Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Amasango Career School premises handover in Extension 10
  • Gutters for the rain
  • Anti-Crime group murder trial postponed
  • Concern and condemnation of recent attacks on Grocott’s journalist
  • Bekushiyana OoMama ukondla kwi tumente yamagqiyazana
  • Makana’s crime spirals out of control
  • Makana Municipality still unresponsive over sewage spill: family
  • ‘We want our jobs back’
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»OUR TOWN»Health & wellbeing»Tips and tricks to reduce stress
Health & wellbeing

Tips and tricks to reduce stress

Nyx McleanBy Nyx McleanJanuary 20, 2022Updated:January 20, 2022No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Reduce stress with meditation. Image source: Ada Yokota:Getty Images

By SHANNON SKAE, Health and life coach at Revive with Shan

It is a new year, but some of the stressors of the previous years remain, making it hard to hit the reset button. Many of us are starting the year feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

Stress plagues us no matter where we go. This stress impacts our bodies because our sympathetic nervous system is activated when we are stressed or panicked.

This releases cortisol, which has several effects, including suppressing the immune system; inhibiting our ability to digest food; weight gain, causing anxiety and depression and sleep issues; it can also lead to serious illness such as heart disease.

Our minds do not understand the difference between the types of stress we encounter. This means that your nervous system cannot distinguish between being chased by a lion, being in a car accident, being shouted at by your boss, or being stressed due to unemployment and financial problems. Your nervous system responds to these by sending out a stress response.

But you can counter this by activating your parasympathetic nervous system. This is what relaxes and calms you. Here are some tips and tricks to reduce stress by activating your parasympathetic nervous system:

The 5-5-7 breath. Set a clock for two minutes. Breathe in for 5, hold for five and breathe out for 7. Repeat until the timer is up. This tricks the brain into believing we are relaxed and creates a parasympathetic nervous response.

Move your body. This means going for a walk with a friend, going for a run, doing Pilates or yoga. Anything that allows you to move your body even if it is not high-intensity exercise.

Food choices. Eat foods that nourish your body and decrease cortisol production. Fruits and vegetables are the best at doing this. Drink lots of water as well.

Essential oils. Essential oils, like lavender, can help with centring you. doTERRA is an amazing, certified brand for all types of calming essential oils.

Meditation or relaxation techniques. A simple one to start you off with is to find a piece of 7-minute relaxing music and play this to yourself while you sit in a comfortable posture. Listen to the music to help you relax. Keep the same music piece, so your mind associates it with relaxation.

Practice self-care. Find ways to do things you love, for example, hobbies, on your weekends/days off. Have a bubble bath (if water restrictions allow), do a face mask, enjoy your favourite meal.

I hope these tips help and that you have a good, relaxed and stress-free year ahead!

If you want help finding other ways to reduce stress in your life, you can email me at revivewithshan@gmail.com to set up an initial appointment. I am happy to meet with you virtually or at my practice at Move Makhanda, 118 High Street, Makhanda – whichever best suits your comfort levels.

 

 

 

Previous ArticleFunding opportunities for small local businesses
Next Article Grey Dam claims another young life
Nyx Mclean

    Comments are closed.

    Tweets by Grocotts
    Newsletter



    Listen

    The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.