Focus on your senses. When we’re stressed, sometimes our bodies interpret the stress as an attack and kick us into “fight or flight mode.” This stimulates the release of hormones like adrenaline, which constrict your blood vessels, make your breathing rapid and shallow, and boost your heart rate. Over time, this panic response can become a habit for your brain in what’s known as “automatic reactivity”.
Slowing down and focusing on the individual physical responses you’re experiencing can help you learn to identify what it feels like when you’re stressed to the max. Studies also show that this conscious process of noticing what’s going on in your body can help retrain your brain’s automatic habits.
Notice each thing that is going on in your body but try to avoid judging it. For example, if you’re worried about doing well on a final exam that’s in just a few minutes, you might notice to yourself, “My face feels hot and flushed. My heart is beating very fast. My palms feel sweaty. I feel nauseated.” Try to keep your noticing these things as neutral as possible.
Stop what you’re doing. One of the best ways to calm down if you’re already feeling stressed is to stop interacting with the stressor, if possible. Sometimes, even taking a few seconds before you head back into the situation can be enough to help you cool down.
Try counting to ten, or taking 3-5 deep breaths before you reply in a heated conversation or situation.
Take a break. For example, if an argument with your spouse is getting heated, stop and excuse yourself for a moment by saying something like, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I need to take a 15-minute break before we continue discussing this.” Go to a different place, focus on breathing deeply, and recite a calming mantra, such as “I can handle this calmly. I can do this.”
Fruit is a great way to add some color and flavor to your morning oats.
Fruit is loaded with plenty of vitamins and minerals that are essential for optimal health. It also has plenty of fiber and water that can help you stay fuller for longer.
In addition, fruit is a great source of polyphenols — compounds that contribute to the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.
These compounds act as antioxidants in the body and can help it fight inflammation. Additionally, studies have shown polyphenols may help reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and an early death.
A study with 7,447 participants found that people who ate the most polyphenols had a lower risk of an early death than people who ate the least polyphenols.
Are you a student, artist, writer, photographer, chef, advertising manager, or video game designer struggling with coming up with your next great idea? Traveling can help! If you’re looking to reignite your creativity, head on to Kayak and start booking some international flight tickets.
“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms,” Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, tells The Atlantic. Cognitive flexibility plays a major role in overall creativity, defined as the ability for a person to be able to entertain various ideas and viewpoints one after the other.
So, when it’s safe to do so, get back out there and travel.
You’ll improve your happiness and mood, get exposed to new things, strengthen your mind and body, remove stress and anxiety, and so much more!
When the furnace goes out or the refrigerator quits working, where does the money come from if you don’t have emergency savings? Lori Gross, financial and investment advisor at Outlook Financial Center says credit cards bear the brunt and cause you to incur extra costs and fees, like sky-high interest rates.
By building an emergency fund, you can protect your credit as well as reap the benefits of earning interest on an online savings account—all the while enjoying the peace of mind of knowing you have money in the bank to cover life’s surprises.