Stress is a state of mind or body which produces tension and negative energy. It can lead to various health issues like sleeplessness, lethargy, headache, raised blood pressure, weight gain or loss, auto-immune disorders etc. Along with health issues, stress also impacts the zeal to work and reduces the productivity of individuals. Keeping a check upon your mental, emotional and physical stress is an important part of a healthy living and is helpful in managing work-life balance. In this article, we share some easy and effective tips on how to reduce stress and increase productivity.
How to reduce stress with food, exercise and ayurveda
Foods to eat to cope up with stress
1. Vegetables: garlic, carrot, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, onion, tomato, beetroot are the vegetables which you can consume more to reduce stress.
2. Nuts: almonds, peanuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts.
3. Seeds: flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, watermelon seeds increase the production of serotonin. They also contain potassium, zinc, iron, vit. E, vit. B-complex, along with small amount of magnesium and calcium.
4. Dairy products: milk, buttermilk, curd, cheese and Indian cottage cheese contain high amounts of antioxidants, protein and calcium. The protein lactium has a calming effect by lowering the blood pressure.
5. Dark chocolate.
6. Fruits: orange, banana, pears help to reduce stress.
Physical exercise and yogasana for stress free life
1. Go for a walk early morning.
2. Meditate (under the supervision of a professional in the beginning and you can do it on your own once you learn the process)
3. Several yoga asanas are very beneficial to reduce stress and anxiety. You should learn these asanas from a well-trained professional initially and then you can practice them in your own. I’m listing some of the asanas here:
• Sukhasana with forward bend (easy pose)
• Uttanasana (standing with forward bend)
• Sasangasana (rabbit pose)
• Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose)
• Balasana (child’s pose)
• Shavasana (corpse pose)
• Halasana (plow pose)
Ayurvedic treatments and therapies to reduce stress and fatigue
There are various ayurvedic medicines and herbs for relieving stress. Apart from medicines. Panchakarma therapies like shirodhara and abhyanga relaxes the mind and the body. Shirodhara is the continuous pouring of medicated fluids in a stream, on the forehead. It relaxes the mind and regulates the functioning of the brain. Abhyanga is the full body massage with medicated oils in a certain motion which relaxes the muscles and joints of the body and soothes the peripheral nervous system. You can have these procedures done by a well-trained panchakarma therapist at any panchakarma clinic nearby you.
Also read: A Comprehensive Guide to Panchakarma and Rasayana
Some easy tips to follow:
1. Add lavender oil to the water while taking bath or take a head massage of 5-6 drops lavender oil mixed with 5ml coconut or sesame oil.
2. Have a glass of warm milk at night.
3. Wash your feet with tap water, clean with a towel and apply mustard oil on them before going to bed.
4. Don’t stay in bed after you’ve woken up. Open your eyes, get out of your bed and start your day!
Bidding adieu to stress is easy, when you have a better control over your body and lifestyle. We hope that adding these foods and habits to your routine will help in living a stress-free life and increasing productivity. If you want to learn more, book online consultation with Ayurveda Expert at Panchkarmaa Ayurveda Clinic who can guide you in taking steps to eliminate stress from your life.