full longer so we don’t experience those energy crashes which can make stress worse. The ideal amount of protein required for each individual is based on your weight but a good place to start is getting about an average of 25-30 grams of protein per meal. If you would like to know how to achieve this, let’s chat and come up with a personalized protein goal for you and your needs!

5. Relax and calm the mind

A lot of us underestimate the power of relaxing and calming our mind to build resilience towards stress. It is unfortunately our society’s norm to think that relaxing is being “lazy”, but it is actually one of the best things we can do for our health and most of the time actually improves our productivity. There are many different ways people can choose to relax, some find certain hobbies to be relaxing (like golfing, swimming, reading, making art, gardening, etc) or meditating, journaling, or going for regular massages or to the spa, or sitting in your backyard on a nice day, etc. However you like to relax, the main focus is to create time for relaxation to help you manage stress and build stress resilience.