How to Reduce Stress & Anxiety

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Herbal Tea
Soothing Music
Warm Bath
Pen & Paper
B-Complex & Calcium Supplements

Step 1

Eat well. Food has more to do with our moods than we think. When our blood sugar is low, we can get crabby and tense. Don't skip meals (especially breakfast), and choose foods with protein and complex carbohydrates, to keep your blood sugar levels even, instead of spiking and dropping.
Step 2

Take a B-Complex vitamin. B vitamins are essential to a healthy central nervous system. Take one every morning, and whenever you find yourself getting irritable and tense. Keep an extra jar on your desk at work.
Step 3

Make sure you're getting enough calcium. Calcium helps your muscles relax. When you're not getting enough, your body will start taking it from your muscles, causing them to cramp and tense up. (This is why a glass of warm milk before bed helps you sleep). Take a calcium supplement just before bed to help you rest.
Step 4

Cut the caffeine. Indulge in your morning cup or two, but drink only decaf beverages after lunch. Caffeine gets your adrenaline going, drains your body of calcium, and makes it more difficult to relax in the evenings. Even if you think "caffeine doesn't affect me", it can stimulate your adrenal gland and cause adrenal fatigue, which wears you down and affects your health over time.
Step 5

Try an herbal tea (decaf, of course)! Kava and chamomile are especially well-known for their soothing qualities.
Step 6

Exercise. Pent up stress can eat you up from the inside. Burn off all that steam the healthy way! Just going for a walk or giving a punching bag a good beating can help release endorphins and make you feel better.
Step 7

Get an at-home Yoga DVD. If you have trouble relaxing in the evenings before bed, pop in a yoga DVD and do a good series of stretches to help your body make the transition to rest mode.
Step 8

Avoid adrenaline triggers. If you've had an extra stressful day, ditch the scary books and movies, or news stories that get you all worked up. Even though you may enjoy them, the key here is to reduce adrenaline, not increase it!
Step 9

Get in touch with nature. Living constantly in a concrete jungle can wreak havoc on our emotional and physical health. Find a local arboretum, conservatory, memorial garden, or a quiet spot along a beach or river that's off the beaten path. Some churches have prayer and meditation gardens, just for this purpose.
Step 10

Get a massage. Massage is proven to improve circulation and reduce stress. Even an occasional half-hour back and neck session can work wonders.
Step 11

Take a bath. Spend a little extra time to soak and let your muscles relax. Warm water is a natural soother.
Step 12

Listen to soothing music. Grab a couple of CD's with "Sleep" or "Relaxation" in the title, and play them in your car, on your iPod during break, or around the house whenever you feel stressed (anything that can be accurately described as "heart thumping" is off limits).
Step 13

Aromatherapy can be a great way to relieve tension. Scents like lavender, vanilla and rose are especially soothing. Try keeping a scented sachet, spritz, or hand lotion in your drawer at work.
Step 14

Get some sleep. Sleep deprivation always skews our perspective, and makes small issues seem more overwhelming than they really are. Grab a 15-minute nap in your car if you have to. If you're having trouble sleeping at night, try a relaxing routine before bed (using any combination of these methods), or pay a visit to a sleep clinic.
Step 15

Write it down. The more you stew about problems in your head, the more stressed you'll be. Putting it down on paper helps you to express yourself and let it go. You don't have to worry about forgetting anything, because you've written it down. You have permission to leave it there until you're ready to deal with it. (Don't use the computer, where documents can be easily accessed and forwarded by the wrong person. Instead, use real pen and paper, and keep it in a safe place).
Step 16

If you find yourself continually stressed on a regular basis, consider getting tested for a hormone imbalance (such as thyroid), or adrenal fatigue. These are treatable health conditions, and it's worth it to find out how to help your body better handle stress.
Step 17

Confide in someone trustworthy, like a priest, pastor, counselor, best friend, or help hot line. Someone who will listen and comfort, and provide wise council without judgement. You want someone honest who will help you consider your options, not who will tell you just what you want to hear. Some things we cannot change. Others, we actually have choices about. An unhealthy relationship. A hostile work environment. Trying to keep up a style of living beyond our means. Sometimes we need another perspective to find those areas of our life where our choices can actually reduce the amount of stress in our lives.
Step 18

Pray. You've got the best listener in the world, just waiting to hear from you. Tell God all of your cares and concerns, and then leave them in His capable hands. Knowing that someone who cares is in control, even when we're not, helps us to learn not to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.