Reduce stress

Stress is not good for your body!

Our body suffers from stress constantly and especially every day. Especially in everyday life, chronic stress is one of the most stressful factors. However, it can be quite different depending on the person and his personality. Because stress is created “in” us. Regardless of whether it is the professional world or leisure activities, something is always stressing us. And that is stressful, because long-term stress is not good for us or our bodies. If the body has too few recovery phases to simply get some rest, then the stress has a negative effect on our mental and physical health. In addition to sleep disturbances and cardiovascular complaints, it can above all lead to feelings of anxiety and even to a “burnout”. But even if it may sound hard: Only you are responsible for yourself and only you can influence who or what stresses you. It is up to you to reduce stress in a healthy and long-term way. But don’t worry: with our tips we will help you. We will show you how to recognize your symptoms and how to increase your quality of life again. In addition, we answer the most frequently asked questions here. You can find more useful information in our video. Have fun!

How can I reduce chronic stress? Some tips to reduce stress in a healthy and sustainable way:

Work-life balance at work

Most people spend most of their active life time at work. So it’s important to get right to the root of the problem and manage stress at work. Just by adding a few pictures or plants to your office, you can create a relaxed atmosphere. In addition, you should be able to separate which appointments are really important and which still have time. With a rough schedule, you will be much closer to perfect time management. Because stress is reduced by a clear daily routine. Take enough breaks between work phases and say “No!” sometimes so that you don’t neglect yourself.

Work-life balance when finishing work at home

The professional world is one of the most common causes of psychological as well as physical stress. Whether it’s the boss, colleagues or a current project, work is often stressful and very draining. That’s why it’s important to be able to enjoy your free time independently of work. Your leisure time should not cause you any stress. On the contrary: allow your body and especially your mind to rest and relax. The best way to do this is to turn off your electronic devices completely. Then you are no longer constantly available. That way you can switch off completely in the evening.

Mindset

Of course, the right mindset also plays a big role in stress management. If we were just a little more positive and optimistic about everyday life, then our basic attitude wouldn’t be so negative. Because a negative mindset is pure stress for you and your body. By writing down positive things and rephrasing your problems into positive ones, you will visualize your successes. You also learn to be more grateful. This leads to a healthy attitude in the long run. And even if you sometimes don’t feel like it, it still helps: laughter. Because when you laugh, happiness hormones are released that drive out the stress hormones.

Simply switch off – clear your head

Often it also helps to get other thoughts and simply switch off. For many people, sports are a good way to counterbalance the stress of everyday life. We recommend endurance sports in particular. But meditative sports are also an advantage, as you run little risk of overexerting yourself. With the help of breathing exercises, autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation, you can focus only on yourself and your body, reduce stress and leave it behind you. By the way, the ultimate tip for muscle relaxation is heat. Because heat also relieves your stress enormously.

Healthy food

Especially when it comes to long-term stress management, the most important thing is to eat the right foods. Eating healthy foods will maintain your blood sugar levels even in stressful situations. It also boosts neurotransmitters, which are responsible for attention, focus, and relaxation, among other things. Last but not least, the hormones insulin and cortisol are combated.

How can I reduce stress in children? Some methods at a glance

Different factors lead to stress in children

Children often react with different sensitivity to stressful situations. These can be caused, for example, by the child suffering from performance or time pressure. Excessive demands at school are also often the main cause of children being overstressed. And some of our youngest children are also very sensitive to disputes in the family or among friends. But sugar also makes people nervous. So too much sugar intake can trigger pure stress in your child. This stress then manifests itself in health complaints. Many children are plagued by headaches or stomach aches. Appetite and insomnia are also not uncommon in this context.

Quick help to reduce stress in children

To relieve your child as best as possible, one thing above all helps: take the pressure off him. This includes small, regular, joint activities that allow your child to forget the stressful everyday life and the recurring worries for a short time. Regular relaxation and breathing exercises, shared rituals and, above all, sufficient exercise in the fresh air can be beneficial. And sleep should not be neglected either. After all, this is where your child’s body regenerates and makes it fit again for all the challenges ahead. Don’t underestimate that children need more sleep than adults. Here are some tips for a better night’s sleep.

What are some fun methods for relieving stress in children?

A book for stress management

Especially with younger children, stress management should be done in a playful way. Our insider tip here is the book “Captain Nemo Stories”. The author Ulrike Petermann has written this book for parents but also for children. Experts swear by this book for over 20 years. Captain Nemo safely steers his way through dangers and adventures. As a result, children gain self-confidence, security and courage. Most importantly, the stories allow children to relax and learn to fight their stress and anxiety. In addition, the ability to concentrate is increased.

The “I-relax-me game” for stress management

Our game tip is to make a relaxation poster. For this you need a sheet of paper, paints, brushes, catalogs, magazines, glue and scissors. Now you give your child some space. He or she can paint and glue anything on the paper that feels good to him or her. It is important that the poster is not finished. Because you will see that your child will always think of nice things that he would like to do and that will complete the poster. But as the saying goes: good things take time. It’s best to talk to your child about this every now and then while he or she is working on the poster and support him or her in their search for ideas.

What do I do to relieve stress as a mother?

A life of constant stress

Being a mother often means being subjected to constant stress. Because of the great responsibility that comes with the special circumstances of life, almost every mother suffers from the symptoms of stress. Common sources of stress in the everyday life of a mom are, for example, the stress of deadlines, the feeling of being alone with everything as well as the constant demand for perfection. Do any of these points sound familiar? Then we’ll show you now how you can reduce this stress.

Deadline stress

Especially when it comes to deadline stress, moms often feel like they have to get everything done in far too short a time. After all, you are the organizational center of the family. That’s when overwhelm quickly sets in. A schedule can provide relief. Fixed agreements give your everyday life a structure. However, none of the appointments is so important that you should get into deadline stress. Just stay at home and talk to your child. You can choose to play a game together, read stories to each other, or sing a few songs. Also, give your child space and time for free play, where he can develop his talents and, above all, his personality, and you as a mother can switch off.

Alone with everything?

Do you feel that all the responsibility is on your shoulders and that you take care of your child mainly alone? You are not alone in this either. Because that’s how many moms feel. But this should not become a habit. Accept any help that comes your way and take care of other things in your life to balance things out. Also, feel free to exchange ideas with other mothers and perhaps take turns with the care of your children once in a while.

Demand for perfection

The demand for perfection is also constantly growing. In the media, we are constantly shown how other mothers are able to optimally nurture their children on a daily basis with an ease. And although we secretly know that this is unrealistic, we compare ourselves far too often with exactly these images. And that’s exactly what we should stop doing. Stop measuring yourself against others, because just as you are, you are perfect!

Can I use music to specifically relieve stress?

Effects of music on our stressed mind

You can relieve stress specifically with music. Because music has many effects on the human psyche. It puts us in a good mood, provides relaxation or creates a romantic atmosphere. Music is perceived as relaxing above all by the area of our brain that controls our emotions. For example, fewer stress hormones, such as adrenaline or cortisol, are released. Our nervous system can also be influenced by the right music. This not only lowers our blood pressure, but also reduces the muscle tension in our body. This specifically reduces anxiety and pain in particular. However, you must not forget: Not all music is suitable for targeted stress reduction. We show you here what is important:

Choosing suitable music

Especially in stressful situations, the body often needs calm music that we personally perceive as relaxing. This ensures that we can escape the stress of everyday life for a short moment. In particular, our mind can thus come to rest. Therefore, we recommend quiet songs of your favorite artists. But also the “Café del Mar” mixes might help you out in stressful situations. If you are looking for wellness music, please have a look here.

How can I reduce stress through exercise? A few exercises at a glance

Jumping Jack

To shake off all that stress, let’s get your circulation going now. For the Jumping Jacks, stand up straight and tighten your stomach. As you jump, open your legs a little more than hip-width apart and then bring them back together. At the same time, raise your arms and clap your hands together above your head. Do you recognize the classic jumping jack? Repeat three times for one minute each.

Boxer run

With the help of small boxing punches you can wonderfully relieve stress. Start with small, quick steps on the spot. At the same time, alternate between targeted boxing punches with your right and left arm. You should put a lot of power into the punches and try to stretch your arm almost all the way through. After the punch, always pull your arm back to your ribs. This exercise is also repeated three times for one minute each time.

Bend forward with drop

Lastly, a relaxing exercise to calm down, reduce stress and leave it behind for good. Stand upright and open your legs a little more than hip-width. Now take a deep breath. As you inhale, stretch your arms up towards the ceiling. Then exhale. As you exhale, drop your upper body and arms downward with momentum. After letting your arms dangle between your legs for a moment, stretch your shoulders and repeat this exercise a few times.

Can I reduce stress with the help of meditation?

Meditation can help you cope better with stress

You can reduce stress through meditation. There are many different forms of meditation. But they all have one thing in common: meditation focuses your attention on something neutral. Thus the stress image can disappear and you occupy yourself with something else. This can be, for example, your own breath, a mantra or even a movement. By meditating you give your thoughts an anchor. If you meditate regularly, you will learn over time to be more attentive to yourself. Most importantly, you learn to stop jumping at every stress trigger.

A simple method: feel yourself and your breath consciously

Especially for beginners, movement meditation in short units is very suitable. The main point here is to learn a certain sequence of movements. This focuses your thoughts on a rhythm. This gives them structure and gives you stability. Simply sit on a chair and assume a relaxed but straight posture. Your feet are flat on the floor and your hands are on your thighs. Now feel completely inside yourself. At what point can you feel your breath? This could be in your nose, throat or chest. You stop when you think you have found the point. And here you now feel the breath consciously, while your hands now find a place on the lower abdomen. The conscious feeling should take about 3 to 5 slow breaths. This is followed by a short pause. If you’re looking for tips on other breathing exercises, then take a look here.