It's the most wonderful time of the year—but also one of the most stressful! Make the season more enjoyable by stopping stress in its tracks with these easy tips.
1. Take a bath – with Salt!
Taking a hot bath is a quick and effective way to let your worries go. Why add salt to your bath? The salt increases the water’s specific gravity, making you feel more light-weight and buoyant while helping your muscles relax. Your body also absorbs the salts, which helps replenish magnesium stores, a mineral that is reduced with stress. Magnesium can help decrease irritability since it reduces the effect of adrenaline on the body.
Try:
Lush Shampoo Bar
Nellie Tier
L'OCCITANE
2. Dance
You probably already know that exercise can boost your mood. In fact, researchers at the University of Texas in Austin say that a single 40-minute exercise session is all you need. But what good is it if you hate the exercise? Get up and dance like nobody’s watching! You’ll get the stress relieving mood boost that comes with exercise while enjoying yourself.
3. Try Aromatherapy
Certain scents like lavender and Frankincense have been shown to reduce stress levels. Draw a bath and add a few drops of lavender oil into the tub, light a candle, or burn some incense. Other easy ways to enjoy the effects of essential oils include using a diffuser, adding it to your lotion before applying it, or letting the oil evaporate off a nearby cotton ball.
Try:
Absolute Essential
Natio
Molton Brown
5. Skip the Junk Food
It may seem like a simple solution to eat your feelings, but digging into the junk food isn’t going to help. Foods like alcohol, candy, and those high in sodium and fat are actually verybadfor reducing stress. Instead, opt for a healthy diet high in whole foods, and when you have to indulge, indulge in a sweet fruity snack. Fish–with their omega-3 fatty acids–are also good for reducing the symptoms of stress.
