Reduce Stress Naturally

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April is Stress Awareness Month. The purpose is to highlight the fact that 70% of adults deal with stress on a daily basis.

Stress is inevitable for most of us. We have deadlines. We are overworked. Or occasional days go haywire, leaving us feeling anxious, pressured and maxed out. However, when we live with stress day after day, it becomes a chronic condition. The body no longer knows how to relax and let the stress go. When that happens we suffer on many levels.

Learn the signs of chronic stress and how to reduce stress naturally.

Reduce Stress Naturally title meme

Signs of Chronic Stress

Stress is a physical and mental reaction to life situations. We all encounter it. Everyday experiences in our families and workplaces can trigger stress as can more serious situations like a medical diagnosis or the loss of a loved one.

Our bodies respond to stress by releasing hormones that increase breathing and heart rates while preparing muscles to move. Commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” reflex, it’s meant to protect us when faced with danger.

However, when those hormones flood our bodies day after day, it affects our health in a variety of ways.

Symptoms of chronic stress include:

  • headaches
  • depression
  • heartburn and acid reflux
  • weakened immune system
  • high blood pressure
  • high blood sugar
  • digestive disorders
  • fertility problems
  • erectile dysfunction
  • low libido
  • increased risk of heart attack and stroke
  • insomnia
  • pounding heart
  • fatigue
  • overeating or loss of appetite
  • drug or alcohol abuse
  • social withdrawal
  • body aches and pains from tight muscles

Reduce Stress Naturally

To help the body break the pattern of chronic stress and anxiety, try these tips.

Exercise Regularly

Even short periods of consistent physical activity helps relieve stress and anxiety. Exercise reduces cortisol and adrenaline, the body’s stress hormones. At the same time, it releases endorphins, chemicals that make us feel happy and ease pain.

Activities such as walking, jogging, dancing, biking or swimming that involve repetitive large muscle movements are most helpful in combatting stress.

Eat Nutritious Foods

I mention this tip frequently, for good reason. The body uses food as fuel. And honestly, most people fuel their bodies poorly. A body lacking highly nutritious food struggles when it comes under attack for any reason. And an overwhelmed body becomes stressed on many levels.

Fruits and veggies, legumes and nuts, simple grains and herbs fuel the body beautifully, making it better able to withstand stress. Avoid sugar and high fat foods. They cause a spike in blood sugar which results in a crash later that can create more feelings of stress and anxiety.

Drink Herbal Teas

Herbal teas such as lemon balm and chamomile help ease stress and anxiety naturally. Other excellent choices include rose, lavender and passionflower.

Additionally, switching from coffee, soda and black tea to herbal teas reduces caffeine intake. High levels of caffeine increase stressful feelings.

Take a daily afternoon break, like they do in many European countries, and sip on a cup of hot herbal tea. It’s one of my favorite daily traditions and a great way to destress.

Reduce Stress Naturally herbal tea
Reduce stress naturally – take an afternoon break and sip on hot herbal tea

Listen to Soothing Music

Music truly can soothe the beast that is stress. Slow paced classical, instrumental, Celtic or Native American flute music helps the body relax and allows the mind to quiet.

Or try listening to nature sounds such as a rain, ocean waves or a low key thunderstorm. I love my Echo Dot that’s connected to Amazon Music. I can listen to a wide variety of music or sounds of nature. When I’m working, writing, cleaning house or cooking, I have music playing in the background.

Journaling

Writing out feelings, frustrations and gratitudes is a wonderful way to ease stress. The act of writing in a journal moves thoughts, energetically, from the brain to paper. Otherwise, those thoughts just keep swirling around in the head, going no where. Try writing for a few minutes every morning or at night before bed, whichever feels better to you. It’s not even necessary to read what you write or edit it in any way. Write freely without stopping for several minutes and then move on.

Focusing on gratitude shifts the mind from thinking about what’s wrong to thinking about all that is right in life. Make listing five gratitudes a daily practice.

Laugh

Laughter has many health benefits.

The giggles instantly lower the body’s stress response and releases tension held in muscles. Plus it plays a significant role in decreasing anxiety due to the release of the feel good hormones, endorphins. Laughter also helps us deal with challenging circumstances such as illnesses, embarrassing situations and life struggles.

Additionally, laughter boosts the immune system and improves mood. Watch funny movies, tv shows or videos. Catch a stand up comedian’s performance at a club. Tell jokes or hang out with friends who make you laugh.

Reduce Stress Naturally laugh
Reduce stress naturally – laugh

Spend Time With Others

Speaking of hanging out with people who make you laugh, studies show that spending time with friends or family members reduces stress. It does, that is, if you have close, positive relationships with those people.

When we spend time with people we love and feel loved by, our bodies release oxytocin, a natural stress reliever. Being part of a friend network or family group provides a sense of belonging also. And physical contact with those loved ones, such as hugs, cuddles or kisses, lowers stress hormones while releasing more oxytocin.

Plus, those friends and family members provide a listening ear when you need to talk out a stressful situation. Like writing out feelings, talking them out helps move troubling thoughts out of the head.

Chew Gum

This one may come as a surprise! Studies show that people who chew gum have a greater sense of wellbeing and lower stress levels. It’s possible that chewing gum creates greater blood flow to the brain. Chewing strongly, good news for those who like to smack their gum, seems to provide the most stress relief.

Spend Time With Pets

Spending time with pets…cuddling, going for walks, caring for them…reduces stress as well. That interaction releases oxytocin, just like spending time with the people we love does.

Pets give us purpose, provide companionship and help keeps us active, all positive ways of boosting mood and lowering stress levels.

Reduce Stress Naturally pets
Reduce stress naturally – spend time with pets. My cat Rilynn, who loves to lie on my lap while I work.

Be Mindful

Mindfulness is the awareness of being in the present moment. It helps to combat negative thinking about the past or anxiety about the future.

There are several ways to practice mindfulness.

Deep breathing brings focus on just that…the breath. Plus deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which induces a relaxation response. Breathe in slowly through the nose, hold for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through the mouth.

Meditation is an extended time of focusing on the breath while allowing thoughts to pass by without getting hung up on them. Meditation relaxes the body by easing tight muscles. It can be a very effective way of releasing stress from the mind and the body.

Yoga brings the mind and body together, using breath and movement. Practicing yoga enhances mood and eases depression and anxiety. It lowers cortisol levels and heart rate, which reduces stress as well.

Eliminate What Causes Stress

This may sound too simple, yet it’s effective. Are you trying to do too much, in the time that you have? Reduce the number of items on your to-do list. Don’t overcommit. Learn to say “no” to obligations or things you really don’t want to do anyway.

Stop watching the news, reading the paper or scrolling through social media, if those activities cause you stress. Walk away from negative relationships. Disconnect from electronics frequently. Build breaks into your day.

Making positive changes to your daily life, even in small ways, reduces stress. Do the things that bring you the greatest joy or feel fun. Make time for hobbies.

Express Creativity

Finding ways to express your creativity helps to focus the brain on something pleasurable and fun, allowing it to release negative thoughts. You don’t have to paint masterpieces or write stories to express creativity.

Arrange flowers, garden, decorate a room or the whole house, sew, bake, sing or play a musical instrument. These creative activities soothe the analytical mind and relax the body.

One fun way to lower stress, that anyone can do, is coloring. Grab markers, crayons or colored pencils and a coloring book and lose yourself in laying color on paper. Coloring relaxes the mind and body in the same way that meditation does, whether you are filling in geometric shapes or completing a complex picture. Give it a try as a powerful stress buster.

Reduce Stress Naturally coloring
Reduce stress naturally – one of the pictures I colored. Coloring is one of my favorite ways to relax.

How Is Your Stress Level?

Stress Awareness Month is indeed an excellent time to pause and evaluate how you are handling stress. Do you feel stressful occasionally? Frequently? Daily?

Beyond the anxiety stress causes, the negative effects on the mind and body are far reaching. Stress is a leading cause of disease for ultimately, the chronically stressed body becomes an unhealthy body.

I know. I lived with chronic stress and anxiety for many years. It’s taken inner work, better nutrition and mindfulness practices to shift into a healthier lifestyle.

It’s worth the work.

Which of these tips that reduce stress naturally will you try?

Reduce Stress Naturally relax

 

Journey With Healthy Me is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate program provides a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.

I am not a medical practitioner. I study health and wellness related topics and share experiences from my own personal healing journey.

 

Spring Health Tips

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I love the arrival of spring, after the cold, overcast days of winter. As the earth stirs and awakens, my body seems to as well. It’s a time of renewal, rebirth and growth.

And spring is the perfect time to check in, health wise, to see what the body, mind and spirit need to thrive. Each season brings its own health benefits…and challenges.

Check out Spring Health Tips for ways to boost health and benefit from all that the season offers.

Spring Health Tips title meme

Include More Fresh Veggies and Fruit

Spring is the perfect time to shift from bigger, heavier meals to lighter fare.

Visit farmers markets or the produce section of the grocery store and load up on dark, leafy greens, celery, onion, peas, bell peppers, chives, asparagus, carrots and mushrooms. These vibrant, fresh foods invigorate the body. Fresh herbs are abundant too. Add them to salads and recipes and steep them in teas. Plus spring is a wonderful time to forage for wild foods that are probably growing in your backyard.

Prepare big chopped salads and store them in the fridge. Lightly stir-fry veggies together for a delicious and healthy meal. And make use of all of the berries coming into season. Pick your own or purchase strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Add them to oatmeal and salads or eat them as a snack or dessert.

These spring foods are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that the body needs. Fill your plate with the nutrition the season offers.

Spring Health Tips fresh veggies
Spring health tips – seasonal fruits and veggies

Get Outdoors

The abundant sunshine during the spring months invites all to venture outdoors. Fresh air and sunshine are both beneficial. We receive vitamin D from the sun and the body releases serotonin, making us feel happy. If possible, spend 10 minutes a day bathing in the sun’s rays.

When spending more time outdoors, protect the eyes with sunglasses and the skin with a broad-spectrum sunscreen or a big floppy hat that shades the face.

Nature is so restorative, especially after months of indoor activities. It stimulates all of the senses, calms the mind while improving focus and mood, and reduces inflammation in the body. Check out the surprising benefits of nature HERE.

Spring Health Tips outdoors
Spring health tips – spend time outdoors

Increase Activities

It’s easy to feel sluggish during the winter and put on a few extra pounds. Spring brings with it the opportunity to get outdoors and move the body. Just 11 minutes of exercise a day benefits health and extends life. With warmer weather, it’s easy to find activities to do.

Walk, hike, bike, skate, swim or play. Gardening offers so many health benefits, including burning up calories. Pulling weeds, planting, mowing and raking are all great ways to stay in shape and beautify your surroundings. And growing your own food provides fresh veggies for meals.

Exercise eases pain, improves arthritis, keeps joints flexible and protects against osteoporosis. Additionally, it improves mood and provides an overall sense of wellbeing.

Spring Health Tips exercise
Spring health tips – increase activities

Boost the Immune System

Spring not only brings sunshine and showers, it brings seasonal allergies, colds and viruses.

When the body comes under attack, from bacteria, viruses or allergens, the immune system launches a counter attack. Its job is to defend the body against disease causing micro-organisms.

A healthy body supports a healthy immune system, making it more difficult for illnesses to gain a foothold. A body battling disorders already or one suffering from dehydration, chronic sleep deprivation or fueled by a poor diet can’t adequately handle an invasion.

Eating nutritionally dense foods boosts the immune system. Vitamin D from sunshine or supplements supports the immune system as well. Additionally, staying hydrated, improving gut health, getting enough sleep and managing stress keeps the immune system healthy and strong.

Read more about boosting the immune system HERE. And if spring allergies bring you low, check out ways to combat them naturally through this LINK.

Spring Health Tips boost immune system
Spring health tips – boost immune system

Hydrate

Up to 75% of adults experience chronic dehydration. There are many symptoms of dehydration, including headaches, muscle cramps, low blood pressure and brain fog. Dehydration actual shrinks brain tissue and impairs concentration and cognitive function.

With spring activities, warmer temps and outdoor fun, staying hydrated is crucial.

Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Refill it throughout the day. Eat more fruits and veggies, as they contribute to hydration as well. Drink herbal teas. They provide crucial liquids and nutrients that the body needs.

Cut back on salty and processed foods, limit alcohol…which dehydrates the body…and eliminate soda, which creates thirst, rather than quenching it.

Spring Health Tips hydrate
Spring health tips – hydrate. This is Cleavers Infused Water.

Clear Away the Clutter

The increase in energy that arrives with spring naturally creates the urge to clean. Now is the time to clear away the clutter, in our spaces and in our lives.

Check medications, packaged foods and spices. Toss any that are past expiration dates. Throw away old makeup, cleansers and toiletries. Clean out that junk drawer, rearrange a room, remove clothes from the closet that you haven’t worn in a year. Give away, throw away or donate items you no longer want.

Clearing away clutter opens up energy flow and creates space for new things to arrive.

Spring is an excellent time to evaluate life also and to let go of anything that no longer serves you. Forgive others and self, release the past, eliminate anything that carries negative memories or energy for you, and literally and figuratively make a clean sweep of your house and your life. Your mood will lighten as a result.

Spring Health Tips clear away the clutter
Spring health tips – clear away the clutter

Adjust Sleep Schedule

Daylight Savings Time arrives with spring, creating longer days of sunlight…and often messing with our natural sleep patterns.

Even though I’m not a morning person, I naturally wake up earlier during spring and summer. If this is true for you as well, go with that. Get up. Create a morning routine that serves you. Mine includes making the bed, opening the blinds, brushing my teeth and doing my morning skin routine and creating a healthy breakfast.

And create a nighttime routine as well. Disconnect from electronics an hour before bed. Listen to soothing music. Write down gratitudes. Practice meditation. Sleep in a dark, cool room.

It’s important to get at least seven hours of sleep a night, with eight to nine optimal. A tired, sleep deprived body can’t function well. And sleep deprivation contributes to a stressed immune system.

Spring Health Tips sleep
Spring health tips – adjust sleep schedule

Try New Things

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. The season presents a powerful opportunity for renewal in our lives by trying new things.

Experiencing new things increases creativity, boosts a sense of adventure and creates new pathways in the brain. Those fresh experiences push us out of our comfort zones and help us face fears. (This is the heart of my other blog, Cindy Goes Beyond.)

What do you want to try, see, experience…that you’ve never tried, seen or experienced before? Spring invites you to go for it. I encourage you to go for it too!

Spring Health Tips try new things
Spring health tips – try new things, like creating vignettes

Which Spring Health Tips Will You Try?

I’m a gardener. My backyard garden serves as my gym, my sanctuary, my happy place. Spring’s season of renewal is visually represented in my garden as flowers and herbs push up through the soil and stretch toward the sun. I love being outside, tending this sacred space. It does my body, mind and spirit good.

Which spring health tips call to you? What ones will most benefit your health and wellbeing?

May this season bring you joy and an increase in energy, vitality and health.

Spring Health Tips renewal
My backyard paradise

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Journey With Healthy Me is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate program provides a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.

I am not a medical practitioner. I study health and wellness related topics and share experiences from my own personal healing journey.

Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details.

Have you heard of quinoa? This superfood is one of the world’s most popular health foods.

First, let’s get the name right, for this seed that’s often referred to as a grain.

Quinoa is pronounced “KEEN-wah”. And there are many excellent reasons to include quinoa in your diet.

Need encouragement? Check out these quinoa health benefits and recipes.

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Quinoa Nutritional Facts

Quinoa is grown as a grain crop although technically, it’s a seed. The Inca considered quinoa an important crop, calling it the “mother of all grains”. In South America, quinoa has been eaten for thousands of years. Only recently has the superfood become a trend in the US.

Quinoa comes in three varieties: red, white and black.  It is gluten free, high in protein and one of the few plant based foods that provides all nine essential amino acids that the body needs.

Additionally, quinoa is high in fiber, magnesium, vitamins B and E, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and antioxidants.

Quinoa’s antioxidants help calm inflammation throughout the body and provide anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-depressant properties.

NASA considers quinoa a suitable crop to grow in space, due to its high nutritional content, ease of growing and its simple preparation methods.

Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes uncooked
Quinoa health benefits and recipes – uncooked quinoa

Health Benefits of Quinoa

These important health benefits help give quinoa its superfood status:

  • gluten free means quinoa won’t cause symptoms that those with gluten sensitivities experience such as rashes and digestive disorders
  • provides all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own
  • excellent source of protein, especially beneficial for those on a plant based diet One cup of cooked quinoa provides 8.14 grams of protein.
  • low glycemic index, meaning it does not quickly raise blood sugar levels
  • improves metabolic health by reducing insulin and triglyceride levels
  • high fiber content reduces the risks for constipation, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diverticulosis
  • promotes a healthy weight. High fiber foods help people feel full longer
  • vitamin E content helps reduce the risk for heart disease, eye disorders and certain types of cancer
  • high iron content supports blood health, energy and cell function, connective tissue health and muscle metabolism
  • B vitamin folate promotes healthy pregnancies and reduces the risks of certain cancers and depression
Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes cooked
Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes – cooked quinoa

Adding Quinoa to the Diet

Quinoa is easy to prepare and simple to add to meals.

Prepare quinoa by combining two cups of water with one cup of uncooked quinoa in a sauce pan. Always use a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave quinoa covered for five more minutes. Remove cover and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Or prepare quinoa in recipes.

Check out what I made this week, all from one box of dried quinoa.

Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos

This simple to prepare recipe yielded yummy, meatless tacos. While the quinoa and black bean filling simmered, I chopped toppings for the tacos: tomatoes, mixed greens, red, yellow and orange peppers and avocado.

I’m on my second package of gluten free tortillas…and still have leftover quinoa and black bean filling in the fridge. The perfectly seasoned filling reminds me of meat, texture and flavor wise, and they are perfect for Taco Tuesday.

Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos

Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos

Try this meatless taco that's full of flavor
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika may use regular paprika
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 14 oz can black beans
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pkg gluten free taco sized tortillas may use regular taco sized tortillas
  • assorted toppings such as diced tomatoes, shredded greens, salsa and chopped avocado for tacos

Instructions
 

  • Saute onions and garlic in skillet with olive oil 3 - 4 minutes until soft and translucent
  • Add spices, tomato paste, quinoa and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add black beans. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes
  • Remove pan from heat and leave covered for 5 minutes
  • Remove cover, add lime juice and fluff mixture with a spoon or fork

Assemble Tacos

  • Heat tortillas in a lightly greased skillet or griddle, one at a time, until they puff and brown slightly. Move to plates and fold in two.
  • Spoon quinoa and black bean mixture into tortillas. Top with diced tomatoes, shredded greens, avocado and salsa. Makes at least 8 tacos.
Keyword black bean, meatless, quinoa, taco

 

Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos
Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes – Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Using the quinoa in place of oatmeal, this morning I prepared a tasty breakfast treat. Plus I made enough quinoa to use for dinner tonight.

For a hearty quinoa breakfast bowl, with leftovers, combine one cup uncooked quinoa with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, remove from heat and leave the cover on for another five minutes. Use plant based milk, if desired, in place of water.

I combined a healthy portion of cooked quinoa with a cup of fresh blueberries, sliced banana and a tablespoon of chia seeds plus a splash of unsweetened almond milk. If desired, sweeten the breakfast quinoa with a spoonful of pure maple syrup. I left mine unsweetened and it was perfect for me.

A quinoa breakfast bowl is a great change up from oatmeal and packed with nutrients. Try different combos such as raisins and cinnamon, strawberries and bananas, chopped dates and walnuts, bananas and nut butter. The possibilities are endless.

Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes breakfast
Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes – breakfast bowl

Quinoa and Chickpea Bowl

With my leftover quinoa from this morning, I created a simple, delicious dinner bowl tonight.

I call these bowls my “clean out the fridge” meals. They are a wonderful way to use up leftover veggies and cooked quinoa or brown rice.

In a skillet, melt two tablespoons plant based butter or use olive oil. Add one chopped yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, minced, and any other veggies you want. I added diced red, yellow and orange peppers and sliced mushrooms. Stir fry veggies until barely tender.

Add cooked quinoa and combine well. I added a generous sprinkle of sea salt and garlic powder. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, allowing quinoa to heat through.

While quinoa mixture simmered, I warmed up organic chickpeas from a can and sliced an avocado.

My assembled bowl contained the quinoa/stir fry mixture, chickpeas, sliced avocado and a mixed green salad with slivers of carrots and red cabbage. It was the perfect evening meal, ready in about 15 minutes.

Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes bowl
Quinoa Health Benefits and Recipes – quinoa and chickpea bowl

I’m Sold on Quinoa

I love this superfood! And I’m looking forward to creating more meals with quinoa and discovering new recipes…or creating my own.

Do you love quinoa too? What’s your favorite way to enjoy this highly nutritious food?


 

Journey With Healthy Me is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate program provides a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.

Negativity’s Impact on Health

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details.

Negativity. We are all familiar with it as a lower energy feeling. The simple definition of negativity is the expression of criticism or pessimism. However, that definition doesn’t go deep enough.

Negativity is a tendency to feel downcast, disagreeable and cynical. It’s a pessimistic attitude that expects the worst in life.

Anyone can experience a negative feeling or a low vibe day. Temporary negativity is often the result of an illness or accident, unexpected life circumstances or personal difficulties. However, when most thoughts about the world, life, others and the self tend toward the bleak, negativity can become habitual.

Like positive thoughts, negative thoughts create neural pathways. The more negative thoughts and experiences we have, the more entrenched those pathways become. We actually condition ourselves to think negatively and find the bad in life.

We can shrug and say, “I’m just a negative person.” However, that negativity comes with a price. Check out negativity’s impact on health and learn how to shift.

Negativity's Impact on Health title meme

Signs of Negativity

Not sure if negativity is becoming habitual in your life? It can show up in these ways:

Cynicism – a distrust of people and their motives

Hostility – unfriendliness or opposition towards people, often accompanied by anger

Unreasonable anger – an intense emotional state involving strong, non-cooperative responses to perceived hurts, provocations or threats.

Skewed perceptions – only seeing the bad in situations or people

Assumptions – assuming bad things will happen

Blaming – assigning responsibility for wrongs or faults to others or believing you are a victim of life circumstances

Feeling of doom – expecting terrible, destructive fates to happen

Paranoia – thinking everyone…or life…is out to get you

Negativity's Impact on Health
Negativity’s Impact on Health – skewed perceptions

Negativity’s Impact on Health

Negative situations, relationships and thoughts create stress. The body responds by releasing the hormone cortisol, also known as the “fight or flight” hormone.

This hormone is valuable when we are faced with actual danger. However, when the body stays in fight or flight mode, for extended periods of time, it has a detrimental effect on the body and on health.

Common effects of negativity on the body include:

Brain disorders – degenerative brain diseases, dementia, stroke, depletion of brain chemicals required for happiness

Heart disease – chest pain, heart attacks, high blood pressure

Digestive issues – slowed digestion, hardening of organs in digestive system, upset stomach, type 2 diabetes, irritable bowels, overeating, loss of appetite

Immune system – increased infections, inability to fight off inflammation which leads to many types of diseases

Fatigue – sleep disorders, tiredness, irritability, muscle tension and pain

Headaches – tension, jaw clenching, migraines, eye strain

Mental health – anxiety, fear, depression, social withdrawal, unhappiness

Negativity's Impact on Health stomachache
Negativity’s Impact on Health – digestive disorders

Changing Negativity to Positivity

Have you experienced any of the signs of negativity? Once we become aware of negativity’s impact on our bodies, we can shift it.

Here are ways to overcome negativity, lessening its impact on health and creating positive pathways in the brain:

Limit – turn off the news, stop reading negative posts on social media, unfriend or block or snooze negative people to clean up your feed, carefully choose who you hang out with, set boundaries with negative family members, remove yourself from negative situations, people and conversations

Live in the moment – release the past, forgive others and yourself, don’t worry about the future, focus on tasks at hand, speak positive affirmations

Practice gratitude – every day, express thanks for all the good things in your life

Engage in activities you love – do what brings you joy, laugh, play, explore new hobbies, spend time with people who encourage you, create, offer to others

Meditate – learn to still the mind, let go of negative thoughts, focus on breathing

Take action – if a negative situation or thought arises, take positive actions. For example, if a driver cuts you off in traffic, starting a negative train of thought, slow down, take deep breaths, and allow another car room to change lanes in front of you.

Negativity's Impact on Health online
Negativity’s Impact on Health – limit negativity online

Making Positive Choices

When signs of negativity show up in your body, affecting health, make choices.

When I’m in a negative situation or around negative people, my body responds in specific ways.

My jaw and hands clench, the muscles in my face, neck and scalp tighten and I get a headache. I notice my breaths are rapid and shallow. If I don’t remove myself quickly enough from the situation, my body goes into shut down mode. I can’t see or hear well and my throat narrows, limiting my ability to speak. For me, it feels like negative energy overwhelms me, overpowers me. It’s not a feeling I like.

The best choices I can make are to get out of the situation, leave the conversation or walk away from the person. As my body calms from fight or flight mode, I practice deep breathing, express gratitude, go for a walk outdoors or spend a few minutes in meditation to restore my positivity.

How does it feel, when you encounter negativity? What choices can you make, to shift back into positivity?

Remaining healthy at every age includes removing the habit of negativity from your life. It’s not just an attitude adjustment or a glass half full mentality…although those are important. Shift the negativity for a healthier you and a longer, happier life.

Negativity's Impact on Health laugh
Lessen negativity’s impact on health for a longer, happier life.

 

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Journey With Healthy Me is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate program provides a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.

I am not a medical practitioner. I study health and wellness related topics and share experiences from my own personal healing journey.