Did you know that according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in the U.S? It affects about 40 million of adults every single year.
Also, did you know that according to a State Of Our Nation report released by American Psychological Association finances are the highest cause of stress and anxiety in the U.S.? This exceeds the amount of stress and anxiety caused by work or family responsibilities.
Seeing that finances are such a significant contributor to anxiety, it is necessary for people to be more empowered on how to deal with their money issues. More people should be educated on how to budget, increase their yearly income and know the various sources of emergency financial helps such as getting to apply for Lending club personal loans.
Here are some of the tips that you can use to deal with stress and improve the quality of your life:
- Make Time for a Hobby
It is true that life can be overwhelming with all the daily responsibilities. However, it is your role to take care of your physical and mental wellbeing. Therefore, make time to engage in a hobby for healthy mental health.
Do you love watching movies? Do you enjoy dancing? Do you miss going for jogging at the crack of dawn? Is it watching your favorite team playing?
Time spent enjoying your hobby is not time wasted. It is time invested in your mental health wellbeing.
- Create Time to Spend Quality Time with Your Family
Social support systems are the best buffer when you are stressed. Therefore, invest in these relationships.
Create time to take your spouse out for coffee. Take your kids out for some dance lessons over the weekend. Watch a movie and eat popcorns after dinner. These simple acts create a bond within the family that helps to reduce the stress. It also creates time to discuss some things that would have otherwise been pent up and result in more anxiety and stress in future.
- Physical Exercise
Engaging in physical exercise is one of the surest ways to deal with stress and anxiety. When jogging, the body produces adrenaline that counteracts the effects of stress. It also stimulates the mind to gain clarity into the issues that are possibly causing the stress.
When you create a habit of engaging in exercises, the need to take the anti-depressants will fade away. The body will come up with the anti-depressant hormones by itself, and the levels of anxiety will improve.
- Have adequate Sleep
How many hours do you sleep in a night? 5-hours?
Most people sleep few hours because of their corporate and social responsibilities. They have to wake up early to get to the meeting on time and leave the office late at night.
Not having enough sleep is a predisposing factor towards developing an anxiety disorder. Therefore, pause, re-examine the pace at which you are going through life. Re-organize the schedule to make sure that you have at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Otherwise, your mental health will continue deteriorating. Put yourself as a priority before thinking about all those responsibilities waiting for you.
- Have a Balanced Diet
The food that you take has a contribution to the anxiety and stress levels. Stress is fueled by having a lot of sugars in your diet. Therefore, it is advised to avoid having a lot of sugars by taking whole meals, fruits, and vegetables. Eating well which means taking a balanced diet is a contributing factor to living healthily both psychologically and physically.
Avoid taking caffeine as it increases the body activities and can, therefore, worsen the anxiety symptoms. Sodas also have caffeine, thus avoid having too much of them. Preferably take plain water to keep hydrated.
In conclusion, anxiety and stress are conditions that can be contained by doing social activities and engaging in self-care activities. However, if not addressed, these conditions can aggravate other physical ailments. Stress is associated with a myriad of other physical illnesses such as ulcers, high blood pressure, and others. To prevent yourself from such, take active steps to deal with anxiety today.
