It’s no secret that stress can create big problems when you’re trying to lose weight. Stress is known to contribute to chronic levels of anxiety and depression, depress the immune system, increase your odds of developing heart disease and stroke – and as if that weren’t enough, stress causes your body to release a hormone called cortisol, which contributes to excessive abdominal fat. Even if you weren’t stressed to begin with, just being overweight can be stressful as you battle feelings of fatigue, embarrassment, and frustration about your body, which can trigger bouts of emotional eating and make the problem even worse.

To reduce all of these unpleasant side effects of stress, it is vital to get as relaxed as you can on a regular basis. Luckily, there are endless ways to do that. Below we’ll highlight just a few:

- Meditation

Did you know that just sitting quietly, focusing on your breathing for a few minutes a day can have a dramatic positive effect on your physical well-being? When you quiet your mind, take slow deep breaths, and simply allow your body to be still for a few minutes at a time, you immediately start releasing tension and anxiety. Your breathing slows, your heart rate slows, your muscles start to loosen – and within minutes you feel very refreshed and energized.

- Positive Self-Talk

Believe it or not, your own inner monologue can create a lot of stress in your body. Do you frequently think thoughts like this: “Things never work out right for me. I’m so tired of dealing with this stuff. Why do problems keep finding me? Why can’t I get this right for once?” Notice that these comments are all very negative in tone, which will automatically trigger negative emotion and intensify stress in the body. On the other hand, when you start changing the tone of your thoughts to be more positive, they will trigger more positive emotions and reduce stress. For example: “This situation will work itself out. I’m not going to worry about this right now. I’m letting this problem go and trusting that a solution will appear.” The more soothing and encouraging your self-talk is, the less stressed you will feel!

- Bathing

A hot bath or shower can do wonders in making you feel relaxed. For best results, use a soap or shower wash that smells good to you, because studies have shown that pleasing scents have a beneficial effect on our mental state. You can also be deliberate in releasing stress by imagining that you are “washing away” all tension as you bathe, leaving nothing but a peaceful, relaxed, happy body and mind when you’re done.

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