3 Ways to Reduce Stress, Anxiety & Depression

Many work at home moms suffer from some form of stress, anxiety or depression. It’s both common and natural to experience these on some level, at some point in time. Whether you deal with it periodically or on a day-to-day basis, there are things you can do to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Below we’re going to look at three in specific.

Move Around! As a work at home mom, you are probably up and down more than what you would be working in an office. However, it is also likely that you are still spending a lot of time in a stationary position. This is not what your body was designed to do. It was designed to move!

Your body is designed to release various hormones when you are in a state of motion. These hormones help you release stress and anxiety because they work to keep you physically and emotionally healthy. Think of it like this, those hormones help reduce and eliminate stress, anxiety and depression like the way Vitamin C and Zinc help reduce and eliminate the symptoms of the common cold.

There are several ways you can move more. For example, you can walk, dance, swim, run, take a yoga class or just stretch for a few minutes each day. I am not suggesting that you go out and start a hard core exercise regime, but I am suggesting that you incorporate moderate exercise into your daily routine. For instance, you can wear a pedometer and increase the amount of steps you take each day until you reach 10,000 steps a day – or you can go for a 30 minute walk. The point is that you move around more than you do now.

Eat Better! While movement is important for reducing stress, anxiety and depression, so is eating healthy. To function properly, your body has to be energized and the way it gets its energy is through the foods you put into it. Foods and drinks containing things like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and high amounts of sugar do nothing for your body. Instead, they help increase the amount of stress on it.

Therefore, you need to reduce your daily intake of sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Replace these things with healthy alternatives such as fruit, veggies and water. You will feel so much better when you make simple changes such as those. It is also a good idea to start taking a multi-vitamin, if you aren’t already, to ensure that your body is getting the right amount of nutrients it needs each day.

Be Quiet! The world is full of hustle and bustle and you are still subject to it even if you are a work at home mom. This makes it a necessity that you establish a quiet time for yourself. Meditation has been proven to help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression – especially when it is done on a daily basis.

The point is that you give yourself time away from the busyness of the world and quiet your mind. To successfully quiet your mind, you must learn to clear out all unconscious thoughts. This will change your mindset and help you react better to stress and anxiety – which will essentially help you reduce the stress and anxiety altogether.

The great thing about meditation is that there isn’t a wrong way to do it. People do it in different ways. Some meditate while they walk and others do it while sitting or laying down. It is simply up to you – you have to find whatever works best for you. It is recommended that you start out by doing it for 5 minutes a day. Then, once you get the hang of it, you can increase your time. It can be done at the beginning or end of the day.

Experts say that it takes roughly three weeks to successfully adopt a new habit. The three lifestyle changes suggested above will help you reduce and manage your stress, anxiety and depression once they become a habit. While it may be hard sticking to the changes for the first three weeks, the good news is after that it’s easy sailing! Also, take comfort in knowing the suggestions above are pretty simple changes to incorporate into your daily schedule. You can do it!

If you’re struggling with stress or anxiety and would like someone to talk to who can really help, contact me for your 20 minute free consultation. I would love to talk with you about how I can help you overcome stress and anxiety in your life and in your business.