Three ways to reduce stress during COVID

Three ways to reduce stress during COVID

“According to the American Psychological Association Stress in America 2020 survey, more of us are suffering from stress and sleep-related problems than ever before – largely COVID-related in some way.”

            Feeling stressed during COVID? You are not alone. The American Psychological Association has found that more people are suffering from stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are looking for ways to reduce your stress during this time, here are three examples of ways you can reduce your stress during COVID.

1.   Meditation

–       Mediation helps reduce your stress and allows you to become more present and aware of the stressors in your life. Not only does meditation reduce stress, but it improves your stress management. Meditation allows you to be less physically affected by the stress you have due to the pandemic or other stressors in your life.

–       Meditation does not require a big-time commitment. You can start by meditating for 1-5 minutes a day. Once you get into a routine of meditating daily, you can increase the length of time you meditate.

–       Headspace Guide to Meditation on Netflix looks at how meditation is beneficial while providing techniques and guided meditation to get started with your own meditation practice.

–       Netflix – Headspace Guide to Mediation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H77PL7SlI1M

–       Give meditation a try by clicking the button below to try guided meditation exercises to reduce stress provided by Headspace. You can also watch the 5-minute YouTube video to help you get started on your meditation journey to reducing the stress in your life.

https://www.headspace.com/ny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inpok4MKVLM

2.   Yoga

–       With the increase in stress caused by the pandemic, yoga has been shown to reduce stress and allow the body to relax, which helps prevent the risk of health issues such as high blood pressure caused by stress.

–       Since stress causes the body to go into fight or flight mode, yoga allows one to center their mind and calm themselves from the negative emotions caused by stress.

–       Yoga releases GABA into the thalamus in the brain, which reduces stress and increases your level of happiness.

–       You can practice yoga anywhere, either at home or work and at any time, whether it is in the morning or evening or even during a break at work.

–       Two poses to try whether you are a beginner or have experience in yoga are the extended puppy pose and cat-cow pose.

–       Extended puppy pose – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mytWLo8fHbw

–       Cat cow pose – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqnua4rHVVA

 

3.   Limit Media Consumption and Look for Reliable Resources

–       The American Psychological Association has found that those who have an increase in media consumption during natural disasters or mass violence, contributed to an increase in physical and psychological responses including stress, distress and cardiovascular problems.

–       Since not everything you read is true, it is important to know what the reliable sources are to find accurate information. Choose sources such as the Centers for Disease Control or World Health Organization to get reliable information on the pandemic.

–       To reduce your stress from the media, limit yourselves to looking at the news in the media twice a day and avoid reading the news before going to bed.

–       The use of social media has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has caused an increase in mental health issues and stress levels. Taking a break from social media can help improve your mental health and reduce your stress levels during these challenging times. Set times when you will use social media such as only looking at it in the morning and look at the accounts you follow and only follow reputable sources. You can adjust the settings on your phone to only allow yourself to use your social media apps for 1-2 hours a day.

Conclusion

            Trying these different stress-relieving techniques can help improve your stress levels during these challenging times. Whether you try one or try them all, it is important to take care of your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our passion, experience and advanced treatments help you achieve your dreams. Check out https://www.jackkunkel.com/medicine and Skip the trial and error process!

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