Tips for Stress-Free Living

Are you stressed out? Overwhelmed? Here are ways you can start feeling better right away.

There’s been so much going on in our world, especially during the last couple of years, when the COVID-19 pandemic has left us feeling completely out of control. We’re often so accustomed to feeling stressed that we forget how it can negatively affect our minds and bodies and the toll it takes on our health.

NSF recently held a wellness month for all our employees, and here we share some of the ways you can start feeling calmer today:

Clear Your Calendar
No question — two-plus years of nonstop Zoom sessions have taken their toll on many of us. Are you overwhelmed with meetings? Clearing your calendar can boost creativity and improve your productivity. At NSF, we’ve even instituted “Meeting-Free Fridays.” Many of my peers tell me this is a game-changer, and I love the time to regroup, reflect and catch up on emails.
2
Just Breathe
NSF’s Marcela Alarcón Rodarte offered several ways to recharge. Rodarte, Business Lead, Consulting, Training and Technical Services, LATAM, recommends “using breathing as a tool to calm your mind and bring focus to what you need to do.” Indeed, her tips include taking time to pause and just breathe:
- Sit in a comfortable position, with your knees bent.
- Relax your shoulders, head and neck.
- Put one hand on your upper chest and the other below your rib cage to feel the movement of your diaphragm.
- Inhale slowly through your nose so that your stomach presses against your hand.
- Keep the hand on your chest as still as possible.
- Engage your abdominal muscles as you exhale through a slightly open mouth, keeping the hand on your upper chest still.
3
Hang Out at the Brain Gym
Brain Gym is a series of simple exercises that can boost your mood and memory and increase your attention span — plus they’re fun. You can practice Brain Gym in the morning, after lunch or during the day, when you start to feel your energy slipping.
- Sit on a chair. Place your index finger and thumb on your ear.
- Massage the top of your ear and gradually come down to the bottom of your earlobe.
- Massage from the back of your ear area to the top of your ear.
- Do this slowly 15 times.
4
Get Tapping
Emotional freedom technique (EFT) helps ease physical pain and emotional distress. This technique uses fingertip tapping to apply pressure, creating a balance of energy and treating pain points.
- Identify what’s upsetting you and where you’re feeling the pain.
- Rate the initial intensity of the pain from 0-10.
- Acknowledge the issues and accept yourself despite the problem. For example, say to yourself, “Even though I have this fear or challenge, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
- Go through the EFT tapping sequence using these touch points:
  - Top of the head (TH)
  - Beginning of the eyebrow (EB)
  - Side of the eye (SE)
  - Under the eye (UE)
  - Under the nose (UN)
  - Chin point (CH)
  - Beginning of the collarbone (CB)
  - Under the arm (UA)
- Rate the final intensity of the pain from 0-10.

“If we add up the time invested in these exercises and techniques, we are talking about 15-20 minutes per day to create a balance,” says Marcela. “Twenty-five minutes is what we spend on social media! So why not use it for our wellness instead?”