Best Ways To Fight Stress When Staying Indoors

Stress is everywhere, even while you are staying indoors. Although staying home more often feels safer nowadays, especially with the pandemic, one can develop anxiety even in their very own homes. Staying indoors for too long can trigger anxiety, insomnia, mood swings and even depression. The feeling of being restless in one’s home can cause a person to become upset and irritable even by seemingly nonsense and minor issues.

Being confined for a long period of time can lead to feelings that are associated with cabin fever. We have seen a lot of this especially during the months where we were forced to stay indoors. We feel lonely, are always in a poor mood and anxious most of the time.

However, stress is manageable, even the feelings that are associated or caused by it. We can relieve ourselves from stress and anxiety through some of these tips.

Productively Dealing with Stress Due to Prolonged Stay Indoors

Here’s what you can do to improve your emotional and mental health.

Exercise

One of the most effective ways to combat stress is through exercise. Putting physical stress on the body through exercise and movement can help relieve mental stress. You can do aerobics, dance or do Yoga at the comfort of your homes to relieve yourself from stress and anxiety. 

Exercise helps lower the stress hormones, popularly known as cortisol through the release of endorphins. Endorphins act like natural painkillers, relieving your body from the negative thoughts and feelings that you have. Regular exercise can also help improve the quality of your sleep, boost your confidence and promotes better mental wellbeing.

Take Supplements

Taking in natural supplements can also help reduce stress and anxiety. A few of the most common and popular natural supplements that can relieve us of these negative feelings include – Omega 3-fatty acids, lemon balm, and green tea. 

Other herbs and natural supplements you can try include are the following.

1. Ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic medicine that treats stress and anxiety.

2. Valerian, a root that promotes sleep and is mostly used for its tranquilizing effects.

3.  Kava kava, a member of the pepper family is being used as a popular supplement in the United States and Europe in treating mild stress and anxiety.

Meditate

Take time to sit, relax and feel everything around you. Find time to reconnect with your soul, body and mind by taking a few minutes of quiet time. You can always check out guided meditation guides on YouTube and on the internet as a guide to proper meditation. 

Meditation helps a lot in distracting yourself from the stress of your daily lives, or in this case being confined too long at home. The great thing about meditation is that you can even do it with just five minutes of your time and instantly feel relief after.

Do Deep Breathings

Deep breathing is similar to meditation but is not exactly the same. This practice helps in reducing stress and anxiety by activating the sympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for the body’s response against threats. 

Count to five as you inhale, hold it for two seconds and then release air as you count for another five seconds. Do it for five times or until you feel better. This practice is very effective in reducing your anxiety. This is also a good technique when you are trying to control your emotions.

Eat Healthy

What we eat affects our body, even our emotions. Together with exercise, eating healthy can help improve the overall quality of our lives. When you eat healthy, you feel healthy too. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Additionally reduce your sweet and salt intake.

Keeping your body nourished with vitamins and minerals helps in making you feel better. Eating in moderation also prevents you from having those negative emotions about yourself, especially your body. A healthy body gives you a healthy mind too which is very important in combating stress and other negative feelings and emotions. 

Stress is manageable. You just need to find ways and practices that work for you. Some people deal with stress by being surrounded with positive people, others by exercise. Once you find the best practice that works for you, you can easily combat the negative feelings and thinking that affects the quality of your life.