In this fast-paced world, it can be hard to live a stress-free life. As a result of trying to keeping up with everything else, we often end up stressed. Did you know that there are certain habits many of us are guilty of that can actually make one’s stress levels further reach sky high? Check which of the following you mistakenly commit:
Guzzling Down Coffee
For a lot of people, drinking coffee helps keep them going. However, you can end up feeling more stressed because of the side effects caffeine brings — headaches, lightheadedness, anxiety, increased blood pressure and heart palpitations. It’s not just coffee that worsen your stress, but others with caffeine in them. Most of the time, a glass of cold water is enough to give you the energy and mental clarity to carry out the rest of your tasks and responsibility.
Reaching for Junk Food
Many of us opt for takeouts and sweets when we’re stressed out. Many of these easily-accessible treats, unfortunately, supply the body with tons of sugar. Once the levels of sugar in your bloodstream drop, you end up feeling more drained and stressed. What’s more, junk foods do not contain nutrients that your body greatly needs for you to be able to face up to the challenges that modern-day living bestows upon all of us.
Skipping Meals
Refraining from eating anything is just as bad for you as getting your hands on unhealthy foods. Without food in your belly, your body is deprived of much-needed nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and most especially those antioxidants that ward off the nasty effects of stress to a cellular level. Each time your stomach churns, it’s a clear sign that your various systems are depleted of nutrients that help keep them functioning properly.
Skimping on Sleep
Problems piled on top of each other can certainly leave you wide awake at night. However, when it’s time to hit the sack, you should do your best to momentarily turn your back on your various work and life issues. That’s because having a good night’s sleep helps your body bounce back from stress, as well as cope with the challenges the following day is sure to bring. Once your day is over, do your best to spend several hours in dreamland.
Crying Over Spilled Milk
Since we’re not supermen, it is perfectly fine to fail to live to expectations once in a while. Whenever a blunder happens, what you need to do is learn from it and refrain from being upset over it for the rest of your day or week. As they say, there is no use in crying over spilled milk — doing so will only make you feel bad and stressed unnecessarily. Remember that you can’t change the past, but there are plenty of things that you can do to make the future a better one.
Freaking Out
A lot of people tend to lose control as soon as the unexpected strikes, be it something big or trivial. Freaking out yields nothing beneficial — it leaves you reacting to things in all sorts of irrational and exaggerated ways, resulting in disastrous consequences that can further send your stress levels through the roof. Before you react, it’s a good idea to pause and look at things in a more rational way, then device the most appropriate actions to take.
Doing Social Media
Numerous studies suggest that spending 24/7 on social media can leave you more anxious and stressed. Posting every single frustration of yours on the web is not only bad for your image, but also your anxiety and stress levels. What’s more, seeing that your peers are doing great can wreak havoc to your self-confidence and ultimately everyday performance. Oh, and doing social media leaves you allotting your precious time to the wrong reasons.
