Know the Enemy
The first step in creating a good stress coping strategy is to figure out what’s causing the problem. In this case, this means asking yourself what makes you feel the most stressed. Is it at work? Certain times of day? Dealing with your children or spouse? Who or what causes you stress? Once you know what it is you’re up against, you can address those specific areas and decide what might make them less stressful. Do this consistently, and you’re on the road to better sleep. For example, if you feel the most stress at work, see if you can take more breaks. Learn some basic meditation techniques, or perhaps even take a vacation. If your morning commute is causing you the most stress, perhaps join a carpool, use public transportation, or take a different route. If your family is the issue, you can discuss the problem with your stress-causing family members or seek counseling. There’s always a chance of solving a problem once you know what it is. And of course, sleeping earlier, eating better, and using a high-quality mattress are always great ways to get better sleep. Refreshing, restful sleep reduces stress in and of itself, so finding a way to do that should always be tops in any strategy to de-stress.Utilize Your (Real) Social Network
These days we hear a lot about digital social media and its various strengths and drawbacks. How about getting off the internet for a second and taking the time to reconnect with your family and friends? Besides the fact that it’s free, the beauty of going to family and friends for help with managing stress is that they know you best. If figuring out what’s stressing you out is difficult, talking over your challenges with your loved ones may reveal some answers that you didn’t think of. You don’t necessarily have to include them in your coping strategy so directly if you don’t want. Just taking some time to call your parents, having coffee with an old friend, or spending some quality time with your children or significant other can be a much-needed escape from life’s stressors by itself. Weekends exist for a reason – why not turn them into a time to de-stress with your friends and family? For the single set, creating that social network in the first place is a good way to de-stress too. Volunteer to help out a not-for-profit organization. Your local library often has activities on weekends that you can be a part of – why not see what’s happening in your community and become a part of it? The people you meet and the friends you make will create that social network that can help you de-stress too.Exercise
Exercise is an activity that’s inherently stress relieving. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to get back to the gym, reducing stress, and getting better sleep is probably among the best reasons to do it! There are several ways in which exercise can reduce stress. For one thing, exercise pumps up your endorphins. These are your brain’s neurotransmitters that make you feel good. For another, exercise has a meditative quality in and of itself. If you get caught up in whatever activity you’re into at the gym, it will distract you from whatever negative thoughts are stressing you out. A good game of tennis or a couple of laps in the pool can do wonders when it comes to managing stress. The sense of accomplishment that you get from achieving some significant exercise goal or even going to the gym itself builds your self-confidence and can defeat stressful anxiety. Just knowing that you’re able to do something that everybody knows is good but that can be somewhat of a challenge to do naturally makes you feel more fulfilled and less stressed. Finally, going to the gym gives you the easiest route to sleeping – fatigue! A tired body on a premium mattress is a formula for sleep that no amount of stress can overcome. Getting a few hours of rigorous exercise is just what the doctor ordered to fall asleep easily and defeat daily stress. (Just make sure your give your body two hours or so to cool down so you’ll be able to catch those stress-reducing z’s. Trying to sleep while you’re still pumped up is a challenge that might stress you out!)Eat Right
Here’s a fact: “junk food (meaning low in nutritional value but high in calories)” will make you feel lousy and create stress. Science has been teaching us that for years, so a quick fix to reducing stress is to cut excessive sugar, caffeine, and alcohol out of your diet. If you want something more specific though, here are some foods that are known to help you get quality sleep:- Walnuts – create melatonin, “the sleep hormone”
- Almonds – contain tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you stay asleep and enhances sleep quality
- Cheese – also contains tryptophan, but use it sparingly - cheese contains lots of fat, and too much can upset your stomach
- Lettuce – contains lactucarium, a substance shown to induce sleep
- Tuna – is a source of vitamin B6, which promotes the production of melatonin
- White rice – white rice has a high glycemic index, which means that it will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, making you sleepy
- Cherry juice – has both melatonin and tryptophan
- Chamomile tea – a favorite sleep aid for years in homeopathic or “natural” medicine
- Elk meat – contains twice the tryptophan of turkey and tastes very similar to beef when grilled