8 Life-Changing Tips to Reduce Stress

Stress is inevitable. Whether it’s brought on by a heavy workload, family obligations, or even the foods that we eat, you’ll always experience some form of stress in your life. Thankfully, there are tips to reduce stress which can be life-changing.

But when it comes to managing fibroids or other hormone-related conditions, stress can be a trigger for symptoms. It’s imperative to find ways to cope with stress, as your hormonal health depends on it.

How does stress impact hormones?

Stress triggers the release of certain hormones, including cortisol. These hormones can increase your risk for other conditions and hormonal imbalances, including estrogen dominance.

It can be daunting to think about how the stress we experience from everyday life can have a negative impact on our hormone health. Here we enter into a vicious cycle–stressing about being stressed! Have no fear, though; there are plenty of ways to reduce stress and improve our overall health.

These are some practical tips to reduce stress, keep stress at bay and help you maximize your overall wellness.

My Top Tips to Reduce Stress

1. Become a Planner

Ever notice that stress and anxiety tend to creep in along with the unexpected? Of course, you can’t plan for everything that happens in life.

However, taking a proactive approach to your daily life or help you feel prepared.

Even becoming proactive and planning just one area of your life can reduce the feeling of being out of control. 

Take inventory of the stressors in your life. Is there a point in the day where you lose it more often? Are there specific tasks, like cooking, that turn into a hassle? Try creating a plan to manage these areas of your life ahead of time.

My favorite way to organize and plan everyday life events is to use a planner. Here I can write down any important tasks, events, meetings, etc. that I need to keep track of. It’s a game-changer for sure!

2. Stop Skipping Meals

What does food have to do with stress? A LOT. Not only do certain foods put stress on the body, but the timing of your meals can also create stress. 

You’ve probably experienced what it’s like to be hungry. That’s just one byproduct of going too long without proper nourishment. 

Skipping meals can actually signal to your body that you’re in distress. Which can lead to more stress hormones being released.

3. Do Light to Moderate Exercise

Notice I excluded intense exercise. Light to moderate exercise for up to 30 minutes a day may help the body flush stress hormones. 

Whereas too much intense exercise may encourage your body to make more stress hormones.

4. Get a Hobby

Seriously. A hobby is anything that you enjoy or find interesting that you want to explore. It doesn’t have to have a purpose. And you don’t even have to be good at it. 

Taking the time to do something simply for enjoyment helps to create some balance against some of your more stressful obligation.

5. Make Sleep a Priority

Adequate, quality sleep is one of the most healing things you can do for your body. Sleep allows the body to regenerate and recuperate from some of the stress you’ve been through.

Still struggling with sleep? Try a yoga Nidra meditation to make up for what’s lacking.

6. Seek Counseling or Coaching

A licensed therapist or counselor can help you pinpoint your current stressors and come up with a plan to reduce them or their impact.

Coaches are a suitable option for specific areas of your life that need guidance and accountability. 

7. Try Prayer, Meditation or Breathwork

Meditation and breathwork is like exercise for the brain. It helps you to prepare for situations you have little to no control over. It can also help you recover from the stress of those types of situations.

Many people find comfort in prayer as a way to release some of their cares to a higher power.

Simple Habit is one of my favorites for beginner-level meditations.

8. Start Journaling

Journaling is an effective tool for getting your thoughts out. It’s also a great way to discover thought patterns and behaviors that may be adding to your stress levels. Starting a journaling practice made a huge difference in my stress levels, as I began to understand my inner emotional world on a deeper level.

Find out more about how to start a journaling practice 

You don’t have to let stress get the best of you. Thankfully, there are so many things that we can do to manage our stress and I hope that one of these tips will help you live your best life in spite of stress.

Which one of these tips will you try?