20 Apr Lively Living’s Guide to Reducing Stress in Your Everyday Life

Stress is our body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When we sense danger or challenging situations, our body triggers a natural ‘flight or fight’ response, releasing chemicals designed for survival. But while stress is an unavoidable and natural part of life, too much stress can really impact our health, relationships, mental wellbeing, and ability to cope.

In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become quite the social issue. In fact, a recent survey by Medibank found just under five million Australians are suffering from stress. Causes were varied, but the main culprits included lack of sleep, work pressures, social media, housing affordability, and trying to juggle too many things at once. It seems we have so many balls in the air that managing family, paying bills, and a myriad of other responsibilities and pressures, has become a real balancing act. No wonder we’re feeling stressed!

At Lively Living, we’re passionate about spreading awareness of natural solutions to everyday health and wellbeing challenges. While we may not be able to treat the cause of your stress, we can certainly recommend some suggestions to help alleviate the symptoms!

Here’s our top 10 tips for reducing stress in your life the natural way:

1. Get back to nature: Spending time outdoors has been proven to be both physically and mentally beneficial, so head to your nearest park or forest, go camping, or take a bushwalk to get back to the soothing sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
2. Read a book: When the world gets too much, escape into another one! It’s a temporary escape, sure, but reading is not only one of life’s great pleasures, it also relaxes the body by lowering your heart rate and easing muscle tension.
3. Exercise: When we engage in physical activity, chemicals in the brain called endorphins are produced. These chemicals are feel-good neurotransmitters, and scientists have found that regular exercise can decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilise mood, and improve sleep and self-esteem. And you don’t have to run a marathon! Just five minutes of aerobic exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects, so even a quick walk around the block can boost your mental state.
4. Meaningful communication and connections with friends and family can make all the difference when it comes to managing stress. We’ve all heard the saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved.’ Sometimes simply talking things through with people we love and trust can help relieve mental burdens.
5. Hit the beach: The latest neuroscientific research recommends a day at the beach as the ultimate stress buster. The peace and calmness you experience at the beach is now being referred to as “blue space”, which is the effect the combination of soothing smells and sounds of water have on your brain.
6. Pet Therapy: According to health.com, pets have a whole lot of therapeutic traits including lowering stress hormones, reducing blood pressure, helping you appreciate the little things, and providing emotional support. Give your pet a cuddle for an instant hit of happiness.
7. Take time out for yourself without feeling guilty. Whether it’s going for a walk, hitting the shops for a new outfit, lunch at your favourite café, or enjoying a movie with a choc top, sometimes a little regular time out can really help recharge emotional batteries.  
8. Self-Care: You can’t look after anyone else effectively if you don’t look after yourself. Show yourself the same care you give everyone else by being kind to yourself inside and out. Try a yoga class or meditation, fuel your body with delicious unprocessed foods, rich in vitamins and nutrients, have a massage, take more naps, look at ways to simplify your schedule and reduce your workload.  
9. Get Creative When you create, you evoke your imagination, which is a productive use of your mind. When you pick up a paintbrush, create a piece of music, or put pen to paper, you’re – according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – achieving a state of “flow”, typically defined as the “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”
10. Essential Oils & Aromatherapy. It goes without saying essential oils feature on our Top Ten List for Reducing Stress! Nothing works to elevate and uplift your mood quite like Lively Living essential oils. Try our Stress Release Organic blend diffused in your home or workplace, or add a few drops to our Fractionated Coconut Oil for a beautifully aromatic massage or deep, relaxing bath.

This stress-busting blend combines 100% Certified Organic oils – Organic Sweet Orange, Organic Lavender, Organic Mandarin, Organic Ylang Ylang, Organic Patchouli, Organic Non-Phototoxic Bergamot – specially selected for their powerful properties to help release anger, anxiety, tensions, stress, and other negative emotions.

Living with stress might be an unavoidable part of life, but thankfully, there are numerous ways to manage its impact on your lifestyle and wellbeing naturally. We hope our guide to reducing stress in your life has given you some inspirational ideas to try yourself, or share with your loved ones.