Healthy Morning Routine To Live A Stress free Life
Stress it seems has become a perpetual phase in our lives. Students get anxious about their grades, adults are worried about their work, some have health scares, and parents are stressed over their children. All of us end up navigating so many ‘normal’ stressful situations in our daily routine.
Suffice to say, chronic stress is becoming increasingly common. And while we may not realize it –or are too preoccupied with surviving—that stress indeed takes a lot of toll on the body. Chronic stress leads to problems like depression, sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction, gastritis, skin, and hair issues amongst many other problems.
So, while we cannot eliminate stress completely from our lives, it is possible to manage it better. How you deal and reach with stressful situations can determine their impact on the body. Those with severe stress need to talk to a psychiatrist in Karachi about their mental condition and get immediate help.
Others with less severe symptoms should take active steps to reduce stress levels and thus mitigate its impact. Kickstarting your day well has a profound effect on not just your disposition, but stress levels as well.
Why do it in the morning?
Your body has a clock or the circadian rhythm that follows the transition of light. So, the days are naturally perceived for working and being active, and the nights for sleeping. When we confuse our body by not following this natural transition, mental and physical health, both suffer.
Moreover, morning sets the precedent for the rest of the day. Once that is under control, the rest of the day also goes in order. Getting off to a bad and stressful start means that the mood and disposition suffer for the rest of the day as well.
Another important reason for having a proper destressing morning ritual is to avoid mental fatigue. We have only a certain amount of mental energy when we wake up and overwhelming our mind with stress in the morning drains it away. As a result, you suffer from a lack of mental energy for the rest of the day.
Importance of having a routine
Making a habit is important. Occasionally doing something will not reap any rewards. So, in order to make a change in your life to improve your health and destress yourself, you cannot just do the good things once in a blue moon.
Therefore, having a routine is vital. In the habitually lies the success!
Some helpful things to do
After establishing that we have to do destressing activities in the morning, and daily, it is important to know what you can to do help yourself further destress in the mornings.
Wake up early!
Waking up early is vital. It increases productivity as the work hours increase. Rather than being stressed about doing things in the nick of time, when you wake up early, your work window increases as your body is also fresher and energized.
Preplan your first hour or two when you wake up
It is important to make optimal use of your energies. The first 90 minutes after waking up are very crucial. If you use upon the body’s reserves of energy in decision making, no matter how mundane the decision is, your mind will get overwhelmed.
This will then lead to mental fatigue. Hence, plan your day before. You must know already how you will be spending the hour or two after your wake up. Try making things simple. As a result, your anxiety and thus stress levels will also reduce.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness have the same end goal. These activities help to declutter the mind and improve breathing. As stress is notorious for disturbing breathing –palpitations, racing heart, the clammy hands —, regulating breathing also thus helps to curb stress levels.
So, be sure to meditate, even if for a few minutes after you wake up to decrease stress and improve productivity. The fact that meditation also helps in improving focus and attention is added bonus!
Workout
Exercising in the morning has two major benefits. It helps to decrease the stress levels in the body due to the good hormones that is released. Exercise also gives your metabolism a boost, so it performs well for the rest of the day. You then feel more energized and burn more calories throughout the day, hoorah!
Write it down
When you wake up, write down your goals for the day or for life. It helps in not only achieving the goals but also gives you control over how you want to spend the rest of the day. It thus mitigates the stress that comes from a lack of planning and the chaos of being caught unguarded.
You are also more likely to reach your goals when you write them down!
Eat a healthy meal
Diet does help in stress management. Food helps in moderating hormones in the body which then has an impact on the stress levels in the body. Thus, your breakfast choice should be centered around prioritizing your mental health. Some foods to incorporate into the diet are; complex carbohydrates, fruits like oranges, spinach, black tea, nuts, etc.
However, if despite all, your mental health is failing, you need to set yourself an appointment with a psychiatrist in Islamabad to get on the path of wellness.
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