15 Ways Reduce Stress and Boost Your Mood

15 Ways Reduce Stress and Boost Your Mood

Stress is such a common buzzword these days that some of us have lost touch with just how impactful it can be in our lives. Stress causes health issues, hormonal imbalance, depression, weight gain, acne, infertility, and more. With high or low cortisol, the body is not able to properly function and leads to feeling pretty miserable. Fortunately, there are strategies that you can use to bring more harmony and happiness into your life and come into balance.

1. Go for a daily evening walk after dinner instead of watching TV. Going for a walk after you eat supports digestion and also gets you outdoors which automatically boosts your mood (keep an eye out for anything beautiful – admire trees, grass, happy people, be appreciative!). Screen time after you eat or before bed can actually lower your mood and interfere with your melatonin production.

2. Practice yoga, stretching, or meditation for 10 minutes every morning or night.

3. Read a book about something you’re interested in. Just 10 minutes of reading can boost happy hormones in the brain and reduce stress.

4. Go floating in a sensory deprivation tank.

5. Spend time with friends who support your dreams and are interested in helping you grow.

6. Drink less coffee and go for chamomile or Tulsi tea instead.

7. Dance! Dancing can boost your happy hormones, reduce stress, make you smarter and inspire more body confidence.

8. Take a nap if you have time for 20 minutes per day or on the weekends. Ideally between 2-4pm.

9. Take your shoes off and spend some time barefoot in the grass. Grounding is a wonderful way to reduce stress, reconnect and even lower inflammation in the body.

10. Learn more about communication and conscious relationships to create more harmony in your life. The better you communicate with others, the more your needs will be met and the less stress you will experience.

11. Exercise daily for joy and health. Spend 30-60 minutes going for a brisk walk or jog in the forest or at the park, swim, do yoga, go for a bike ride, or find a group fitness class you can get in on. Boost your endorphins, get a sweat on and lower stress levels through movement.

12. Sit in a sauna and sweat. This is also great for detoxification but can be very relaxing. Close your eyes and relax, or bring a book and read.

13. Change up your diet. Processed sugar, vegetable oils, wheat and other processed ingredients can cause hormonal imbalances, weight gain and induce stress on the body. Eat whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and opt for only organic, grass-fed meats if you eat them to lower stress levels and become healthier.

14. Take Ashwagandha. This herb lowers cortisol and reduces inflammation. I love Organifi, a green juice powder that includes Ashwagandha!

15. Eat a healthy breakfast with fiber, healthy fats, protein and carbs. Try these breakfast bowls. 

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Sheleana Aiyana

Sheleana is passionate about getting back to nature through real food and empowering women to walk the feminine path of self-care and deep self-awareness. She's a birth doula in Vancouver, BC She's an avid reader, intuitive culinary goddess and cat lady in the making.