Living a stressful life can wear you down even more than your daily tasks at work. And stress can actually make doing any work-related task even more difficult. This is why adopting a lifestyle that mitigates stress is a fundamental aspect of living a happy and healthy life.

In today’s world, it’s easy to get distracted by the chores of daily life. And if you fail to take time out for yourself, you could be living in a rinse and repeat cycle of total stress resulting in poor mental health. 

Well, since the picture painted above is no place that anyone wants to live, how do you stop the cycle and begin living healthily? 

Improving your overall lifestyle is one way to achieve a less stressful and healthier way of living. And, fortunately, there are a few ways you can go about achieving this goal. 

Reconnect with Nature

A large number of anthropologists and scholars believe that many of the problems and stressors we deal with as humans are caused by the schism that exists between humans and nature. 

For thousands of years, modern humans have lived alongside nature, relying on nature for survival. However, it’s only been in the last couple hundred years that we humans have begun to remove ourselves from the natural world, and view ourselves as separate from it. 

The human world causes stress, there’s no denying this. But the natural world has its way of alleviating stress in ways that many may not be aware of. 

Simply getting outdoors and being in a natural environment, even if this is for only 30 minutes a day, can have a significant impact on your ability to cope with stress. In fact, studies have shown that being in direct contact with nature, moving water, and being out in the elements naturally reduces your stress levels, and can revitalize the mind.

Avoiding Harmful Substances 

It’s no secret that refraining from habitual alcohol and drug use can make you much healthier. But this logic doesn’t end here. 

Everything that you put in or on your body can affect your overall health and your ability to cope with stress. And this is true for the lotions, powders, creams, and cosmetics that many people use on a daily basis.

For example, talcum powder might seem like an innocent and refreshing product to use to reduce moisture and keep certain areas of the body dry. But talcum powder has been linked to the development of ovarian cancer in many women due to the asbestos content found in raw talc.

In addition, lotions and creams may also contain harmful compounds such as parabens and aluminum, so be sure to check your ingredients and know what you’re buying before using any new products. 

Spiritual Practice

Though not everyone believes the same way, cultivating a spiritual practice, or adopting a time set aside for reflection and contemplation of life and self can work wonders for your overall state of mental health. 

For example, practices such as meditation need no religious constraints. Basically, anyone can meditate, whether you’re Christian, Atheist, or if you believe the universe is just one big, random chemical reaction. 

Meditation has been proven by science to reduce stress, increase mental focus and agility, and improve immune response. In addition, meditation relaxes the mind and the body, and you learn to control the noise of your thoughts, which ultimately contributes to 90 percent of your daily stress.

Any spiritual practice or practice of focusing the mind will be ultimately beneficial to your daily health, and you just might find yourself a bit more at ease with life as well.

Becoming healthy in both mind and body is a journey for everyone. And this never happens overnight. But each day you spend attempting to better yourself physically and mentally will never be a day wasted. Each day builds upon the next, and the more you adopt and nurture a healthy mindset, the healthier you’ll become over time.