What are the Stressors in Your Life and How Do You Relieve Them?

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Everyone has something that contributes to the stressors in their life. My stressors include getting up early in the morning for work, which is often hard to execute. In most cases, I stay up late doing schoolwork. As such, it becomes hard waking up early to attend to other critical duties. Additionally, driving in heavy traffic on the way to work drains me emotionally. Often, my stress comes from there being many people driving fast and crazy on the interstate. This experience scares me since I never want to be involved in an accident and experience a catastrophic injury. School is also a stressful environment for me because I am taking four classes. This issue means I have many assignments that I must work on and submit on time. Sometimes, the workload is too much leading to the experience of burnout. The requirements by the professor that I deliver schoolwork on time also weigh me down with stress.

Despite experiencing the above stressors, I have numerous strategies that help me relieve them. For example, I sometimes ensure that I seek more sleep, especially during the weekends. According to Mayo Clinic (2023), this initiative is necessary since it allows the body and the brain to recharge. Thus, when I wake up the next day, I always feel stress-free and with energy. I also learned to plan my time so that I avoid traffic in some cases. This initiative has also been instrumental in scheduling my studies. Therefore, I rarely experience schoolwork overload on some weekdays. On the interstate, I try to be careful and assert that I can drive amidst crazy drivers. This self-confidence improves my ability to drive my car while experiencing less fear on the road. The above approaches continue to provide the impetus for reduced stress in my life.  What stressors do you experience and how do you relieve them?

Reference

Mayo Clinic. (2023). Stress relievers: Tips to tame stress. Mayoclinic.org. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relievers/art-20047257

Did You Know that Plants Can Help Reduce Stress?

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Cottonbro Studio on Pexels.com

Plants are essential in relieving stress due to their mood-boosting properties. They provide a positive experience beneficial to a person’s mental and physical inclinations (Gu et al., 2022). The four most common plants that are known to reduce stress are Lavender, Jasmine, Lemon balm, and Rosemary.

Lavender is one of the plants that help reduce stress. It contains a rich fragrance that boosts an individual’s mood once inhaled. Lavender’s floral smell is stipulated to have a calming effect, which decreases the experience of stress (Thrive, 2023). Consequently, it can be planted in one’s green space to help create positive moods.

Jasmine is also a stress-relieving plant because of its fragrant flowers. Even though it is identified as a shrub, it gives rise to flowers that release a pleasant smell (Thrive, 2023). Thus, when the fragrance is inhaled, an individual experiences a positive mood. This feeling reduces stress and increases contentment with the surroundings (Gu et al., 2022). Jasmine flowers are also colorful, which makes them visually therapeutic. Thus, they help to advance emotional and mental relaxation that reduces stress.

Lemon balm is recognized as one of the plants with positive effects on stress reduction. When used as an herb, its leaves release tantalizing flavors with calming effects (Thrive, 2023). The relaxing properties advance the mitigation of stress and its related issues. Lemon balm also has purple flowers that appear during summer. Their relevance is the provision of visual relaxation, which combats stress. Therefore, the use of this plant would reduce the condition.

Rosemary is a plant that can be used to trigger benefits that limit the experience of anxiety. In the green space, it transforms the atmosphere with its scent. Since it belongs to the mint family, it releases a fresh fragrance (Thrive, 2023). The resultant smell has positive psychological impacts. For example, when inhaled, the fragrance calms the body. It also energizes the mind, which shifts one’s thoughts from stress. Therefore, it is a meaningful plant that would advance the experience of positive outcomes.

The look of plants and how they feel, and smell can impact people in many ways. Plants can quickly improve mood. Do plants have a positive effect on you?

References

Gu, J., Liu, H., & Lu, H. (2022). Can even a small amount of greenery be helpful in reducing stress? A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 9778. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169778

Thrive. (2023). Plants to help ease the mind. Thrive.org. Retrieved from https://www.thrive.org.uk/get-gardening/plants-to-help-ease-the-mind

The Benefits of Meditation to Improve Mental Health

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

Meditation is a relevant process that provides an opportunity for improving one’s mental health. Its criticality is centered on allowing an individual to gain perspective regarding situations. For example, engaging in meditation may instigate focused attention. As such, it becomes possible for a person to cross-examine the existing issues and develop viable solutions that limit the cause of stress. Meditation advances one’s ability to develop new skills. It also sets precedence for acquiring capabilities in relaxing the body (Mayo Clinic, 2022). The above competencies allow a person to create an environment that advances mental health. Involving oneself in meditation is tied to developing self-awareness. This trajectory in self-care advances the opportunity to choose elements that improve cognitive well-being. Acquiring self-awareness also means the ability to make decisions that impact mental growth. Meditation also increases patience, which limits stress in situations that involve delays. Therefore, involving oneself in such a practice cements positive cognitive well-being.

Meditation is also vital in fostering mental paradigms that allow an individual to focus on the present. The benefits tied to this trajectory involve the avoidance of worrying about past or future events. Thus, an individual limits the possibility of experiencing stressful situations. Meditation also provides a chance to practice open attitudes. In other words, the practice facilitates the reduction of negative emotions. As such, one can demonstrate positive behaviors, which improve mental outcomes. The expansion of one’s reasoning scope is tied to meditation (Mayo Clinic, 2022). Foundationally, the involved processes allow an individual to develop a creative stance. Thus, they can be involved in activities that alleviate the possibility of experiencing a mental breakdown. Involving oneself in meditation also expands the mind and the level of imagination. This ability advances opportunities to think about interventions that would improve outcomes in varied situations. Thus, meditation is critical to mental health.

Reference

Mayo Clinic. (2022). Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. Mayoclinic.org. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858