Men’s health has been negatively affected by stress in modern times. A weakened immune system and higher blood pressure are linked to blood pressure-related heart disease, migraine headaches, back pain, diabetes, cancer, and other ailments from the tensions and stresses of daily life.
Anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and depression can be experienced by men with high levels of stress, and they may become addicted to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, overeating, or using drugs in an attempt to cope.
Below are some quick and easy tips to help men de-stress.
Hit the Gym – 30 Minutes Is All It Takes
Exercise can help you better manage stressful situations both immediately after you exercise and in your everyday life. Students at a university participated in three 30-minute rest sessions and three 30-minute moderate exercise sessions during a study conducted by researchers.
Following that, each individual viewed 90 photographs (from the International Affective Picture System, a database of images used in research on emotions), including lots of pleasant and unpleasant images, and some neutral ones.
Twenty minutes later, they viewed the images again. After viewing undesirable photos for extended periods of time, only the exercisers experienced less anxiety than the other students.
Researchers explain that exercise can also help a person cope with negative physiological reactions to emotional events in real life.
So, exercising will reduce overall anxiety in the short term (at the gym), and you’ll be safer and able to maintain it in the long run (when faced with emotionally charged events outside the gym).
Deep Breaths – Breath Work
According to Harvard Medical School, “fight or flight” is also referred to as the stress response, but breathing control calms the body. As Chapman explains, “diaphragmatic, slow breathing helps combat many of the physiological symptoms of stress.”
Being in control of just one thing, such as breathing, makes one feel incredibly good. Chapman recommends sitting or lying comfortably with your eyes closed while you breathe deeply through your nose and count “one.” After you do so, exhale and think “relax.” Repeat this technique until you reach 10. Chapman suggests doing this two to three times a day, especially if you are stressed.
Meditate
You should spend at least 15 to 20 minutes a day in quiet reflection. Depending on your preference, you might want to dedicate some time to meditation or prayer. If you prefer more of a physical component, you could also do yoga or tai chi. Concentrate on breathing deeply and clearing your mind.
Sleep Well
According to a study conducted at the University of California Berkley, you’re at greater risk of developing a chronic anxiety disorder if you’re not sleeping well. Lack of sleep causes your brain to light up the regions contributing to excessive worrying and anxiety.
There are many things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep, from losing weight to eating certain kinds of food (turkey and cheddar cheese), even masturbation can help.
Seriously, masturbation that leads to an orgasm releases chemicals like prolactin, serotonin, and oxytocin into the brain. In fact, companies have developed “the best products you could think of to help men de-stress“.