Today, stress and anxiety are among the most common and significant medical issues in the UK. As many as 70% of people across the country have reported being so stressed that they felt unable to cope, a trend that has been increasing over the last decade and which was further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
With so many people suffering from stress, anxiety and depression, you would think there would be a nationwide push to address the problem, but more often than not, it’s a topic we continue to circle warily without a firm idea of what to do.
Pharmaceutical drugs have emerged over the past few decades as the most common form of dealing with these issues, but while they may be a quick fix, they’re far from a long-term and sustainable solution.
Here are five natural ways to deal with workplace stress
1. Movement
One of the most effective and easiest ways to deal with stress is through movement. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro athlete or somebody on the wrong side of out of shape, physical activity floods your body with feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that can act as a superb stress reliever and mood improver.
There’s no magic form of movement you should aim for, instead, simply find an activity that you enjoy and go with it. It could be as simple as walking the dog in the woods, or as complicated as rock climbing. Find your desired movement and enjoy the calm that comes along with it.
2. Breathing
The art of breathing is something that few of us give any serious consideration to, despite us doing it on average 22,000 times every day. Breathing, along with blood circulation, are our most vital bodily functions and the human brain can experience serious brain damage after just four minutes without oxygen, with death very close behind.
Breathing is vital, but how we breathe can make all the difference. Most of us have fallen into bad habits where we take short shallow breaths, but what we should be doing is taking long, deep inhalations, also referred to as diaphragmatic breathing, which draws more oxygen into the body and helps to calm our nerves and reduce stress and anxiety.
But deep breathing is just the start. Ancient breathing techniques have been shown to have dramatic effects on stress and anxiety, with many of them simple enough that they can be done at your work desk when things start to get too much.
3. Nature
We have barely scratched the surface as to why exactly nature is good for us and how it helps to reduce stress, but today, few would argue about it. Whether it’s going for a hike or gardening at home, time spent outdoors is great for us on multiple levels, but stress appears to be a big one.
This could be down to something straightforward, for example, chemicals such as phytoncides being emitted from trees, or something far more mystifying in that nature remains our natural habit from where our ancestors emerged. Whatever the reason, a few hours in nature when you’re feeling overwhelmed will do wonders.
4. Sleep or Rest
A major cause of stress and anxiety often comes down to a lack of proper rest or enough sleep. When we’re tired our decision-making is slower and it can be easy to see your mood take a dramatic nosedive.
It’s often unclear what comes first - the stress or the sleeping issue - but what is certain is that when both of them combine, the body tends to seriously struggle. Humans need on average 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night and if you find yourself falling below this for too many consecutive nights, stress and anxiety are natural consequences.
A lack of rest is something different, but it can also have a damaging impact. The human body has a built-in nervous system consisting of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). We cycle naturally between the two, with the first keeping us safe and aware of dangers around us, and the second acting as the calming mechanism so we don’t go into meltdown.
The very modern problem is that many people spend far more time with their fight or flight mode activated than is natural or healthy. The consequences can raise blood pressure, stress, anxiety and depression, among many other ailments.
So what causes us to stay in our fight or flight mode? Well, you’d be surprised. Constantly scrolling through social media has been shown to do, and so has walking down a loud and busy city street. Many activities that we consider perfectly normal are in fact keeping us in a heightened state where we are tense and edgy, which will typically lead to stress and anxiety.
5. Keep a Journal
Stress has a habit of building up in our heads, quite simply, because it has nowhere to go. Our toxic thoughts swirl around our brain with no outlet and it’s no surprise that they can lead to stress and anxiety. One of the best ways of letting some of the dark thoughts out is to write them down and keeping a journal has been shown to reduce levels of stress.
It’s not something you need to do daily, but more does seem to be better. What is key is that you write in detail about events or moments that cause your stress or anxiety, which will allow you to clarify and understand your emotions much better than if you simply keep them locked away in the dungeon upstairs.
And it’s not just stress that a little journaling can be good for. Studies have shown that writing in a journal can decrease the symptoms of asthma, arthritis, and other health conditions, improve cognitive functions and even strengthen the immune response. Who would have thought that a little scribbling every day could have such a profound effect?
