Some people seem to go through life without a care in the world. These sorts of people always act calm — and, not so coincidentally, they always seem to be happy and content. Others among us are not so lucky.
For some of us, stress just seems to be a way of life. In fact, stress is a way of life. because of the way we live our life matters a whole lot to how stressed-out we feel all of the time.
To be clear, we're not saying that there aren't important non-lifestyle factors in stress and anxiety (we'll talk about their medical qualities, too).
But we are saying that there are some simple steps that you can take to cut down on your anxiety, stress, and that on-edge feeling that seems to come with you wherever you go.
Nutrition and diet
We're in the midst of an anxiety epidemic. Anxiety disorders (when taken collectively) are the most common form of mental health disorder in the nation. American stress levels are high and rising, and the problem is only getting worse.
Why are we so sick? There are a lot of factors, but diet and nutrition are big ones. What we eat has an obvious impact on our waistlines and our physical health, but we sometimes don't think about just how important our nutrition is for our mental health. Eating poorly will make us feel worse both physically and mentally.
That means eating too many processed foods and too many "empty" calories — the calories that don't come with nutrients.
And that poor nutrition can make us susceptible to a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety. By contrast, a balanced and healthy diet can give us the health and mindset we need to take stressful and anxiety-inducing things in stride.
Supplements and mental health treatment
What we eat can help our minds quite a bit, but it would be wrong to suggest that medicines, supplements, and professional treatment have no role to play.
The reality, of course, is that it's very important to work with mental health professionals and use therapy and medication (as needed and as recommended) to combat stress and anxiety.
You can and should also consider supplements that you can take without a prescription — supplements like the ever more popular CBD. CBD is derived from the drug marijuana, but it's not going to get you high.
Instead, say the CBD experts at StockCBDSupplements, it can help reduce your stress and anxiety levels. CBD fans say that they feel calmer when they take CBD, which is easy to do in a wide variety of forms (including edibles, vape oils, and more).
Lifestyle choices and your environment
The spaces that you spend time in matter more to your mind than you might think. Everything from the colour of the walls in your office to the type of furniture you have in your bedroom can affect your mental health.
That's why you need to take design choices serious, say experts who offer interior design products in New Jersey. Shape your spaces with smart layouts that make the best possible use of your furniture.
Choose wall hangings and paint colors carefully. And organize and clean your space — your home will be a less stressful place if you do.
The care and maintenance of a human being
Life doesn't come with an instruction manual. Sometimes, it's hard to keep track of all of the ways in which we should be caring for ourselves. But we need to do our best to focus on our most basic and most important needs.
You care about others, about your work, and about a lot of other priorities. But if you don't care for yourself first and foremost, you won't be able to help anyone else.
So try to take some time each and every day to check in with yourself. Are you working too much? Are you eating things you shouldn't, or not enough of what you should? Do you just want to move the furniture around in your bedroom?
Whatever's going on, listen to yourself and make the changes. Care for yourself, and your stress levels will go down.
