Let's take a walk

STRESS!!! ARGH!!! UGH!!!



We all have some level of stress in our lives. It is a crazy world nowadays and, let's face it, stress is pretty hard to avoid. Since avoiding stress is difficult to impossible our response to stress is important. It is easy to let the stresses of daily living get us down and make us want to crawl into a cave, or in our case, crawl into our house, flip on the TV and block out the real world for a while and veg out. We are not really fixing anything or changing anything we are just hiding from the stress. But guess what? Turn off the TV and our stress is still there, glaring at us, jealous that we were ignoring it for the TV. It comes back, with a vengeance!



Stress is an ugly circle. Stress causes us lack of sleep, poor health, depression, relationship problems and a lot more. The stress induced lack of sleep, poor health, depression and relationship problems causes us to stress more. It is a difficult circle to escape but it can be done. Now learning how to deal with stress and avoid stress will not eliminate stress completely from your life, but it can help us stay sane and avoid the pitfalls that come with it.



You've heard the term "Work hard, play hard"? This statement really does have merit to it. Studies have shown that physical activity can reduce stress.



Walking is a great way to start. It is free, it can be done at anytime (even in the rain!), and it has great health benefits. Walking with a partner can be even better but we will discuss that later. Not only does the physical exercise help to relieve stress but the location can do wonders for you. Now don't get me wrong, if your only option is to walk on a treadmill, that is still better than not moving. A nice walk through the park is great! You are subject to sights and smells that can change your mind and take it off the stresses of life.



Water related hobbies reduce stress. I am no scientist so the details escape me but there have been studies on negative ions. Negative ions create positive feelings and mood enhancement. Water is a proven source for generating negative ions. Cold or rushing water has the higher level of negative ions.



The sun is a great source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D has long been studied in the effects it has on your mood. Researchers are now discovering that vitamin D may play an important role in mental health and in depression. There is a disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that affects many people. It usually happens in the winter when the daylight hours are shorter and people cover up all their skin with coats and jackets before going outside. Whenever possible, we should get out in the sun and enjoy it to help with our stress levels.



Positive relationships have a great impact on stress. The more close, personal relationships one has the happier they are. They have actually done studies on the affect of human contact and moods. It has shown that a person requires eight hugs a day to maintain happiness. Hugs can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.



So, in conclusion, a great way to reduce stress is to grab a friend, go outside and get some physical activity! Even better if it can involve water! As summer comes to a close, let's take advantage of what we have left and live it to the fullest! Your stress levels will thank you for it.