Stress is an epidemic in our country. Studies paint a grim portrait of a stressed-out nation. Three out of four Americans report experiencing one stress symptom in the past month. These symptoms may not seem like a huge deal (they include things like lying awake at night or simply feeling irritable or anxious), but what we know about stress gives us a lot of reason to worry. Stress is much more dangerous than many of us realize, and seemingly simple and common things like rushing to meet a deadline or worrying about the future of our country can actually mess up everything from our immune systems to our love lives. Over time, stress can even shorten our lives because it makes us more susceptible to deadly diseases, among other things.
That’s why we need to handle the stress in our lives. But that’s easier said than done. Some of us feel that our stress is insurmountable; others among us don’t even know why we’re stressed. But understanding more about the latter question can help us overcome the former. Here are some reasons that you might be stressed. Fix them for your mental health.
You’re getting poor sleep
Lying awake at night is a sign of high stress. It’s also a cause of stress. When you don’t get the sleep that you need, you’re weakening your mental and physical health and making yourself more susceptible to stress and anxiety. You’re messing with your energy levels and your mood, and you’re making it more likely that you make mistakes that trigger stressful rushes to fix things up.
So focus on your sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed. Make sure that your sleep environment is quiet, cool, dark, and conducive to great sleep. Your bedroom matters a lot.
Your home is messing with your mind
What’s the first thing you see every morning and the last thing you see at night? It’s your bedroom, of course, and it’s part of a home that you spend a lot of time in. Your home matters a lot more than you might think. Everything from its cleanliness to its interior design can affect your thoughts, moods, and mental health.
Believe it or not, investing in quality modern furniture and keeping your home organized, clean, and well-decorated will significantly boost your mental health and lower your stress levels. Pay particular attention to the furniture and organization decisions that will affect the way your space functions for chores and other key tasks. For instance, poor kitchen organization can make cooking stressful (and encourage you to eat lousy takeout meals instead, which make you less healthy and even more susceptible to stress).
You’re putting junk in your body
Speaking of the cooking you do, what’s for dinner? If it’s a bunch of processed junk, then you’re not arming your body with the fuel that it needs to stay physically and mentally healthy. The worse the stuff that you eat, the worse you’ll feel. Stress and other mental health issues can be exacerbated by poor diets, poor physical health, and excessive drug and alcohol use.
So eat a lot of whole foods and fewer processed foods (focus on vegetables in particular). Take a multivitamin, and consider other supplements, too.
One great supplement option to consider is CBD. CBD is known to reduce stress and anxiety levels. You can take CBD in all forms, from edible gummies to vape oils. Just look for quality products from brand names such as select cbd. If you’re like CBD’s many fans, then you’ll notice that you feel more relaxed when you’ve taken some.
