22 Jul Anti Stress by Olivia Arezzolo – The Sleep Specialist

Feeling those lingering stresses build up and not sure how to remedy it? Rather than reach for a glass of vino, here are 5 sustainable solutions for stress relieving – which help you heal, rather than harm. Backed by academic evidence, the suggestions can be implemented (largely) anywhere, anytime, are economical and can be performed solo or with fellow stressed colleagues or friends. Remember – your wellness is – and must be – a priority: no two ways about it.

1. Practice yoga. Clinically proven to decrease anxiety, depression and insomnia; mindfulness and deep breathing combined make yoga a powerhouse for optimal sleep. Even for chronic insomniacs, further research shows in just 8 weeks of daily practice of yoga reduces time taken to fall asleep, morning fatigue and nocturnal wakings. If evenings are tricky, make it a lunchtime activity – just make sure you do it.
2. Practice mindfulness meditation. First up, recognise that only in a mindful, calm state do we deliver our best work. If you’re overwhelmed, anxious or mentally exhausted, you make mistakes which cost you time and money to fix later down the track. Academic research reports a stress reduction of 25% for those practicing mindfulness over the course of 8 weeks, whilst additional studies find relaxation increases by 30%. Perfect for post work, recommended actions include a meditation track on apps such as Headspace or Calm, or simply focusing your attention on a single object, like a colouring book.
3. Diffuse ‘Stress Release‘ or ‘Meditation’. Enhance the results mentioned these certified organic blends. These oil blends include sweet orange oil, an ingredient clinically proven to double feelings of calmness after exposure to the oils (only after 20 minutes!). Secondly, they also contain patchouli – scientific studies comparing the action of ‘rest without’ vs ‘rest with’ this woody aroma reported greater anti-stress effects for those exposed to aromatherapy. Further, negative feelings and fatigue also improved.
4. Have a bath. Researcher published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports bathing to lower stress, reduce fatigue, improving symptoms of pain and even increase our likelihood of smiling in the mirror. They also note that these positive effects are not found within showering – it’s the act of immersion that does the trick. If you don’t have a bath at home, seek out a local sauna.

So ideally, you’ll come home from that long day, practice some yoga, take a bath and finish with mindfulness meditation whilst diffusing Lively Living’s certified organic Meditation blend. In doing so, you’ll be filling your cup so much that after your much needed time out, you’ll be ready for round two – feeling relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated.

Anti Stress By Olivia Arezzolo – The Sleep Specialist

Olivia Arezzolo

The Sleep Specialist 

APS Certificate Sleep Psychology 

Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)

Certificate 3+4 Fitness (Personal Training)

Diploma of Health Science (Nutritional Medicine)