How Self-Care Can Help To Manage Stress
S-T-R-E-S-S. In one way or another, we all feel it. But, it is essential to try to keep our stress levels low to fend off its adverse side effects. Today, we want to dive into some self-care stress reduction techniques to keep your stress at bay.
Side-Effects Of Stress
Stress can do a lot of bad to your body. In small doses, though, stress is essential. It is what tells us, ‘This situation is dangerous, and I need to be aware of my surroundings.’ The problem occurs when we are feeling that way in day-to-day situations. The consequences of chronic stress are mood swings, fatigue, headaches, stomach and muscle pains, dry mouth, losing focus, and much more. To keep ourselves healthy, some self-care techniques to manage stress are essential to have on-hand.
Self-Care Stress Management
Do Less
If we could end the paragraph right here, we would. Sometimes our bodies need us to sloooooow down. Many of us are juggling work, kids, exercise, family, home care, and so much more—and when you are not able to focus on yourself, stress ensues. So, schedule one hour to take a bath, read a book, or just—well—do nothing. It may just leave you rejuvenated to tackle the rest of your day or week with clarity.
Breathe Deeper
For mindfulness-based stress reduction, yoga and meditation can help. And, the foundation that these practices are built on is breath. You send extra oxygen to your brain by being mindful of how you breathe and intentionally filling and emptying your lungs, which can have immediate calming effects. Breathing exercises don’t have to take long either—just 30 seconds to 5 minutes is long enough to add a little more serenity to your day.
Sleep More
Inadequate sleep can have a direct impact on your physical and mental health. Experts suggest 7-9 hours of sleep a night. So, if you are not catching a few hours of z’s (which, according to the CDC, is more than 35% of all adults), this is an excellent area for improvement.
Prioritize Exercise
We aren’t biased or anything (okay, maybe just a little), but prioritizing exercise is essential to reduce stress. With our gorgeous facilities, friendly faces, and easy-to-use virtual fitness platform, iChuze Fitness—we make this portion of self-care something to look forward to. Stress releases the hormone cortisol into our bodies, which increases our heart rate and blood pressure and essentially tells our bodies to fight or flee. And because exercise increases your cortisol levels, over time, your body can become better at handling stress and can produce less cortisol during training and stressful situations.
If you are looking for a self-care home, we are here for you. Our gyms are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, smiling faces, group exercise classes, and self-care amenities (like HydroMassage and Infrared Saunas) to keep you happy and healthy. We have also created a virtual platform that you can access anytime, anywhere—iChuze Fitness. Try iChuze Fitness with our free 7-day trial. This platform gives you one space where you can work on your body, mind, and heart.
We do fitness a little differently at Chuze, and we want to be able to give everyone the Chuze Experience. That’s why our online platform not only includes workouts, but self-care sessions, meditations, yoga, and a way to give back to your community. Find out more by visiting our iChuze Fitness website. We also have state-of-the-art equipment and amenities to support your self-care routine at all of our locations. Stop in and say hello! We cannot wait to welcome you to the Chuze Family!