Stress sabotages us all the time, and with it comes a personal drain on our energy levels. Everything from being overworked or a fear of losing our job to facing a personal tragedy or simply the everyday commitments of life can cause stress. Some people even crave the high they get from stress. However like with any high there is always a low. When the crash hits the person feels completely depleted and can become susceptible for health issues. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, acid reflux, poor eating habits and insomnia are just to name a few. Even if stress does not make you sick, it can zap your energy.

Here are some ways to stop stress from zapping your energy:

Breathe – Fill your lungs by taking a few deep breaths allowing your abdomen to expand and slowly contract. Allow the expansion of your abdomen to be at least five seconds and allow the expiration or the contraction of your abdomen to take five seconds. This will calm your fight or flight system and bring mindfulness to your body.

Be Contagious – Goodness and happiness are contagious and send out positive energy. Following the law of attraction, you get back what you give out so if you want more positivity in your life, you must be a positive person and share your positive energy. Surround yourself with supportive, happy people. Even if you are stressed and you just want to be alone and hibernate, surround yourself with your friends, this will lighten your mood and bring uplifted and positive energy to your surroundings.

Giggle – Many of us take ourselves too seriously. Learn to laugh off what you can’t control. Of course I don’t mean laugh at an inappropriate situation like a bad meeting with your boss or if someone falls but laugh when stumble along during your day feeling sorry for yourself. When faced with a stressful moment in your day, sometimes its best to step outside of it and just laugh. This will decrease your stress and relax your mind. You simply can’t be stressed while laughing. It doesn’t work the stress leaves immediately when you began to laugh. I call it “My Laugh Therapy.”

Get Moving – Exercise is one of the best ways to alleviate stress and anxiety. It gets your endorphins pumping which are those feel good chemicals that are released when you ride your bide, hop on the treadmill or do a yoga session. If you can’t muster up an hour a day, start with a 10-15 minute walk or yoga asana session. Once you are in the habit of feeling those “good feeling” endorphins, increase your exercise session to 30-45 minutes at least 3 times per week.

Get it Out – Sometimes, it all makes better sense on paper than in our heads. Get a journal and write in it. Journaling is an excellent way to blow off steam without affecting anyone else, except for you. Journal can help you gain insight on what’s happening in your life and how you can possibly change it for the better. Journaling is an exercise that is good for gaining clarity while bringing calmness to the mind.

Book a Massage – Massage does more than relax your muscles, it can relax your mind as well helping to relieve symptoms of stress. During a massage, endorphins are released from your body that calms and relaxes your nervous system. Research studies show that massage therapy actually boosts the body’s immune system which can become compromised during periods of long term stress. It is recommended that a person gets a massage once a week however once a month is fine. Anytime you can give the gift of a massage to yourself you should take advantage of it and enjoy the benefits that it brings to your mind, body and spirit.