Modern society is inherently stressful. There’s really no arguing that central point. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to be stressed simply because you’re living within it. Stress management is a broad term that essentially refers to active skills, techniques, and practices that help you retain your calm, no matter how difficult the situations you find yourself in might be.

The following guide from Obesity Matters will help you find an island of peace amidst the vast ocean of stress that is modern society. But just as importantly, it’ll allow you to take a proactive approach to your stressors. Taking charge, fighting the stress, is itself a huge stress reliever.

Stress Management Tips and Advice from the Experts

Stress is ultimately a medical problem. Not physical medicine, of course, but psychological.

It’s best to look to the experts for any medical problem. Researchers and experts across various fields agree on a few key points for anyone trying to figure out how to lower stress within their lives.

Create a Consistent Sleep Schedule

If you’re like most people, then your sleep schedule is constantly interrupted by last-minute plans. Most people also assume they’ll make up for it tomorrow. People instead load up on coffee and repeat it the next day, and the next, and the next.

But your mind and body need sleep to discharge the day’s stress properly. When you reduce how much you sleep, you’re also reducing how well you recover from stress. This means that anyone considering how to lower stress and anxiety should begin with a good night’s sleep.

Engage in Daily Breathwork and Meditation

Meditation is one of the best ways to learn to manage stress. People often think of it as a complex process of spiritual devotion. However, meditation can come down to practicing breathing to induce a state of relaxation. You learn to quiet your thoughts and concentrate on your breath.

Your body’s stress responses and fight-or-flight reflexes lower as you do so. The result is a state of calm. You’ll naturally and proactively begin to leverage the effects of meditation during stressful moments in your daily life. Not as something you need to focus on consciously, but a natural reflex that triggers during stressful moments.

Find a Creative Outlet

Like meditation, creative thought helps redirect your worries into a more productive direction. Your stress will dissipate as you consider areas that you care about and that allow you true creative freedom.

Creativity is also a way to be more proactive about your stress. As you find a way to blow off some steam creatively, you’re also safely taking action.

Get Some Fresh Air

There’s an entire field of mental health, green psychology, which focuses on the positive effects of nature on the human mind. This isn’t about needing to take a pilgrimage to the woods either.

The simple act of breathing fresh air, getting away from artificial lighting, and enjoying the rich sensory experiences in all outdoor spaces can blow away your stress like leaves in a cool fall breeze.

Limit Your Screen Time

Screens increase stress in several ways. One of the most obvious is that online content in particular tends to be emotionally engaging. That’s both good and bad.

Emotional engagement can be a positive thing, but it becomes a problem when your emotions are at a high for your entire day. Likewise, staring at digital light for too long can interfere with sleep cycles, which can also interfere with stress management. At the very least, try to get away from screens for a few hours before bed.

Engage With Your Community

Social isolation is one of the more insidious sources of stress. People need each other and a larger community to feel relaxed and fulfilled.

Likewise, it can feel like a load’s been lifted from your shoulders when you talk to people about your problems. Even chipping in with community projects can take away stress by providing objective examples of your positive influence on the world.

A Solid Plan To Deal With Stress

Ultimately, how to lower stress levels combines two elements. You need to weigh the expert advice and your own personality or circumstances.

Now that you’ve seen how the experts look at stress, consider which method of stress management seems like the best fit for your own situation and take action. One, two, or all of them could be the path to a more peaceful and enjoyable life.

Looking for a community or resources for your weight management journey in Canada? Visit Obesity Matters today.