Stress less and live more. What huge power words have, I was thinking today that by simply speaking out loud a positive phrase we induce the brain a better mood. Stress is one of the bigger problems of the century, and as far as I can tell, people accuse it for almost anything that happens to them. In this regard, I would like to enumerate a couple of actions that you can take when you’re feeling mentally or physically tired, or when you can no longer see the bright side of things.
1. Learn to breathe. It is very important, I know that it is talked about a lot, but how many times did you put in practice what you have heard about breathing? The human body needs a lot of oxygen. On an average, the human adult inhales about 1/2 liters of air. If he inhales about 14 times per minute, he gets 6.5 liters of air per minute. The lungs inhale from 16.8 to about 28 cube meters of air daily. An adult requires a pulmonary space almost as big as the surface of a tennis field.
How do you breathe correctly? (10 minutes per day)
a. Inhale air through the nose whilst counting to 4.
b. After a second, exhale slowly whilst counting to 12.
c. Prolong the time of inhale to count to 5 and of exhale to 15.
2. The contact through touch.
Cortisol is the pawn hormone in regards to stress. It increases the levels of sugar in the blood and the adrenaline increases the energy deposits. It is scientifically proven that when we touch another person the level of the hormone oxytocin (the “love hormone”) increases and it offers trust, it decreases the blood flow pressure, reduces anxiety and offers a state of well being. Humans even from birth have a natural need of affection expressed through touch of physical contact.
3. Replace the bad words with nice ones.
This has happened to me in traffic. After a few foul swears per day, I figured out that I was changing my state of mind because I would get angry and badmouth. At first I realized that by bringing a dose of anger in my life daily I would only have to lose. From the moment I proposed that every time a driver is careless or speaks badly to me I should laugh or say something like: “the poor lad, I feel sorry for him”, “you probably had a rough day, I forgive you”, “you are just unhappy, what a shame!”. Don’t imagine the sensation, I beg of you to try it.
4. Make a plan for each day.
Don’t be under the impression that the purpose of a ‘to do’ list is only the avoidance of forgetfulness. A clear plan with daily objectives can change your life. I could no longer function without it and let me explain why: when we give the brain a task and it completes it successfully it produces dopamine, the happiness hormone. Plus, at the end of the day, month, year, you can clearly see how many things you have achieved and you can celebrate them with this occasion!
5. Take a break when you need it.
Try not to delay, if you feel the need to take a small break, take it. You own your time and how you manage it concerns only you. Tiredness always shows signs and through your physical and mental state you can figure out when you need rest. If you feel like slouching in the sofa or lay down in bed without doing anything, offer yourself that privilege without feeling guilty.
I will show you a couple of pictures from my friend’s wedding, Madalina, one of the craziest weddings ever. After partying till 7 in the morning, at the end, 30 of us friends that still remained jumped in the pool with our clothes on, with the bride leading. I’ve added them here because my state of spirit that day was maximum:
Simona Preda 
