Worried About Health? It's Time to End the Stress
By Genevieve Cunningham
It's no wonder that health is one of our biggest worries as American adults. Along with incredibly poor healthcare options for many, we also eat poorly, skip exercise, and work too much. We're not exactly known as the healthiest people. And of course, the lack of healthy habits puts us on a health decline that's hard to stop. And then our stress spikes, and we find ourselves on quite a slippery slope. So what can we do? While we already know we should eat well and see the doctor, one of the first steps we should take is to lower our stress. Less stress makes the health improvement process so much easier. But how do we do that? If you need to lower stress and start a path toward better health, take a look at these tips to try today.
Work Stays at Work
For many, the most stressful part of life is work. Maybe you don't make enough money. Maybe you don't get along with coworkers. Maybe you don't feel secure in your job. Or maybe it's a big mix of all of it. No matter what is making you feel stress, it helps to leave work at work. Don't take it home. Don't think about it after hours. This is, quite obviously, difficult to do. But if you can ever learn the art of leaving work where it belongs -- at work -- then you're one step closer to less stress and better health.
Sleep is Your Friend
We have enough stress on a daily basis without dealing with constant fatigue. A lack of sleep makes everything worse. If you're not getting good sleep, you're also not getting a break from the stress. Focus on improving your sleep through better habits. Go to bed on time, put away your phone, and turn off the TV. The better your sleep, the more opportunity your body and mind have to let go of stress for a while and relax into true rest.
You're Going to Have to Move
Many don't want to hear this, but movement is a huge stress reliever. If you're not getting any movement on a regular basis, you're going to have to change this habit. Whether you join a gym, go for walks, or do a yoga routine in your bedroom, movement must be a part of your life. The more you move, the more stress you'll release, and the better you're going to feel as a whole.
Stress happens. There's little we can do to avoid it altogether. But improving your health means learning to manage the stress and lower it consistently. Use these tips to point you in the right direction, and you may find better health in your daily life starting now.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Whittier, Calif.