If there’s anything we can all agree on, it’s that stress isn’t fun…

Stress is extremely bad for our health and creates a breeding ground for disease and a weak immune system.

When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced.

Antigens are the substances responsible for stimulating an immune response, specifically activating lymphocytes, which are the body’s infection-fighting white blood cells. This is why stress makes us more susceptible to infections.

A weak immune system leaves the body vulnerable to infection and disease.

Diet, sleep, and stress are the 3 largest determinants of our health.

Minimizing stress is essential for a healthy and happy life.

When we realize that we as individuals have full control over our minds and how we perceive the world around us, it gives us great power in ourselves and how we live.

Entrepreneurs are juggling many things at once and an entire business in itself, which can lead to a lot of stress.

It’s important for all people, but especially entrepreneurs, to reduce their stress and maintain a healthy body and mind.

As we know, the food we consume has a direct impact on our mental health, making it extremely important that we eat healthy and consume things that can help our health, not worsen it.

5 Ways to Reduce Stress:

1. Remove the stressor

YOU create your reality.

First and foremost, if you can, remove or replace whatever it is causing the stress in your life.

If this is a friend, a significant other, or a loved one, please talk to them and try to address it first. If you can’t then it might be time to cut ties.

Your loved ones are supposed to be uplifting, supportive, and kind to you. Not the opposite! They are there to make your life easier, not harder.

If it’s a job, find another one. Work is something you do for long periods of time and can shape us incredibly as people. You want to surround yourself with people who make you happy and allow you to work in a thriving environment. If you are chronically down, depressed, anxious, and stressed from your job, it’s probably a signal that it’s time to change.

Lastly, remove any negative thoughts that are overtaking your mind. It could very well be that you are in a weird “funk” that’s making you overthink, over-stress, and overwhelmed. Our thoughts are very powerful.

What we think, we become.

Remove and replace any limiting, negative, discouraging, or pessimistic thoughts. This breeds low-self esteem, depression, anxiety, and stress. It’s important that we take the time to actively work on our own thought processes

Force yourself to think positively. It will be difficult in the beginning, but do this consistently and your mindset will drastically change and re-shape itself to view things in a more positive light.

It’s all about perspective. 

2. Practice relaxation techniques

Take a moment to breathe. 

In business, it’s very important that we have a clear mind in order to make the best decisions possible for ourselves, our careers, and our business(es).

It’s never a good idea to make decisions in a highly emotional state (very happy, very sad, etc).

Relaxation techniques vary from person to person because we are all different people. What one person finds relaxing, another finds boring or even stressful!

However, certain techniques such as yoga, breathing, meditation, and prayer tend to calm the body and mind universally.

Find something that can give you peace at any difficult or stressful moment.

Next time something stressful happens, you have a “go-to” technique that can help you resolve and reduce your stress.

Yoga, meditation, reading, stretching, walking, exercise, swimming, sports, tanning, painting, knitting, and cooking are all great ways to relax!

3. Do MORE of what makes you happy!

“Big” problems won’t seem so “big” anymore.

This is kind of similar to number two, but different because when we do things that make us happy, our lives become more full and the things that stress us out don’t seem so “big” anymore.

4.Eliminate Processed Foods.

Eat REAL Foods.

I promise you’ll feel the difference.

It takes about 30 consecutive days to fully experience the health benefits, but many feel the difference right away, if they are in-tune with their bodies and emotions.

Eliminating processed foods will be life changing for many, considering that two-thirds of children and teenagers’ diets consist of ultra-processed foods in the United States.

By 2030, 60% of America will be obese. These statistics are alarming and concerning, but a reality we will soon be living if we don’t make changes as a society.

Eating healthy is important for the body, mind, and spirit.

The food we consume has a direct impact on our mental health with sugar and processed foods being the largest culprits (this does NOT apply to fruit).

Cooking is great for so many different reasons. You have full control over the ingredients in your food, it’s less expensive than eating out, portion sizers are larger, and the food will likely be healthier if you cook nutritional recipes.

Here are 10 healthy and delicious recipes for a happy mind and body. 

5. Go to Therapy

For the most personal and custom course of action, visit a therapist.

Therapy can be tremendously helpful and life changing for many.

The stigma is gone, it’s 2022, so nobody should feel as though they will be judged for getting help.

If someone judges another for going to therapy, it says more about them and their ignorance than the individual actually going to therapy.

The WHO recently reported that nearly 1 BILLION people have a mental disorder.

Truthfully speaking, it would probably benefit us all to be in therapy.

Nobody is perfect. We all struggle with our own problems, flaws, insecurities, and weaknesses as human-beings. That’s part of life!

Those who are willing to admit their own hardships will be the first to resolve their problems and improve their lives.

READ MORE: Thinking of Leaving America? The 10 Best Countries For Ex-Pats

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Elena Patestas is a journalist and writer for Valuetainment media. She attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and Adelphi University on Long Island, New York. She was born and raised in Roslyn, New York, and currently lives in Miami, Florida.

Elena is passionate about bringing positive change to our world and believes education is the root to solving many societal problems. After overcoming a chronic health condition, Elena became passionate about health and believes food is the key to preventing dis-ease and achieving optimum health.

Amongst her many goals, she hopes to bring positive, impactful change to our world to create a healthy, financially sound, and unified society.