If your tummy is getting a little round, stress may be the culprit. When you're under pressure, your body deposits fat into your abdomen by increasing levels of cortisol. Keep these tips in mind to simmer down and shed the pounds.
#1: Breathe Slowly
It sounds simple, but really focusing on bringing air in and out of your system immediately lowers a heightened heart rate.
#2: Express Yourself
Studies show that people better understand and learn from their emotions when they write about them. Phoning a friend works the same way. Since emotions and communications skills are ruled by different sides of the brain, talking it out has both hemispheres working in harmony to tackle the source of your anxiety.
#3: Tune In and Tune Out
Turn to your playlist the next time you're in a harried state. Listening to soothing music lowers stress levels.
#4: Try this Quick Move
Tighten every part of your body, then relax each muscle group, starting with your head and working down to your feet. This stress-relief technique also helps focus your attention (so you stop racing from thought to thought).
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#5: Stay in the Moment
Do anything you can to quiet that incessant inner voice. Immerse yourself in a relaxing activity, such as baking, gardening, or walking, and think of nothing but the sensations surrounding what you're doing at that moment. The more you focus, the less likely your mind will wander into its worry zone.
#6: Drink Tea
Sip chamomile tea or black tea. When you drink four cups of black tea a day, each one can actually lower your body's level of the stress hormone cortisol within an hour.
#7: Try Natural Solutions
Buy a sachet of lavender or apply lavender oil to pulse points - it has a calming effect and may increase mental clarity.
#8: Rise and Shine
Going to bed at the same time is good, but it is better for your body to get accustomed to a set rising time to avoid any stress caused by waking up late.
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#9: Blame it on the Alcohol
Drinks may initially get you drowsy, but you're likely to wake up and not be able to get into a deep slumber.
#10: Take a Dip
Prep yourself for a good night's rest by taking a bath with scented salts or calming lavender oil.
#11: Manage Your Diet
Keep stress at bay by ensuring your daily meals consist of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, a lot of vegetables, and moderate fruit. Herbal supplements like rhodiola and a Chinese herb called cordycep can also help you relax.
#12: Get Your Magnesium
In a nervous state, your body increases levels of calcium, which causes muscles to contract and exacerbates a stressful situation, and suppresses magnesium, which calms the body down.
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#13: More on Magnesium
When you are magnesium depleted, you can suffer from fatigue, muscle tension, and stress. Find it in foods like whole grains, beans, spinach, pumpkin seeds, Swiss chard, and broccoli.
#14: Keep Dreaming
Fight against insomnia by holding onto your dreams and warding off any other thoughts when you feel yourself coming to consciousness in the middle of the night. The more peaceful slumber will ensure a calmer state.
#15: Try Sleeping Pills
Valerian tablets function like all natural herbal sleeping pills. Other pills like Lunesta, Sonata, and Ambien, should only be prescribed since the body can grow psychologiclaly dependent on them.
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- Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
