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“The exhaustion of day to day living bothers me… I don’t like my shamming, huffing and aggressive moving on – each day; Sometimes I get so tired that I don’t like the day at all - it permeates my being, and I don’t like myself at all too…!”
As you read these lines from the diary of a 27-year-old girl trying to carry on with the business of living in today’s trying times, are you are thinking, ‘hey, I could have written these?’
Don’t we all know what it feels like when life's demands seem to get on top of us?
Yes, stress is an epidemic today!
But it’s time we stopped leading lives of quiet desperation. Stop living one day and the next and letting stress bury us under its weight.
Life is not a dress rehearsal; it is the only one you've got.
And also completely overhaul your diet to eat foods that help cut stress to size.
Bananas rank as a feel-good food due to its high levels of tryptophan and tyrosine, both precursors to “happy” neurotransmitters – serotonin and dopamine!
Plus, it’s rich in potassium – a mineral vital for nerve functions, and also contains natural sugars that are quickly released into the bloodstream, making one feel energetic.
Apples derive almost all of their natural sweetness from fructose, a simple sugar that’s broken down slowly, especially when combined with the fruit’s hefty dose of fibre.
This keeps blood sugar levels stable and your mood buoyant, and stress side effects ta bay.
Figs are an excellent source of potassium and fibre, figs are a good source of Vitamin B6 as well, which is responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin, so snack on these.
Tea contains the amino acid thiamine that's having massive mind-relaxing properties.
Breakfast-eaters report maintaining a better mood and more energy through the day.
Breakfast foods that give energy and happiness both are,
Wholegrain cereals or bread
Oatmeal
Banana
Oranges
Low-fat dairy products
Low-fat cheese, paneer, egg white
The link between low levels of selenium in the brain with increased anxiety, depression and fatigue is clear.
To create your own 'happy diet'.
Satisfy your taste buds, keep them on your side – it’s important!
You cannot sustain a tasteless diet. And diets only work – obviously - if you can sustain them.
Stop yo-yoing between eating dutifully (how much steamed cauliflower can you chomp?), on the run (hardly realizing what you're swallowing), or rebelliously (devouring two plates of gulab jamuns to make up for a soup only meal). Eat happily!
Practice this simple exercise taken from a model of progressive relaxation aimed at introducing a sense of an inner smile.
Unreasonable smile is the capacity to smile for no reason at all, where you are supposed to imagine that your ears are smiling, that the neck is smiling and the lungs are smiling, then the kidneys, and the bladder and the bowels, the knees and feet – the whole lot really.
Make time for activities that absorb you completely. This will help slow your brain waves, still the internal chatter and relax and calm you on a regular basis.
It could be painting, bird-watching, cooking, hiking, writing, blogging, gardening, photography, or just walking.
A good cry enhances oxygen delivery to the cells and stimulates release of specific neurochemicals in the brain that promote relaxation.
Deep breathing can help counter the fight-or-flight reaction.
So any time you feel stressed - whether you're seething in a traffic jam, worrying about a deadline, or replaying in your mind that fight with your spouse, do deep breathing to relax on the inside (even if you are running like crazy on the outside).
Deep relaxation is a benefit of sound therapy. Soothing sounds help to re-tune the brain to cope with stress better, and also create a healing environment for the body and mind.
Brass or crystal Tibetan-style bowls are used to produce the unearthly singing sounds which aid relaxation in sound therapy, also known as chakra balancing.
‘Have a good chuckle four times a day for the next two weeks – and don't come back until you've finished the full course of treatment!’
This is what the humour therapists advise, and believers say it works.
That because laughter increase endorphin levels – the natural 'feel-good' chemicals in the body; cleans old air from the lungs and allow fresh air to replace it and leave us with an 'afterglow' in which we relax muscle-tension.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
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