How to reduce stress from cost of living crisis, according to expert

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is affecting millions within the UK, and with temperatures dropping, food prices skyrocketing, and the cost of Christmas, people are facing extraordinary amounts of stress in their everyday life.

However, in a bid to help the nation manage its stress, experts from Simply CBD have shared some tips that will help encourage stress relaxation and a stress-free routine that you can implement into your daily life. 

Analysis has revealed that searches in the UK for ‘reduce stress’ increased 216 per cent during December, proving just how desperate Brits are to find solutions for feelings of overwhelming stress.

In fact, searches for ‘is stress normal?’ has seen a huge 635 per cent increase, showing just how concerned people are about stress levels and how they can impact their health.

How to manage stress

Self-care

Being mindful of your own needs is essential and focusing on self-care will help reduce stress and anxiety tremendously. Some forms of self-care include maintaining a balanced diet and sustaining a healthy sleep schedule but indulging in pampering is often overlooked.

Pampering doesn’t have to break the bank. Forget spa days or trips away – you can easily indulge in pampering at home:

• Take a hot bath or shower.
• Pop on a face mask and read your favourite book – time away from blue light from your phone also helps relax the mind.
• Light some candles and listen to a meditation podcast.
• Treat yourself to your favourite home-cooked meal (or takeaway if you prefer!)

Exercise

Although the thought of exercise can sometimes be exhausting, with long workdays feeling tiring enough, finding the time to get a good workout in can often be the release from a lot of pent-up stress. Sometimes getting past the mental barrier of doing physical activity is the only thing holding you back from releasing tension and endorphins, aka the body’s natural painkillers.

The exercise doesn’t necessarily need to be intense, and there are many options when it comes to fitting in an hour of increased heart rate:

• Go on a walk – whether with friends, family or just by yourself, getting out for some fresh air and moving your body will work wonders.
• Take part in a local exercise class – there are many different options, such as low-intensity Yoga and Pilates, which are great options if you don’t want an intense workout.
• Take part in an online exercise class – if physically leaving the house to exercise fills you with dread, you will be pleased to know there are thousands of online classes and pre-recorded free videos of workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home.

Listen to music

Listening to music gives the brain a total workout, and we all know how vital brain health is. By listening to music, you can:

• Reduce blood pressure.
• Improve memory.
• Reduce anxiety.
• Improve sleep quality.

Not only can it reduce stress, but it can elevate moods and clear the way for emotional expression; this is why it is great that there are so many genres of music to choose from; just pick whatever gets you out of a funk and makes you feel good.

Experiment with hobbies

By experimenting with hobbies that you might have put on the back burner, you are allowing your body to remind itself of something you enjoy and take pride in. Hobbies are a great distraction and can be the perfect way to relax and forget about the stresses of everyday life.

If you’re struggling to think of a hobby, it’s never too late to find one! By making a list of all the hobbies you would love to try, you are already one step closer to expanding your knowledge, widening your range of skills, keeping your brain working and mind off all things stressful.

Turn the phone off and stay off social media

In a world dominated by technology, we have everything at the push of a button, making it hard to imagine life without it, but keeping so up-to-date and caught up on social media can sometimes be exhausting and lead to unhealthy comparisons.

By turning off your phone or limiting the time spent on social media, you can shut off the constant updates and remain solely focused on other things that might bring you joy.

Instead of getting distracted by technology, you could be reading your favourite books, spending time with family and friends, giving yourself a well-deserved pamper or just taking a nap, whatever relieves stress from your day.