Simple summer stress relievers

If you have already had your summer holiday and are back to feeling frazzled and stressed at work then here are a few simple summer stress relievers to help bring out your inner sense of calm:

Drink Green Tea

If you are skeptical about swapping your milk and two sugars for something which looks unappealingly similar to dirty water, bear in mind that this drink naturally increases the brains production of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which in English is a neurotransmitter which helps us to feel calm. Research suggests sipping three 10-ounce mugs per day for the maximum calming effect.

Treat Yourself

This may be the oldest stress reliever in the book but it really does work. Don’t go too mad and stop off on the way home to buy a ferrari, a new lipstick or nail polish will suffice. According to Vincent Giampapa, author of The Anti-Aging Solution, a small treat can reduce stress for 24 hours because the action allows the mind to focus inward, away from whatever is causing the anxiety.

Say Yes To Whole Grains

Bin the white bread or anything else made with white flour and opt for whole grains instead. White flour is absorbed rapidly by the gut, triggering sporadic ups and downs in blood sugar levels which subsequently stimulates adrenal glands to distribute an excess amount of stress hormones. Wholegrain’s on the other hand are absorbed slowly so keep the blood sugar at an even level.

Release Your Feet

Have you ever wondered why walking bare foot feels so amazing? Well its because walking with no shoes or socks on along a soft carpet, grass etc stimulates pressure points on the soles of our feet which send a message to our brain to release dopamine, the calming chemical.

Keep a worry tally

Take a notepad out with you and give yourself one tally for every worry, concern or stress you have throughout the day. At the end of the day find your total and you will realise how much time you spend worrying. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health this is a great way of helping you to become more aware of how much you worry and in most cases the daily score will begin to fall. The institutes research shows that worrying is a time consuming habit that we often fall into without realising and this exercise makes people more aware of their mindless fretting.

View the original iVillage article.