Stress is a universal feeling and should be tackled using universal languages. Art, food, laughter and love are natural ways to taming everyday stress. Just like Yoga, these everyday activities have been reducing blood pressure for centuries around the world.
Puppy love
Nothing reduces stress like a pair of big puppy dog eyes starring up at you and beaming with unconditional love. After a hard day at work or a fight with the beau, you always have a furry shoulder to cry on. Aside from pets being perfect listeners, they also ensure you’re never alone. Pets can reduce anxiety, depression and even blood pressure by providing an essential ingredient in everyday life: companionship.
Art for the heart
Picture yourself chatting over café© cré¨mes in Van Gogh’s Parisian cafes and watch your worries disappear. Regular viewing of artwork can control anxiety and help us understand our fears and dreams. Creating art can also be therapeutic and part of an everyday lifestyle. From painting to pottery, you can express your feelings with different colours, shapes and textures.
Whisking away worries
Rinse, slice, marinate, blanch, set aside and repeat. Cooking gives us the form and flow that our days and relationships sometimes lack. Even if you can’t fry an egg, making a simple summer salad will do wonders for your restlessness. Choose ingredients that stimulate the senses like bright red strawberries, spicy chillies and fresh smelling cilantro, for the perfect summer salsa. Enjoy a cup of chamomile tea while waiting for the apple pie to finish baking and smell for yourself the calming aromas that will fill your own kitchen.
LOL
Poet Pablo Neruda said that laughter is the language of the soul, which means giggling with your girlfriends is really speaking to their souls. Cut down on the digital dialoguing and meet a friend for coffee, face to face. Laughing out loud, in real life, reduces blood pressure and stress levels almost instantaneously. So never underestimate the power of a good joke, funny movie or best friend to give you a laugh.
Let’s get it on
Without a doubt, sex is one of the best ways to relieve stress and I’m sure your partner won’t mind if you give up your pilates class for more one on one time in the bedroom. Between kissing and cuddling the endorphins continue and who doesn’t love a natural high? Think of sex like a relaxing spa package, which includes a massage, body scrub and special offers.
Keep the tips coming!
Keep the tips coming!