1. Eat a higher fiber diet
According to the Food and Drug Administration, most Americans do not get enough fiber in their diet, the lack of which can contribute to heart disease and intestinal issues. The FDA recommends 25 grams of fiber per day for the average person. To assist in achieving this daily goal, we should choose foods that contain whole grains and check the nutrition facts label for foods that have 20% or more daily value of fiber per serving. Things that contain fiber and that we should add more of in our diets include fruits, vegetables, and grains like bread and cereals. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, especially one high in fiber and whole grains, also can reportedly reduce stress, whereas the opposite can increase it.
2. Adopt a pet
I know firsthand that pets are great at reducing stress and elevating your mood. However, it's not just my experience. It's been studied and found to be true. Dogs and cats show affection to their owners regardless of their mood and are always ready to provide support. From my experience, I know that cats can bring joy to your home and just take your mind away from any negativity. A cat's purr has been shown to have a healing effect. An article in the Scientific American explained how cats purrs could help improve bone density in humans. Not only can they improve our mood but they could also provide us with healing! Dogs and cats have a way of making you forget about all your stresses and just enjoy their company. When you're in a bad mood, they seem to sense it and try to comfort you.
3. Go outdoors
Seeing the outdoors is definitely refreshing and a mood booster. Studies have shown that going outdoors helps relieve stress. It's also helpful in reducing anxiety and helping with a host of other things, including improving problem-solving skills! In our interconnected world with all the delivery services available, it's becoming easier to sit at home in front of a screen all day and avoid the outdoors entirely, making this goal require more commitment. Also, many Americans are deficient in vitamin D, an essential nutrient for bone health that does not naturally occur in most foods. We obtain it from exposure to sunlight, the best way to get it, or through supplements — it's added to milk for example. To get enough of it we need to go out in the sun for at least 15 minutes a day, which is just about enough time to change or improve your mood. The Harvard website provides info on vitamin D deficiency, its negative effects, and how to deal with it.
4. Do something you enjoy, like a hobby, at least once a week.
Sure with our busy lives, it's hard to find the time away from work and school to do something enjoyable, but if we are determined to we can. How we use our time all depends on what we prioritize and how structured our lives are. If we're not structuring things well, we will end up wasting lots of time in between things. We all have more time than we think. What we have time for though depends on what we prioritize. That's why if an unexpected event takes place we could spend a whole day dealing with it, which is time we never believed we had. Some websites talk about specific hobbies to reduce stress, but really anything you enjoy doing will help you feel better.
5. Exercise
This is easier said than done but it's not necessary that you go to the gym or follow a specific exercise routine for it to count. Any purposeful activity can count as exercise, even chores. Just taking a 15-30 minute walk outdoors can be a good way to knock out two of these goals! You'll be exercising, spending time outdoors, and if you go out in the day you will be boosting your vitamin D levels as well.
Our minds are similar to a computer. When our RAM gets overloaded with tasks we operate much slower and less efficiently. If you're sitting in front of a computer for hours wondering why it's taking forever to finish an assignment or complete a task, then you're probably overloaded and need to take a break. Try implementing some of these suggestions and you will probably notice that you have more time because you're doing things much more efficiently than before.
