Life

Whether we want it or not, stress is a normal part of life. Stressful situations can include arguments with your partner or friends, financial pressure at home or work, or family issues affecting you, to name a few. With stress as a part of everyday life, we have become accustomed to dealing with the most common kinds of stress. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t healthy ways to manage stress and balance emotions and thoughts when you feel triggered. Stressful situations come in all shapes and sizes. People react differently to different stresses at different times in their life. There are multiple factors involved in how someone reacts to stress and what long-term effects it might have on them. The following article outlines practical strategies to balance emotions and thoughts during Stressful Times. To learn more about finding balance in your life, please download Joyscore.

Balance Emotions and Thoughts During Stressful Times By Making Habits

People with certain daily habits are less likely to feel stressed out. These habits can be either positive or negative, but having one or two that you stick to can be highly beneficial. Commit to trying something new and see if it helps you feel less stressed. There are many other ways that can help you keep your stress level down. Examples include exercising, meditating, journaling, and cleaning up your diet. You can also incorporate more hobbies into your schedule, such as drawing, painting, reading, yoga, or music. Creating new habits can be difficult at first, but once you get used to it, then it’s easy to maintain.

Breathe

The best way to combat stress and panic is to practice breathing exercises. These can be done anywhere at any time but are especially useful when you are very stressed out. Breathing exercises can be as simple as slowly breathing in and exhaling out. You can also try breathing exercises that focus on particular parts of your body. For example, try breathing in slowly through your feet and out through your head or upper abdomen, followed by breathing out through your lower abdomen. When you are stressed about anything, focus on breathing slowly and deeply. It’s very effective. 

Talk Things Over with Someone You Trust

It is easy to get lost in your head’s negative thoughts and feelings when stressed. Doing so can cause you to overreact, overspend, or overdo things. Try talking things over with someone you trust. It can be anyone, like a friend, family member, therapist, teacher, or any other person you trust. If you are around people you trust and feel at ease talking to them, they can help you control your emotions during stress. Talk to them about how you feel stressed out and ask them how they see things. You may find that others see things in a different light than you do. Try to be open to other viewpoints and ideas and stay as objective as possible when you feel stressed out.

Be Curious About Your Body’s Signs and Symptoms

There are many signs and symptoms that can indicate stress in your body. These signs include a racing heart, a dry mouth, tense muscles, headaches, and more. Keep a careful eye on what your body is doing regarding signs and symptoms while under stress. If you notice a change in your body that you do not like, try to address it as soon as possible. If your muscles are tense and you notice that they are not relaxed, address this by stretching and relaxing them.

Help Others When You Can

If you can, try to help others. Whether volunteering your time or donating money to a cause you believe in, helping others can help you balance emotions and thoughts in your head. Helping others can help you to stay focused and on track. It can also help you to relieve stress that you may have been experiencing. There are other ways to help and control your emotions during stress too. You can volunteer at a local organization, donate items to charity, or help a friend who is in need.

Use Your Creative Side

Try using one or more of your creative outlets when you feel stressed. This can include drawing, painting, journaling, and or any other creative activities that you love to do. Use these outlets to help you to calm down, relax, and be more present.

Self Space: Do What Works For You

Everyone has different interests, likes, and dislikes. Try to figure out what you like. When your emotions are down, do the things you like. Some people watch a movie to change their mood and boost their emotions, while others listen to music. Each to its own. Next time you are stressed, remember your likes and dislikes and figure out what works for you.

The objective of distancing yourself from intense feelings is to ensure you are reasonably handling them. If you physically distance yourself from an aggravating circumstance, you may also create mental distance. You don’t want to block or block feelings entirely; instead, you’d prefer to distract yourself until you’re in a better position to deal with them. It is not damaging to distract yourself, but you ought to return to your feelings once they are once more suitable. Healthy diversions are only temporary. You may take a stroll, watch a funny video, talk to a dear one, or spend a few minutes with your pet, for example.

Try exercising and meditation every day.

You may use meditation as a method to balance emotions and thoughts. When you meditate, you are teaching yourself to sit with your feelings and notice them without condemning yourself or seeking to change them or eliminate them. With meditation, you increase your awareness of all feelings and experiences. It also provides other advantages like reducing stress and improving sleep. 

ConclusionStressful moments in life are not meant to be avoided. However, it is essential to remember that they are only temporary and that there are ways to manage them during hard times. Using the strategies outlined in this article, you can balance emotions and thoughts during stressful moments and avoid making bad decisions.

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Eating healthy is not only essential but is important for all age groups for a stress-free and active life. When we take a balanced diet fulfilling all the nutrient requirements, our energy demand is also taken care of. Other than feeling energetic, boosting immunity and controlling weight gain are also benefits of eating healthy.

Although taking care of your eating habits is important during childhood and adolescence, it should become a matter of concern as you age. Ageing brings a lot of changes in your body and life. This will therefore need an alteration in your dietary needs also. For instance, your grandparents would need fewer calories but enough nutrients in the same amount of food they consume. 

Timely and healthy eating of our seniors helps promote a positive outlook and emotional balance in them. However, healthy eating should not be confused with dieting and sacrifice; rather, it must be associated with enjoying fresh and tasty food with wholesome ingredients. Eating in the company of your friends and family will further encourage the aged to improve their eating habits.

Before knowing about healthy tips and tricks, we will come across the factors that make it hard for an older adult to eat healthy.

1. They may live alone or have trouble getting around due to medical problems or low self-esteem.
2. It may have become difficult for the aged person to cook or feed himself.
3. The sense of taste or smell may have been compromised with age.
4. Over time, medicines can also change your taste buds, dry your mouth, or reduce your appetite.
5. Restrictions to your income may change. Thus, not having enough money to consume a healthy diet every time may also become a problem. 
6. Some people also develop a problem with chewing or swallowing food as they age.

There are a number of ways that someone can help choose healthy food for older adults and improve their eating habits. 

1. Eat lots of nutrients.

• Fruits and vegetables – seniors must opt for plenty of citrus fruits and vegetables, which are a good source of vitamin C—for example, oranges, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, tangerines, grapefruit, and strawberries.
• Whole grains like wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice are preferred.
• Dairy products must be taken regularly but choose only fat-free or low-fat milk and cheese. Soy milk is also a good choice as it is rich in vitamin D and calcium.
• Those who are non-vegetarians can include seafood, lean meat, and eggs in their diet but prefer plant-based foods whenever they can.
• Beans, nuts, and seeds must be taken in routine.

2. Avoid eating calories

There are a lot of foods and snacks that are high in calories but few in nutrients, such as chips, candies, baked foods, soda, and alcohol. Thus, they can give you the feeling of fullness and not let you enjoy the benefits of eating healthy.

3. Consume low cholesterol and fats

As per medical professionals, an elderly’s total cholesterol intake must be below 200 milligrams. Therefore, avoid intake of saturated and trans fats. Some foods with unhealthy fats are:

• Processed foods and meat like ham, bacon, salami, biscuits, pastries, etc.
• Deep-fried fast foods are not good for their gut.
• The skin of chicken and fat of meat.
• Ghee, coconut oil.
• Take away foods like pizza and burgers.

4. Stay hydrated

With age, some people tend to lose their sense of thirst and need to be mindful of their drinking habits. Some medicines may also require the consumption of plenty of water. Moreover, water is essential for the digestion and absorption of nutrients along with the proper excretion of waste.

5. Remain physically active. It will help increase your appetite. Go for a walk or jog every morning.

6. If you are tired of eating alone, try inviting your friends and family over to cook together.

7. If you have trouble swallowing due to some health issues or medicinal side effects, check with a health professional. Drinking water with your meal may also help.

8. Visit a dentist if you are having trouble chewing.

9. Add color or texture to make food more interesting if one has lost the sense of smell and taste.

10. Visit an occupational therapist or hire a household help if it is hard for you to cook at an elderly age.

BENEFITS OF EATING HEALTHY AS YOU AGE

Healthy food for older adults is rich in nutrients, helps in the proper functioning of your body, and lets you enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, a healthy diet will help you compensate for the nutritional deficiencies and reduced organ functioning that come with growing age.

1. Supports digestion

As you age, your stomach becomes sensitive to a lot of foods that were earlier easy to digest. You may no longer be able to eat spicy and fried foods without feeling heartburn and indigestion. Therefore, a healthy diet will support your digestive health through probiotics, prebiotics, and good hydration. Along with proper absorption of food, problems like constipation can also be avoided by maintaining bowel health.

2. Improves immunity

When your digestive health functions properly, the body’s immune system also improves, and your body fights better against infections. We can also list some immunity-boosting foods.

• Yogurt
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Blueberries
• Green tea
• Almonds
• Citrus foods
• Ginger

3. Strengthening of bones

As we proceed with our age, our bones start to lose calcium. Hence, healthy steps must be taken to restore bone strength and avoid chronic conditions like osteoporosis. Here are Some foods rich in calcium and vitamin D are:

• Milk, cheese, and other dairy products
• Green leafy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and okra
• Soya beans and tofu
• Nuts
• Oily fish such as mackerel and salmon
• Eggs

4. Stronger muscles

Older adults must be encouraged to do strength training with light weights for muscle growth. However, eating healthy foods is the key to building strong muscles. Some such foods are:

• Meat
• Fatty fish
• Tofu
• Milk and cheese
• Beans and nuts, eggs

5. Keeps teeth, skin, and eyes in good condition

One common vitamin responsible for maintaining healthy skin, teeth, and eyes is vitamin A. Therefore, older adults must be encouraged to consume vitamin A rich foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, egg yolks, and fish. Some other essential nutrients may be calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C, and vitamin D.

6. Reduces the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancers

Nowadays, all these chronic diseases have become very common in individuals with growing age. Hence, tune up your diet by including foods that benefit your heart and other organs. Some healthy foods for older adults are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, and vegetable oils.

7. It helps maintain a healthy weight.

Losing or maintaining weight does not require dieting or skipping meals. On the contrary, you must eat regular meals, including more fibrous foods, and drink plenty of water. This will control your weight without compromising on your energy sources.

8. Enhance brain activity and fill positivity

Focusing on eating fruits, leafy vegetables, fish, and nuts packed with omega-3 fatty acids improves their mental focus. This ultimately decreases the risk of chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Since vegetables are rich in antioxidants, they also help improve memory and mental alertness. The individual also feels positive as their mood and self-esteem are also boosted.

9. The secret to living longer

Your life span automatically increases when you tend to lower the risk of falling prey to deadly diseases. Therefore, leading a long and healthy life is the most important benefit of eating healthy.

CONCLUSION

Once we understand the benefits of eating healthy, as we age, we will become mindful of our eating habits at an earlier age. If we give ourselves a healthy start from midlife, i.e., 30’s; also, it would help us lead a healthy life in our older age.

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Most people do not consider drinking water mandatory to maintain their health. We tend to grab a glass of water only when we feel thirsty. Most of us are unaware of the fact that thirst is a sign of dehydration. Therefore, it is ideal to be mindful of how much water to drink daily. We should be drinking water every 2 hours, and every snack and meal should accompany a glass of water. As per scientific standards, about 15.5 cups (3.7 litres) of fluid daily is recommended for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) daily for women. These values need to be raised when you participate in physical activities like sports or exercise.

A formula to calculate the amount of water needed by an individual in a day is as follows:

Water (in litres) to drink a day = your weight (in kgs)   0.033

For example, an individual weighing 60 kg must drink 2 litres of water as per the formula.

Therefore, it’s important to carry a water bottle to your job or any other place where access to water would be difficult. In some situations, the fluid requirement of our body can be fulfilled with other fluids like juices and coconut water. Now, let’s learn about some benefits of staying hydrated.

KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED and enjoy these 10 benefits

1. Balances your body temperature

In hot weather, one tends to sweat a lot which is your body’s mechanism to prevent itself from overheating. As the sweat evaporates from the surface of your skin, it will make you feel cool, accompanied by a loss of fluids and minerals from your body. This ultimately raises the need to replenish the loss by drinking lots of water on hot days. Therefore, body water is also termed a thermal regulator. 

2. Supports digestion and prevents digestive problems

Water plays a vital role in helping your digestive system break down and processes the food you eat. Drinking water before, during, and after eating your meal is what you should practice. Water aids in almost all steps of the digestive process:

• Water is the main component of saliva. Thus, it helps to moisten your food making it easier to chew and swallow.
• Serves as the vehicle for enzymes that begin the process of breaking down the nutrients present in our food. 
• The nutrients derived from your food are then absorbed and passed to the watery environment of your bloodstream.

Water is also critically important when food has to be digested in the large intestine. The soluble and insoluble fibers that reach the lower bowel use water as a medium to add bulk to the waste and promote bowel movements. Thus, water is very beneficial to ease digestive problems like constipation and bloating. Bloating is the result of too much sodium and fiber consumed with inadequate water.

3. Treats kidney stones

Kidney stones have evolved as the most prevalent disease of all age groups. The building up of kidney stones adversely affects the functioning of our kidneys. Kidneys play an important role in maintaining water levels, filtering waste, and regulating blood pressure, thus contributing to an individual’s overall health. 

Drinking water helps in diluting the minerals and salts that can be responsible for making kidney stones. Scientific studies have shown that drinking as much as 1.8 – 3.6 litres of water daily keeps your urine dilute and prevents the formation of stones. It is important to know that the weather and your activity level also affect the amount of liquid you need to drink.

4. Improves workout

Keep yourself hydrated during your workout session, as it helps improve your performance. You should ensure you drink enough water before, during, and after the workout. Do not substitute water with any juices or sports drinks, as they contain excessive amounts of sugar, resulting in dehydration. How water helps in a workout?

• Before a workout – water acts as fuel for your muscles boosts your energy levels and helps prevent cramps. Staying dehydrated before you start your exercise will raise your core temperature faster, making your heart work harder than usual.
• During exercise – it is important to drink water during a workout as it will affect your energy levels. How much water you drink daily depends on how much you sweat and how long you exercise.
• After workout – drinking water post-workout will not only make you feel refreshed but also restore fluid levels and help muscles recover.

5. Boosts detoxification

Water enhances our body’s natural detoxification system. The harmful substances and wastes are removed from our bodies through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements. 

6. Improves brain performance

An individual’s memory, mood, concentration, and reaction time are all affected even by mild dehydration, as low as 2% fluid loss. Therefore, staying hydrated will improve your cognition, stabilize emotions and calm the symptoms of anxiety. 

Even headaches and migraines can be avoided if you keep yourself hydrated consistently. This is because these problems are also the result of fluid loss, which leads to the brain contracting away from the skull.

7. Reduce joint pain

When a person is severely dehydrated for a long period of time, symptoms like joint pains may occur. Our body fluids have a lubricating effect on our joints, and 70-80% of joint cartilage is estimated to consist of water.

If you keep yourself hydrated, then the gel-like liquid called synovial fluid continues to provide nutrition, shock absorption, lubrication, and cushioning in the joints. Therefore, friction in the cartilage reduces to allow smooth and sustained motion of the joints. Hence, be mindful of how much water to drink daily, as insufficient fluid will lead to less lubrication and the development of joint pains.

8. Helps in weight loss

Drinking more water aids in reducing and maintaining the weight of an individual. Some direct and indirect benefits of staying hydrated in a weight loss regime are:

•  Water makes you burn more calories. About 0.5 litres of water increases the amount of calories burned by an hour.
• Water intake before meals reduces the appetite leading to less calorie intake.
•  Replacing water with other beverages high in calories and sugar will also lower the risk of weight gain.

9. Keep yourself hydrated to enjoy hydrated skin.

Dehydration can also reduce the water content of the outermost layer of our skin, called the epidermis. This will result in your skin losing elasticity and feeling rough. Hence, drink an adequate amount of water to increase the blood flow to the skin, making it healthier. Here are some skin benefits of staying hydrated.

• Enhances skin elasticity
• Prevents skin problems like eczema, acne, and pimples
• Shrinks the skin pores
• Boosts skin glow
• Reduces fine lines and pimples
• Speeds up healing of sunburns

10. Reduces the risk of heart failure

Keep yourself hydrated, followed by a reduction in salt intake, as it will not only support your heart but also prolongs the risk of heart failure. Dehydration is also associated with cardiac fibrosis, i.e., hardening of the heart muscles, which may also contribute to heart failure.

HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED

1. Drinking a glass of water should be the first thing to do every morning
2. Set alarms as reminders to help you follow your 2 hourly drinking routines throughout the day.
3. Don’t miss your body’s signals, i.e., drink a glass of water whenever you feel thirsty.
4. Add calorie-free flavors if plain water doesn’t feel appealing every time.
5. Check the color of your urine. Clear or light-coloured urine indicates you are well hydrated.

CONCLUSION

Knowing how much water to drink a day will help properly function all your body’s organs and keep you healthy. Therefore, calculate the amount of water your body requires as per your weight, and do not substitute water with any other beverages.

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When you are awake for too long, those minor things start to annoy you. That’s because of stress. Sleep is one of the most vital factors in a healthy lifestyle. Many people experience anxiety or stress when they don’t get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is one way to manage stress and ensure your body and mind are operating at their peak performance. A good night’s sleep reduces anxiety improves your mood, and helps you feel more alert and focused throughout the day. Not getting enough sleep can lead to several health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, so it’s something you should keep an eye on. Classically, sleep has been seen as a passive activity, but recent research suggests that sleep may play a very active role in regulating stress levels and immune function. This article covers everything you need to know about sleep, like how getting enough sleep reduces anxiety and stress, its benefits, best practices for getting more sleep, and more! To know more about how sleep reduces anxiety and stress, download Joyscore.

Why is sleep important?

Sleep is essential for many reasons. People who get enough sleep feel more energized and less stressed than those who don’t get enough sleep. Restorative sleep helps your body repair itself. Sleep also helps you manage stress, and these are three ways it does so:

1. When you’re sleeping, your brain releases hormones that help you heal faster.
   
2. Sleep helps your brain lower stress hormones, so you don’t feel as much stress when sleeping.
   
3. Another vital factor of sleep is that it helps you feel refreshed and recharged. 

When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re more likely to feel tired and worn out, which can increase your stress level. Sleep deprivation also makes you less able to manage stress effectively and efficiently.

The Science Behind Getting Enough Sleep to Reduce Stress

One of the significant benefits of getting enough sleep is that it helps reduce stress. A cascade of hormonal changes happens in your body when you’re sleep-deprived, leading to a surge in stress hormones that increase your body’s stress level. Getting enough sleep helps lower the number of stress hormones in your body. The neurotransmitters released while you sleep help you feel more relaxed and calm, reducing your stress level. Getting enough sleep also enables you to think more clearly, which can help you handle stressful situations more efficiently. When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re more likely to make impulsive or irrational decisions, which can increase your stress level lead to anxiety disorders too. When we are stressed, our bodies produce a chemical called cortisol. If we don’t get enough sleep, we produce too much cortisol, which can cause several health problems. Getting enough sleep helps you reduce the amount of cortisol in your body.

6 Ways that Getting Enough Sleep Reduces Anxiety and Stress

The list below covers the most critical ways sleep can help reduce stress. 

1. You have more energy to handle stress – When you’re sleep-deprived, your body and mind operate at less than total capacity, making it harder to handle stressful situations. Getting enough sleep gives you the energy to deal with stressful situations effectively. 
2. You’re less stressed – When you get more sleep, your brain releases more serotonin and dopamine, making you feel less stressed. Sleep also helps your body lower stress hormones, so you’re less likely to feel stressed when sleeping. 
3. You make better decisions – When you’re sleep-deprived, your brain isn’t operating at total capacity, making you more likely to make bad decisions. Getting enough sleep helps you think more clearly, so you’re less likely to make rash decisions when you’re sleep-deprived. 
4. You’re more optimistic – Getting enough sleep can make you feel more optimistic, which can help reduce stress. Sleep also helps your brain release more serotonin, making you more optimistic.

How to Get More Sleep to Reduce Stress

Here are a few tips for getting more sleep and reducing stress: 

1. Create a sleep schedule – Your body is used to a specific sleep schedule, so create a consistent sleep schedule to get good sleep. During the day, a power nap may help you to get sufficient sleep. 
2. Avoid sleep-interfering habits – Do you stay up late scrolling through social media or watching TV? Those habits can keep you up at night, making it harder to get better sleep. Avoiding sleep-interfering habits can help you get sufficient sleep. 

1. Take care of your health – Stay healthy by exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. This can help you sleep better and help your body lower its level of stress hormones. 
2. Sleep environment – Creating a sleep-friendly environment and keeping your bedroom dark and quiet can help you get better sleep.
3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed – Drinking caffeine and drinking alcohol close to bedtime makes it difficult to fall asleep. 
4. Relaxing before bed – Activities like meditation, reading, and a warm bath can help you relax and make falling asleep easier.

ConclusionSleep is the time of day when the body repairs itself and builds new cells while also cleaning out toxins. Without adequate sleep, the body becomes more susceptible to illness and injury. Sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, moodiness, and even increased anxiety. So if you’re stressed out or feeling anxious about a situation in your life, try getting some shut-eye. You’ll feel better rested, and your stress will melt away. Getting good sleep is the best way to reduce stress, so ensure you get enough sleep every night! Remember getting enough sleep can also help you make better decisions, feel more optimistic, and have more energy to handle stressful situations. Stay consistent with your sleep schedule, avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed, and try relaxing activities.

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