THE FRONT PORCH: How can I reduce stress?
By Dakota Baker, RealWV
For this week’s front porch, I decided to do something a little different.
I’m somewhat positive, at least once a day, we all encounter something that stresses us out. Whether that be work situations, going into Walmart (you know what I’m talking about), or the million things going on around the world we see on social media.
So, instead of adding to that stress, I wanted to write a simple, straight-forward article that you don’t have to put too much thought into, on ways to reduce that stress.
Sleep
One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is to ensure you are getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Getting enough sleep is crucial to regulating hormones, repairing your body, and stabilizing your emotions. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep your cortisol levels rise, keeping your body in fight-or-flight mode. Long story short, stop doom scrolling and go to bed.
Meditation
Another simple way to reduce stress is meditation. The great thing about meditation is it can be done anytime, anywhere. Having a high stress day? Step away for 5 minutes and meditate. Meditation has proven to lower cortisol, improve memory, lower blood pressure, reduce depression, and even improve sleep (just to list a few). Not sure where to begin? Lucky for you it’s as simple as searching meditation for beginners on YouTube, I’ll even link some videos below to make it that much easier. There are also plenty of meditation apps available (my personal favorite is Headspace). These apps and videos guide you through different meditation techniques such as breathing, noting, visualization, etc. Find the technique that works best for you and stick with it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
The Great Outdoors
I don’t think I have to tell you spending time outside is a great stress reliever. I cannot be the only one who felt the warm weather we had last week (before that lovely snow), and thought all had been righted in the world. Basically, what I’m saying is, when it’s nice, get outside! There is so much to explore in our wild and wonderful state. Need some inspiration? Get your West Virginia Waterfall Trail pass, grab your friends and begin exploring (did I mention it’s free?).
Now, I hope you all will take a little time to practice some self care. And feel free to share your own stress reduction techniques below!
Helpful Links:
A Meditation for Reframing Stress
