Health

Lifestyle expert shares Andrea Bain five proven and easy ideas to help relieve stress from your daily life. Phew!

1. Get a Plant

Plants aren’t just pleasing. They help change your environment and that can help with your stress levels. If you find that you get headaches by the end of the workday, it might not be those fluorescent lights. Prevention Magazine sites that studies show people who work near plants are less likely to suffer from fatigue and headaches. Plants are natural air purifiers, why not try it out at your office?

2. Play with Animals

Any of us who have pets know they make us feel good. It's also been proven that they reduce stress in the workplace! A study from the Virginia Commonwealth University found people who brought their pets to work experienced less stress than those who didn't. That might be why Harvard Medical School uses a registered therapy dog to reduce stress at the library's very busy reference desk!

3. Take a Walk

WebMD cites that moderate exercise — like walking — is beneficial for stress and depression. Andrea personally thinks this is the best way to reduce stress immediately.

Are you having a tense office conversation or getting into an argument with a friend? Walk away from it for ten minutes to diffuse the situation fast.

4. Chew Gum

Chew it out! Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia led a research study on the effect of chewing gum on stress relief. Levels of salivary cortisol (a stress marker) in gum chewers were 12-16 per cent lower than those of non-gum chewers. Perhaps don't chew it during your stressful meeting, but right before!

5. Kiss Someone

Sure, we’ve all heard about how sex is a great way to relieve tension, but  according to this article in Huffington Post experts have learned that simply kissing releases stress-reducing beneficial endorphins. One of those studies found that couples who kissed only during sex were eight times more likely to be chronically stressed. So kiss away!