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Our Advice To Stay Zen

Work, studies, family life or money problems can be sources of stress. Fortunately, there are solutions to avoid being overwhelmed by tensions. Here are some good habits to adopt to stay zen on a daily basis.

sleep well

Stress is a risk factor for sleep disorders. When it settles over time, it can lead to insomnia. But after several nights of disturbed sleep, the fear of insomnia itself is an additional stressor. It’s a vicious circle. To avoid the anxiety associated with the fear of not being able to fall asleep, here are some tips: relax before bedtime (sophrology, meditation, abdominal breathing), avoid dwelling on the problems in your head before going sleeping, getting out of bed when sleep does not come so as not to associate the bed with an anxiety-provoking place 1 . To find out more, discover our article dedicated  to tips for sleeping well .

Play sports

Physical activity has many virtues. It promotes physical and mental well-being. Practicing regular physical activity helps reduce anxiety and promotes the release of endorphins by the brain, molecules that have an immediate calming effect. Sport also increases the action of dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that regulate our moods and provide pleasure. Finally, physical activity is a distraction allowing a break with the often stressful daily life.

Practice heart coherence

Cardiac Coherence is a breathing technique that lowers heart rate and calms anxiety and stress. Concretely, this consists of doing 6 breaths per minute. Each inspiration lasts 5 seconds and each expiration lasts 5 seconds. To be reproduced for 5 minutes (thus 30 breathing cycles in all). A study 2  carried out on student nurses showed that those who had practiced cardiac coherence for 5 weeks managed to control their stress levels while those who had not practiced cardiac coherence saw their stress intensify.

Laugh

Laughing is good for health. According to the French Federation of Cardiology 3 , it helps fight against stress by stabilizing heart rate and lowering blood pressure. But that’s not all, laughing lowers the level of cortisol in the blood, the stress hormone. Finally, laughter facilitates human relationships by de-dramatizing situations and reducing aggressiveness between people.

Practicing sophrology

Sophrology is a practice which consists in developing one’s consciousness through a multitude of exercises (abdominal breathing, mental visualization, physical reception of positive emotions, etc.). The individual who practices sophrology learns to feel his bodily perceptions and the tensions that invade his body and to relate them to the problems he faces on a daily basis. Once the physical tensions and their causes have been identified, the individual must immerse himself psychically in pleasant situations so that his mind concentrates on the positive of existence. Sophrology therefore makes it possible to combat stress by preventing the individual from focusing on negative thoughts, sources of stress.4 .

Take care of your diet

Certain micronutrients and amino acids are known for their anti-stress effects. These are magnesium, omega 3 or tryptophan.

Magnesium is a natural inhibitor of NMDA receptors, glutamate receptors, a neurotransmitter that acts as a stimulant 5 . In addition, magnesium stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in the brain allowing the body to better react to stress. Magnesium is present in many foods such as dark chocolate, spinach, lentils or even bananas. In some people, the diet is not enough to meet the actual magnesium needs. And we know that a magnesium deficiency can amplify the negative effects of stress on the body 6 . This is why occasional supplementation in the form of tablets, oral solution or vials can be useful.

Omega 3 contains essential fatty acids that promote the secretion of endocannabinoids by the brain, substances that protect the body from the harmful effects of stress. They are found in oily fish and oilseeds in particular. A study 7  published in the  Journal of Clinical Medicine  showed that omega 3 supplementation helped reduce anxiety levels.

As for tryptophan, this amino acid is necessary for the production of serotonin by the body, a neurotransmitter involved in the control of emotions including anxiety. It is found in bananas, legumes, meat and poultry, whole grains…

Disconnect 

Does technological stress speak to you? This is the stress caused by the excessive or inappropriate use of new technologies. Incessant notifications on the phone or even consulting professional emails outside working hours are factors that promote stress. To remedy this, it is important to give yourself moments during which you completely disconnect from screens in order to rest your mind. If you are at work, know that you are entitled to a 20-minute break for 6 hours worked. On weekends and during your holidays, take the opportunity to get into digital detox.

Spending time in nature

Nature is a source of well-being. A large study 8  comprising 14 studies carried out in several countries (United States, Japan, Sweden) has proven this. American researchers have found that spending even 10 minutes in a natural environment can improve mood and reduce physiological symptoms of stress such as blood pressure and heart rate. This meta-analysis indicates that the benefits of nature on mental well-being increase proportionally to the time spent in nature, to stabilize after 50 minutes. When you feel the stress rising, you know what you have to do: go green!

Author: Annabelle IglesiasHealth JournalistA graduate of ESJ Pro, Annabelle Iglesias is a freelance journalist specializing in health and wellness. She writes mainly on health and nutrition topics.

Sources
  1. Insomnia and stress , CENAS sleep center, 2017.
  2. Biofeedback Intervention for Stress and Anxiety among Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial , Paul Ratanasiripong et al,  ISRN Nursing , 2012.
  3. Preventing stress through laughter , French Federation of Cardiology.
  4. Contribution of Caycedian® sophrology to stress management , Patrick Fiorletta, Vincent Grosjean, HegelVol.II N°3–2012.
  5. Essential elements in depression and anxiety. Part I , Mlyniec K and al,  Pharmacol Rep , 2014.
  6. Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: Modulation by therapeutic drug treatment , Sartori SB and al,  Neuropharmacology , 2012.
  7. Supplementation with Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Psychiatric Disorders: A Review of Literature Data , Paola Bozzatello et al,  Journal of Clinical Medicine , 2016.
  8. Minimum Time Dose in Nature to Positively Impact the Mental Health of College-Aged Students, and How to Measure It: A Scoping Review , Naomi A. Sachs et al,  Frontiers in Psychology , 2020.

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