Stress can quite detrimental to a person’s well-being. It not only affects the mental health of a person causing them to lose focus and decrease productivity but also is a very real threat to the physical wellbeing. Prolonged stress can lead to clinical anxiety, depression or even other serious conditions such as heart diseases and diabetes.

It is quite impossible to not take any amount of stress given the fast moving world and the demanding lifestyles we have created for ourselves. There’s little we can do to avoid stressful situations but what we can do is manage the stress in our lives and not let it get under our skin.

Here are some top healthy ways to deal with stress in your life

1. Physical Activity is the Best Stress Buster: What’s better than shedding off that unhealthy weight while you deal with the stress in your life. Rigorous physical activities such as running, swimming or workouts at the gym prove to be very effective when it comes to dealing with the stress in your life. It’s time you get the proper workout outfit and hit the pool, the track or the gym to bust some stress.

• A Well Balanced Diet Helps: You might not believe it, but your eating habits are directly linked to your mental health. Unhealthy eating habits contribute significantly to adding stress in our lives. While on one end they make us gain unhealthy weight, they also lower serotonin levels and make us feel low. A balanced diet with the right amount of micro and macronutrients and enough fluids is the best remedy to fight stress.

• Sound Sleep Relieves Stress: An uninterrupted 8-hour sleep is very crucial to the physical and mental wellbeing of a person. Inadequate sleep builds up toxins in the brain which lead to reduced productivity and increased stress levels. It is important to maintain a consistent sleep routine in order to better manage your daily routine and reduce the stress levels.

• Make Time for Yourself: Being goal oriented and focused on your work is very important to succeed in professional life but our health and wellbeing is equally important. Often, in the race of professional success, we forget to make time for ourselves and fail to manage the stress levels in our lives leading to various physical and mental health issues. Given the demanding nature of work, it is vital to take a break once in a while and go on a vacation once a year. Additionally, a road trip with friends every few months and a regular visit to the local club with your friends or colleagues can give you much needed mood boost.

• Recreational Habits are Therapeutic: Recreational habits can be quite therapeutic and help greatly in managing the stress levels in your body. Find your hobby and use it to manage the stress levels in your life. Music, painting, sculpting, drawing or even thrill seeking activities like trekking, bicycling or tending to the animals can all have a very therapeutic effect on our brains and lower the stress levels. Find out what works for you and deal with the stress in your life easily.