5 tips to help you manage and relieve stress

Learning to manage emotions is crucial for achieving and maintaining a balanced body, mind and soul.

Hyper-competitiveness, multitasking, problems balancing work and family responsibilities, social instability, the culture of optimisation, excessive workloads, poor time management… We live in a world that moves at a dizzying pace and constantly demands our all. It comes as no surprise, then, that chronic stress is now a real epidemic that has a highly negative impact on our state of health and well-being.

But not all stress is bad. Cinthya Molina, psychologist at SHA Wellness Clinic, tells us that “stress is a natural, innate and instinctive mechanism that we need to survive because it helps us achieve our goals and challenges and keeps us on alert for any threat. The problem is when acute stress, which is good and necessary, becomes chronic and we don’t know how to manage it”.

Stress affects the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels equally, which is why the best and most effective way to treat it is through a holistic programme that combines a personalised nutrition and physical exercise plan with different medical areas, natural therapies and state-of-the-art technologies.

The Stress Management Focused Pack aims to identify the situations that contribute to increased stress levels in order to reduce the associated unwanted symptoms, such as fatigue, anxiety, insomnia or irritability. We do this through an exhaustive analysis that allows us to detect the causes and triggers of stress and, based on the data we obtain, we design a completely personalised plan for each guest. These are the tips from SHA’s multidisciplinary team to help you keep stress under control.

1. Food

Acidic foods, such as meat, eggs, coffee or dairy products, increase the secretion of the stress hormone called cortisol, and refined sugars create mental fog and confusion, in turn causing many emotional ups and downs. In contrast, seasonal fruit and vegetables, whole grains, pulses, seeds, nuts and seaweed provide all the healthy nutrients your body needs to function at its best and will make you more resilient to stress.

2. Physical exercise

Regular exercise has undoubted physical benefits, such as weight control and strengthening bones, muscles and the immune system, as well as mental and emotional benefits. The body releases endorphins and hormones when we exercise, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, boosting mood and helping to control stress while reducing negative feelings related to depression and anxiety.

3. Sleep

Among a host of benefits, getting a good night’s sleep every night makes us more productive, increases brain function, strengthens the immune system and balances emotions. For better sleep hygiene, eat a light dinner two or three hours before going to bed; do moderate physical exercise, but never at night; avoid activities in bed that make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, such as watching TV, reading or checking social media, and create a sleep-positive environment: the bedroom should be in complete darkness, well-ventilated but without draughts, silent and with no electronic devices.

4. Natural therapies

Mindfulness disciplines, such as yoga, meditation and pranayama breathing techniques, are great when it comes to controlling stress, because not only do they promote relaxation, but they also help us to connect with the here and now, that is, with the present moment. In addition, at SHA we recommend four ancient therapies that are powerfully anti-stress: sound therapy with Tibetan singing bowls, Psammo hot sand therapy, Watsu water massage and acupressure.

5. State-of-the-art technology

Brain photobiomodulation is a technology developed by NASA and Harvard University that consists of applying infrared light diodes with different wavelengths to specific areas of the brain, thus accelerating and rebalancing cellular recovery processes, increasing oxygenation of brain cells and stimulating and repairing cell synthesis, thereby increasing the body’s overall performance, energy levels and mood. In addition to improving cognitive abilities, it is also used to treat neurological, neurodegenerative and psychological diseases and helps to manage peaks of stress.

Click here download all the information about the Stress Management Focused Pack