Many of us have probably felt our stress levels rise due to the COVID19
pandemic. The impact this crisis has had on us in one way or another may have added additional
unnecessary stress to the already chaotic lives many people lead today.
In addition to this, we have found ourselves isolated in our homes with our head in the refrigerator as the additional stress of losing jobs, uncertainty of jobs, being in isolation and away from our loved ones causes us to ‘stress eat’ and eating foods we may not normally chose.
Below are our top 5 ways to reduce the amount of stress in our lives.
1) Make a top 5 or top 10 list of everything that stresses you out. What people, activities, or
things etc stress you out? Then you can begin to eliminate them so you may de-stress.
2) Eliminate unnecessary commitments. i.e. anything you commit yourself to that stresses you
out, remove it or cut back.
3) Get Organized and Prioritize! Clutter and disorganization create havoc in our lives and
causes stress levels to rise. Take some time to organize and put systems in place so things
will run more smoothly.
4) Slow down. One proven method in reducing stress is meditation. When we take 10 min
from our day to just be still. Do nothing. Lay down, close your eyes, and just do nothing. All
we need is 10 min a day. Everyone has 10 minutes.
5) Have a massage, exercise, drink water, eating healthy? Are you taking time out for yourself?
Self-care is crucial to stress levels. Be sure to make yourself a priority. Food affects our
mood. When we eat well, we feel well.
There is no doubt that when we are stressed, many of us make unhealthy food choices. We may
reach for comfort foods, high fat, greasy foods, something salty or something sweet. It is important to recognize our behaviour when these feelings appear. We cannot control everything; however, we can control how we cope with stress and how we chose to eat.
Cravings can be at a high when stressed, and the best way to deal with this is to first decrease stress with some of the strategies above. Secondly, Keep hydrated. Most of the time, we are walking around dehydrated. Thirdly, eat more veggies and healthy nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, no brainer, right! And finally, we recommend consuming one to two Heal thy Sodas per day to curb cravings and hunger. Our sparkling apple cider vinegar fruit infused beverage can help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, which can be helpful in reducing sugar cravings.
As we all slowly come out of isolation, it is important to remember that now is the time to really look after our health. Work on keeping our immune systems strong and destress.
If you found these tips helpful, and you try them, let us know.