De-stress and Loosen Your Muscles

Whether you are aware of your stress level at any given time, it can greatly affect your personal health. Your mood, your comfort level, how well you're able to interact with others – it's all affected by the amount of stress (or lack thereof) you're dealing with. 

Why Stress Matters

When you aren't able to relax, when your mind is racing and constantly worried about something, your body follows suit. Your shoulders clench in, muscles become tense, you're tight and ready to twinge a body part any time you move too quickly. Being stressed comes with the inability to relax – that's part of the definition. When your mind isn't able to calm itself, neither is anything else; you will carry that tension for as long as you're worked up. 

However, relaxing is an important part of creating rest. Even if you're unable to sleep, you can do the body plenty of good by sitting and letting your muscles breathe. A small catnap or "resting your eyes" can provide similar results. It's a short amount of time where the body lays still, isn't exerting energy, and can catch up on its necessary functions. 

When this can't be done all on your own, it's a good idea to locate the source of your stress and do your best to eliminate it. Problem solve or move the most stressful of daily tasks off of your plate (as realistically as possible). Then look toward relaxation techniques like soothing scents, massage, exercise, or talk to a loved one about what has you so worked up all the time. Hopefully, by approaching your stress from various areas you can work to eliminate as much of it as possible. And, in the process, allow your body some much needed muscle relaxation and some hard-earned rest.  

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Simple Ways to Put Yourself in a Better Mood

Between work and everyday life, it's fairly normal to feel stressed. Perhaps anxious and tired from everything that's to be accomplished during waking hours. Work completed, bills paid, and hopefully finding some time for some enjoyment along the way. However, when you're in the thick of it, waiting until said enjoyment to be had, we're not thinking about the light at the end of the tunnel. We're thinking about blowing a hole in that tunnel so there's light right then and there. 

It's a thought process that adds to stress and continues to bog you down. With only a few adjustments, however, you can work toward a happier you – even when you're slated to be the most stressed. 

In order to feel more relaxed and happier throughout stressful situations consider:

• Resting more – Studies prove that after a good night's rest, you're able to feel perkier all on your own. No matter what stress the day might bring.
  
• Opening the windows – Another wonder of the world comes in the form of vitamin D. If you don't have time to get outside, let the fresh light shine in … it can do wonders for your self-help.
  
• Eating something healthy – Fruits, veggies, grains, even non-fattening proteins can all give your body a mood boost. In a similar light, avoid eating anything sugary, especially on an empty stomach.
  
• Smiling – Do it! If you're without time, read a joke online or recall a personal anecdote. Smile and laughter is contagious, even if you're forcing it at first.
  
• Hydrating – Flushing the body with water, lots of it, can ensure a body that's not holding onto toxins that can affect your mood. Drink up and look forward to a day that's somewhat water logged, but free from substances that bring you down. 

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How Scents Relax the Body

It can be difficult to wind down after a long day. When you're busy for so many hours on end and have an ongoing to-do list (sometimes ones that grow quicker than they get checked off), the body becomes stressed. And so does the mind. A normal reaction to such a "go go go" type of atmosphere. But when it's time to actually stop, to rest and relax rather than get in as much work as possible, the adjustment is then hard to achieve. 

By training the body to relax, however, this step can be much easier than it sounds. Especially when you have certain triggers to help get you there. In the same way that a work call can heighten your senses and put you into scheduling mode, the same can be done with relaxation. By drinking a hot cup of tea, or putting on comfortable pajamas, the mind can be alerted that it's time for winding down. Work is over, and now it's time for enjoyment – and the body picks up on those clues.

Perhaps nothing does this better than scents – in beverages (including teas), essential oils, candles, bath salts, and more. Not only are certain smells designed to calm the muscles and the brain – one of the biggest factors that keeps us up – over time, recognizing them will have an auto-effect on the body. Allowing it to instantly relax just as soon as familiar scents hit the nostrils.

Such relaxing triggers include lavender, lemon, peppermint, thyme, vanilla, and more. Use them before bed, or throughout the day to help ease the mind whenever you become stressed. Each can be put in foods, décor, in sniffing salts – or in whatever manner you prefer. So long as their natural aromas are allowed to flow freely, you can gain incredible bouts of relaxation with each passing smell. 

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Get Better Sleep By De-Stressing Your Life

Did you know that stress level has an incredible effect on our sleeping habits? Even in the smallest amounts, it can work to keep us awake at night or lessen the amounts of rest we’re able to achieve. Even when we’re at our most tired. Not sleeping, however, then leads to even more stress, only perpetuating the process. 

But de-stressing is a process in and of itself, and almost never as easy as it sounds. 

Once they achieve it, folks can get more and deeper sleep while saving their waking hours for clearly planned out tasks. Not worrying about what and when something is slated to take place (whether or not that ever happens), or whatever other type of stress weighs heavily on one’s mind. With such incredible perks, however, folks aren’t likely to give up on de-stressing so easily. 

They look to tactics such as exercise, massages, eating healthier (or eating a comfort food), scented candles, and more. De-stressing might just be as easy as finishing off your to-do list for the day. Some have been shown to work in various degrees –sometimes in tandem with one another, and sometimes, not at all. 

The tricky part is that no two people deal with stress the same way. Meaning they aren’t able to eliminate it the same way, either. Over time, you’ll learn better as to how to remove stress from your life. And how to keep it from not letting you sleep. Only by truly relaxing – not only the body, but the mind, will you be able to better handle the day’s tasks without letting them spill into your nighttime routine. 

To work on improving your rest levels, especially when the body is most stressed, work on a tactic that lets your mind relax. It’s a proven way to drift into deeper and more restful bouts of sleep. 

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Even More Scents that Will Help Reduce Stress

Earlier this week, we discussed ways to reduce stress (and subsequent muscle pains) through the help of scent. Just by sniffing different natural substances, the body can easily and effectively relax. Without the need for medicine or even mental cooperation. In fact, keeping one of these items on hand is likely the most effective way to stay calm, no matter what may come your way.

Today we explore part two of these natural calming agents. While apples, lavender, and more have proven themselves effective, there are even more ways to smell your way to a calmer state of mind. 

Plants and Fruits That Can Promote Mental Healing

• Peppermint plants – A crowd favorite, peppermint is a pleasant way to smell your cares away. Keep a plant at home, at the office, or both. Springs can even be dried and stored away in a small container for a more mobile way to transport peppermint aromas. 

• Chocolate – It’s no surprise that chocolate brings on some serious comfort. But it may not just be about the taste. Darker blends are also proven to offer their magical powers of feeling good through the scent of cocoa. Though be careful not to “smell” too much chocolate as extra pounds are sure to cause anyone stress. 

• Carbs – Our bodies crave carbs – it’s just a fact. But it might not just be for the taste; studies show that consuming carbs promotes the production of serotonin, or the “feel good” chemical that’s released in the brain. Smelling breads and grains might do the body good, but in this case, it’s better to actually eat your natural cure.

No matter your personal preference, there are plenty of scents that offer body-healing powers. Rather than enduring ongoing stress, consider these nose-happy alternatives instead. Best of all, they’re proven to work!

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Jetlag-induced Stress Measured to Reduce Side Effects

Anyone who has ever traveled knows just how difficult it can be to adjust to a new time zone. The body just wasn't meant to switch gears so quickly. Meal times change, as do sleeping schedules. Not to mention the tired, rundown feeling we get from sitting on a plane (or in a car, or in an airport) for hours on end. And the combination of it all can lead to some serious jet lag. Jet lag that affects our moods, behavior, and our ability to fight off germs. Which is why people often become sick after traveling. That and the exposure to so many people and their respective germs.

Compiling all of these variables, however, undoubtedly leads to stress. Even the threat of jet lag is enough to cause many some seriously uneasy tendencies. Which is why one airline took it upon themselves to measure each of these stress causing factors. But what's even more interesting is how they did it. Through blankets called “happiness blankets.” 

For the experiment, British Airways compiled a plane of willing participants, and covered them each with a blanket that measured various bodily functions with nodules. Such as heart rate, temperature, etc., all of which were able to determine just how jet lagged or stressed a person had become. That data was then paired against outside causes, like length of flight, lighting, position of seats, mealtimes, and more. Then, by seeing which areas cause the most stress, they hope to adjust in order to make flights as comfortable as possible. One of the biggest finds is that it’s important to let passengers sleep for as long as possible. British Airways has been able to accomplish this by allowing seats to further recline, allowing for darker cabins, and avoiding multiple service routes through nighttime hours. 

Though flying is still likely to cause ongoing stress, airlines are looking into lowering those factors by the very way that we fly. Hopefully, by better adjusting toward jet lag-free routines, flyers of all lengths will have better experiences both before and after their traveling routine. 

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