Try out These 6 Best Ways to Reduce Stress Hormones

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Stress is something everyone copes with on a day to day basis. If you do not have any stress, then many people wish they could be you for a day. We are a society filled with deadlines, meetings, schedules and other extra-curricular activities. There are only so many ways you can reduce your stress hormones, and I have discovered 6 of the best ways. Here I will discuss some of my favorite stress hormonal destroyers and some that I have been recommended. Try and give them a shot. What do you have to lose other than the stress?

1. Massage

There is something wonderful about a 50 minute Swedish massage. Long, gentle strokes up and down your body. It is delightful. Most spas will have soft music playing in the background, or even the sounds of the seaside. You can hear the waves crashing and the seagulls talking. It is a wonderful experience, even when they are kneading out the knots in your neck and shoulders. When you are finished, be sure to drink plenty of water to get out the rest of the toxins that are in your body and to avoid alcohol for the next 24 hours. You will feel like a brand new person, and may even fall asleep during the process!

2. Have a Cup of Tea

I may have hung around too many British people during my time in Scotland, but I do believe sipping on tea can help reduce stress hormones. When I have tested it out on myself, I noticed my stress symptoms and treatments worked best when I had a cup of tea. After I had my cup of black tea (with a dash of milk), I felt as though I could conquer anything put up against me. Since tea drinking is a social activity, it probably helped that I had friends to discuss the stress with as well.

3. Plug in Your Ear Buds

If a cup of tea is not readily available, and I do not have the funds for a massage, I turn to my music. I have different playlists set up on my iPod which helps with certain activities. I have my gym mix, my work mix and my distress mix. It is filled with fun dance tunes to help make me happy again and lower my stress level. This is something that is easy and affordable, and you can do on your own.

4. Living Situation

My favorite roommates have been my friends. Sometimes they start off as perfect strangers that I live with, while others were friends first and roommates second. Either way, it is a healthy place to live when you live with friends. At university, we live in the United Nations of flats since we were all from different countries. We would cook food and share to help with our stress level. Other places I lived we had tea together and just talked. Both helped reduce stress levels greatly. I do not recommend living alone so long as you can have your own space when with friends. I have done both and enjoyed my time more when with friends.

5. Sleep. This is my Favorite Past Time

If I had a chance, I would probably sleep for ten hours a day rather than the recommended eight. This can be quite difficult to do if you are stressed out over an assignment. I have had to take over the counter sleep aids to help fall asleep, but when I do it reduces the stress hormone, and I feel much better in the morning. The idea is to clear your head, and that is what a good night sleep can do for you.

6. Friends

We all have busy lives, but we know that when we are stressed, we need each other to calm down. We talk, we sing, we dance, and we cook. Together we help each other feel better. When we meet on a Friday night at 7pm and are together until around 1am, we feel so much lighter. Our stress levels are down, and we are just having a fun time not thinking about PhD’s or work. We are just focusing on creating delicious deserts and what is next on the play list. We always end the night with a smile.

If you have friends, I suggest you turn to them to help reduce your stress hormones. Think of activities to do together and make sure you set a day and time together each week to de-stress. Ours is Friday nights. No boys and no dates that night, only us girls. Just grab a bottle of wine and we are good to go. If you do not have the luxury of having good friends around, listen to music or get that massage. You deserve it!

Churchill Otieno
Churchill Otieno, holds a degree in Communications and Public Relations. He is an accomplished independent researcher, experienced, professional writer based in Chicago, IL past Mombasa, Kenya. He is an author and publisher for Consumer Health Digest - Joint Pain Center category since 2013. He has an additional credentials in health and lifestyle fitness. He has been writing articles on health for more than two years with interest on bone, joint health, arthritis, osteoarthritis etc. He is also a contributor to healthcentral.com and many other popular websites. His mission is to educate, empower and advocate people whose lives have changed due to arthritis joint pain. He also strive to support the families and caregivers as they learn how to advocate and care for the afflicted person.