When it comes to your health, one of the biggest challenges it comes up against time and time again is stress. It's not easy to calm stress, especially in the current climate. And when it comes to minimizing stress, we've got to remember that it's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach. Stress is something that affects everybody in different ways. And we have to remember that it serves an important purpose, so we can escape quickly from threats and avoid danger. But the long exposure to stress can have a negative impact on our health. But this is where a combination of efforts may prove beneficial. Let's show you some approaches that could help.

The Importance of Routine

When we feel stressed or anxious, it can arise from a feeling of not being in control. Therefore, what we can do is to incorporate a routine into our lives that we have control over. In addition to this, a routine that is purpose-built for calming us down can give us additional reserves to cope with external stresses. You may have a life full of stress, and while getting rid of triggers will help, you've got to look at a routine that can help you decompress. Many people use a bedtime routine as a perfect starting point. Here's a handful of suggestions and why they can help you to unwind:

• A cold shower, which lowers your body temperature priming you for a very restful sleep. In addition to this, a cold shower can stimulate your immune system by producing more white blood cells.

• Incorporating relaxing scents into your sleeping environment, such as essential oils like lavender. Other essential oils like lemon and chamomile have been shown to relieve anxiety. Taking the opportunity to absorb these scents before going to sleep will put you into a more relaxed state of mind.

• Meditation or mindfulness can help you to slow your mind down. Meditating is not easy, and there are other ways around this, such as meditation machines.

You can incorporate anything that you want into your bedtime routine. The important thing is that it doesn't stimulate you, and if you focus on incorporating a routine such as this every single night, it becomes a habit after a few weeks. And this habit can stay with you for life.

A Regular Sleep Schedule

In addition to a good bedtime routine, a regular sleep schedule, where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, will make a significant difference in your life. Many people have a widely erratic sleep pattern. But the most important thing to feel balanced in your life is to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every single day. This helps your body set its sleep cycles, which will produce the right levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone. On the topic of rest, you need to avoid going to sleep too much during the day. Sleep experts talk about what they call a controlled recovery period. Living the life that we do usually gives us little opportunity to make the most of downtime. If you can incorporate a controlled recovery period, this can improve your mood.

Looking at Your Self-Esteem

Some people think they can cheat their way to getting rid of stress and anxiety. But you've got to remember the source of it. You are stressed for a reason. Sometimes it can be your inability to cope with stressful situations, but it can also be a low opinion of yourself. If you are someone who is a perfectionist, it's healthy to realize that you cannot be 100% successful at everything. And this comes back to the idea of control. When you start to realize there are things that you can't control in life, you immediately relax. You may also find that there are parts of your life that truly reflect your self-esteem. For example, if you are someone that cannot say “no,” this may result in you having a poor opinion of yourself because you want to be able to deal with conflict easier. And while you may find yourself surrounded by the wrong people, which will increase your stress triggers, the one thing you can control is you. This is why you need to look at the actions you undertake on a regular basis because they reflect your beliefs. And the more you do this, you are sticking to your values. This has a direct impact on our mindsets and mood. 

The Habits of Relaxation Techniques

The big mistake many people make is that they do not try relaxation techniques for long enough. Partly, this goes back to the idea of incorporating a good bedtime routine. But if you can practice the light relaxation techniques for you, you will be able to protect the body from the effects of tension and stress. The great thing is there are plenty of options available:

• Deep breathing. 

• Meditation. 

• Progressive muscle relaxation. 

• Positive self-talk.

The last point is very important because when it comes to our self-esteem if we have a very low opinion of ourselves we can incorporate positive self-talk as a way to retrain our brain. When you feel overwhelmed in life, it's important to remind yourself of what you do well. And when you start to incorporate positive self-talk into your life, it forces you to assert yourself, but it also is a very fascinating trick in retraining your brain. On a functional level, the brain is unable to tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. But this is why it's used widely by athletes, politicians, actors, and anybody who has those lingering senses of self-doubt. Self-doubt turns into stress and anxiety and this could be a very great way of short wiring those negative connections in our brain.

Everybody is different, and this is why it's so important to remember that if you've tried many efforts in reducing stress and tension, now might be the opportunity to incorporate numerous methods.

by Contributing Author