16 tips for fighting stress
Last week, I talked about stress and the precautions that can be taken against it. Today, I'd like to offer some further recommendations for fighting stress.
To fight stress:
1. Relaxation exercises: Regular exercise is a complementary element to physical activity.
2. Listening to music: Calm music in particular is beneficial for stress. If music is listened to regularly with eyes closed, the harmony of health can be strengthened.
3. Managing time properly: Racing against time brings on stress. The inability to complete certain tasks within a given time is one of the leading causes of stress.
4. Anti-stress substances from nature: Ginseng, St. John's wort, kava kava, valerian, lemon balm, lavender, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium, etc.
5. Healthy eating: Choose foods that are in season. These are more flavorful, aromatic, fresh products. The foundation of good nutrition lies in quality food.
6. Ecological nutrition: Foods obtained from ecological farming and from animals raised in natural environments are more aromatic and flavorful, place a lighter burden of harmful substances on our body, and leave no chemical toxic residue in our body.
7. Preparing food while preserving its value: Even the highest-quality foods can lose their true nutritional value due to improper preparation methods, both before and after consumption.
8. Brisk physical activity: You don't need to be a marathon runner to exercise. We can get the physical activity we need through brisk sports activities such as jogging, walking, swimming and cycling. You should plan 2-3 sessions per week, each lasting at least half an hour.
9. Strengthening the nerves: Lecithin, a fat-based substance, and the amino acid glutamine, a protein building block, are substances that boost mental performance. B vitamins, especially vitamin B1, are important for the brain's energy metabolism. The natural source of B vitamins is yeast-based products.
10. Brain exercise: Give your forgetfulness a flick. Just as brisk exercise keeps your heart and circulation healthy, frequent and regular mental gymnastics keeps the mind sharp and youthful.
11. Strengthening the immune system: The immune system, which helps protect our body against infections, is made up of the thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, lymphatic fluid, tonsils, liver, spleen, large intestine and appendix. All of these organs have neural connections to the brain. Since there is a direct link between our immune system and our mind, stress directly affects the immune system. A resilient defense system prevents infection by keeping all disease-causing agents from penetrating the body.
12. Mental ease: A still-young science, "psychoneuroimmunology," examines the interaction between the nervous and immune systems and mental life. Suppressing emotions and intense sorrow suppress the functions of the immune system, while positive emotions strengthen the defense system.
13. Gut flora: Gut flora plays a fundamental role in the functioning of the immune system. The formation of unwanted bacteria, a deficiency of beneficial bacteria, or an increase in fungal counts (e.g. Candida albicans) weakens the immune system.
14. Quality sleep: Sleep is an extremely important process in our lives, during which everything is put in order and our body is repaired and healed. Sleep is extremely important for a healthy life. Sleep irregularity has been proven to accelerate cellular aging.
15. Not nerve-wracking, but magical scent: The idea that aromatherapy using special scents is important for fighting stress is gaining more acceptance every day. Used since ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations, this method involves applying scents, special perfumes and oils that relax the mind and body. Massages and baths are performed using these.
16. Journaling therapy and taking up similar hobbies: According to a study conducted in the United States, people who write and describe, in their writing, significant events that had a traumatic effect on them, or who write about their emotions, were found to convert their stress into positive energy.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Nazlıkul