easy ways to destress your life  - by Stride & Glory 🏆 

Focus on these easy methods of reducing stress.

Carl Wakeford - Nov 2022

Easy Ways To De-Stress Your Life And Improve Mental Health That Everyone Should Try

When you're feeling stressed, it can be easy to look outward for relief. You might ask yourself why certain people or situations are causing you so much anxiety, or whether there's anything that needs to change in your life to make you feel happier. The truth is, however, that there are plenty of things that you can do yourself to relieve stress and improve your mental health — and they don't require any other people or situations at all! These self-care strategies aren't just for the super-anxious: everyone can benefit from them if they want to reduce their stress levels and get more out of life.

Commit to a regular exercise routine.

I'm not going to tell you about the benefits of exercise, because you already know what they are. If you exercise regularly, you can skip to the next subheading. If you don't exercise regularly, then I am gonna get straight with you. What the heck are you doing?! Your body needs to run, lift, connect with nature, and prove what it's physically capable of. Exercise has long been proven to be an effective tool for managing stress, improving mood and alleviating depression. It’s also a great way to ensure you get the sleep you need. When your body is physically active it releases endorphins, which help elevate your mood and lower anxiety levels. Exercise can also improve your overall health by making sure that you are getting enough physical activity each day. In addition to feeling better from being more active, regular exercise can help reduce some of the symptoms of depression or anxiety such as fatigue or insomnia.

Invest in coaching.

If you're looking for a way to reduce stress and improve your mental health, finding the right coach can be a great start. A professional who can help guide you towards healthier habits and your dream athletic goals is invaluable when it comes to managing your stress levels and improving your overall well-being.

While there are many coaches out there who claim that they can help clients with their mental health problems, not all of them have the credentials necessary to do so in an effective way. When hiring a coach, make sure that they have experience working with people who've accomplished what you want to do.

It's also important that they appreciate your lifestyle, any mental struggles, and that they take into account more than just the training, but the balance with everything else too. Don't waste time learning from someone who doesn't know what they're doing, or only knows about how to pump iron.

Practice gratitude.

One of the easiest ways to improve your mental health is to practice gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful tool that can help you feel good about yourself and your situation, but it also has tons of other benefits that go beyond just being happy. Gratitude will help you:

● increase happiness and well-being, which reduces stress and establishes a positive mindset for success;
● boost self-esteem, self-compassion, optimism and hope;
● build resilience in the face of adverse events;
● reduce negative thoughts like worry or guilt by focusing on positive emotions instead;
● strengthen relationships with others by giving them attention and appreciation (this can lead to them reciprocating).

Write down your thoughts and feelings.

Writing is a great way to de-stress your life and improve mental health. When you write, it helps you think through issues in your life and can help prevent stress from building up within you.

Writing down what you are grateful for will remind you of the good things in your life that many people take for granted. Writing down goals will remind you of what's important to achieve so that they don't get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Writing down achievements shows others how far they have come, which can make them feel proud about their accomplishments as well as give them motivation to continue working towards their goals.

Finally, writing down mistakes allows one to reflect on what went wrong so that mistakes do not happen again in the future; this also shows others how much effort went into making improvements which helps boost morale among employees at work! Not only does journaling help reduce stress levels but it also improves memory retention ability because when something happens our brain records it but sometimes we forget about those memories until something triggers them again like watching another movie or reading another book.

Make time to do something creative.

We all know that stress can be a real problem for our mental health. Everyone has a different way of dealing with it, but there's one thing that almost everyone can agree on: being creative is an awesome way to help you relax and focus.

This could mean anything from baking a batch of cookies to painting your bedroom walls. The important thing is that you're doing something outside of your normal routine that requires some degree of thought or skill—something that helps you feel inspired instead of overwhelmed by life's challenges. By taking time out each day for creative activities, you'll find yourself feeling more relaxed, focused, and even happier overall!

Learn something new.

Learning, or training for something new is one of the easiest ways to de-stress your life, and also improve your mental health. Learning anything will help you build confidence and self-esteem, which can be crucial in reducing stress.

It's important not to take on too much at once when it comes to learning something new! Start out with something manageable so that you don't get overwhelmed or frustrated. You may want to try taking up a hobby or seek help from a coach who can help you avoid making mistakes and make the learning process much more enjoyable.

On the flip side, it could be the fact that you are already doing something new and challenging, which is the cause of your stress. My answer to this is to embrace the chaos. You may just be focusing on the stress, rather than the fact that the chaos of what you're doing is actually giving your life purpose. Think of it as a mission, an objective to achieve, and know that the stress is just a natural side effect.

Practice deep breathing exercises.

Deep breathing exercises are one of the easiest ways to de-stress and improve your mental health. In fact, practicing deep breathing helps regulate your moods and reduce anxiety. It also helps you sleep better at night by promoting a parasympathetic response in the body that relaxes muscles and creates a feeling of calmness.

To do this, sit or lie down with your back straight and eyes closed for about five minutes each day or when needed for stress relief.

Start by taking slow deep breaths through your nose without constricting it tightly around any part inside it (like pinching). Count the number of seconds you breathe in for, then count the number of seconds before exhaling out again through pursed lips or alternatively with no sound at all if possible (this is known as silent exhalation).

Continue this pattern until you reach 10 cycles, then rest for 30 seconds before starting another round of 10 cycles until finished with 5 rounds total per session—which should take around 15 minutes total depending on how long each cycle lasts (you should always inhale longer than exhale).

Find a support network.

When you’re not feeling your best, it can feel like no one understands what you’re going through. It can be isolating and lonely when nobody around you is feeling the same way. When you see your friends or family acting like nothing is wrong, it can make you feel even more alone.

The coaches here at Stride & Glory totally understand what this feels like. Training for an athletic event can be lonely at times. You need to sacrifice some things (like time) to cross the finish line, which other people in your life may not quite understand. That's why training with Stride & Glory is so enjoyable, because you're not on your own.

Make time for fun and relaxation.

While you should always be mindful of the importance of taking care of yourself, it's also important to remember that having fun is part of living a healthy lifestyle.

In fact, one study found that people who felt they were more stressed than others had a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, regardless of whether or not they had previously been diagnosed as having a mental health disorder.

Making time for relaxation and fun can help reduce your stress levels, which in turn may help improve your overall health and well-being. The following are some tips on how to do this effectively:

● Go outside to get some fresh air
● Get enough sleep every night
● Go on a walk/run and get out into nature
● Meditate or listen to music (or both!)

You can relieve stress by taking responsibility for improving your own mental health.

Taking responsibility for your own mental health is an important first step towards relieving stress and improving your overall mental state. You can take responsibility for your own wellbeing by making time for exercise, creative activities, learning new things and seeking support from Stride & Glory.

Here are some other ways you can improve your mental health:

● Get out of bed at the same time every morning. Commit to a consistent routine.
● Eat breakfast every day and fuel your performance.
● Make sure you get enough sleep.

IN CONCLUSION

All of these techniques offer a great way to start improving your mental health. You don't need to stick with any single one forever, but you do need to find what works for you and practice it until it becomes a habit.

Keep in mind that even if there isn't one thing that helps relieve stress for everyone, there are still many things that can help us all relax and manage our lives better.