1. Start Exercising
Exercise lowers your body’s amount of cortisol in a number of ways. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. Endorphins improve your mood and cause you to feel happy. While you feel this way, any feelings of stress will fade into the back of your mind. As a regular exercise program improves your health and appearance, you’ll probably also feel more confident in general. Confidence decreases the feelings of fear and stress that causes your body to release cortisol.
2. Practice Meditation
Meditation is another practice that helps to decrease your cortisol levels for many reasons. If there is a specific reason why you are experiencing stress, meditation is a way to directly address this issue so that you can understand it on a deeper level and realize that it is not worth all of the negative emotions that it is causing you to experience. Some forms of meditation also focus on creating a state of mental calmness and physical relaxation that helps to promote positive feelings throughout the day which will decrease the amount of cortisol in your body.
3. Listen to Music
Studies have shown that listening to music has an effect on your body chemistry. You don’t necessarily have to listen to ambient, relaxing music to reduce cortisol, either. Although listening to something calming will promote a mellow state of mind, any music that you enjoy listening to has the power to improve your mood and lower the harmful levels of cortisol in your body.
4. Go Fishing
Activities such as fishing and boating are ideal to fight stress, because they separate you from your daily routine, both physically and mentally. Fishing provides an escape from your routine and gives you the time to meditate on your problems and search for peace in natural surroundings. Going on a fishing trip is also an opportunity to end the day with a good catch that is rich both in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are very important to keep cortisol and adrenaline from spiking when you are feeling tense. Short of ideas on how to prepare and cook your catch? Try these healthy fish recipes.
5. Practice Yoga
The benefits of yoga are many and varied, from reducing stress to weight loss, to increasing flexibility. Many of the techniques that are used in yoga are also used in stress management. This makes yoga one of the most effective ways to deal with stress and fatigue. The combination of breathing exercises, stretching techniques, meditation, and mental imagery helps to make yoga a wonderful way to combat stress and enhance psychological well-being.
6. Eat a Healthy Diet
As with most of the issues that have to do with body chemistry, a diet that’s high in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and fish can help reduce the levels of cortisol. You should also aim to reduce your intake of sugar, caffeine, and processed carbohydrates as they can promote stress and anxiety. High levels of cortisol can have dire effects on your overall health. You can reduce the amount of this hormone in your body by following these simple lifestyle changes. Taking control of your stress levels ensures that you will have a happier, healthier life. Featured photo credit: fotosearch via fscomps.fotosearch.com
