Do you turn to chocolate or a nice great big bowl of some type of your favorite comfort food when you are feeling depressed or stressed? Well, you don’t have to feel too guilty anymore because you’re just doing what your body wants you to do to reduce your stress. That’s right, in a way, you can’t help it.

A new study shows that there is a biochemical link associated with junk food and the decrease of stress. In particular, foods that are high in fat and sugar are the ones that will help you reduce your anxiety the most.

It makes sense that the holidays is just one big smorgasbord of comfort food. Stress levels are high for many people during the holidays. People are dealing with crowds at the mall, relatives they would rather not deal with, and anxiety over doing everything they want to do in time. The next thing you know, people are stuffing their faces of all the great holiday foods at parties and family gatherings. If they can’t find stress relief around them, they will eat their way to at least some sort of temporary happiness. It’s temporary because once these people step on the scale after the holidays, depression sets in, which is why losing weight is one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions.

Photo Courtesy of: Jayel Aheram on Flickr

When stress has taken over your day, you may need some quick stress relief strategies so you can get back to work. The great thing about quick stress relievers is that you can do them no matter how much work you have or where you are. Now, take a break, pick one of the following or a couple to reduce your stress level.

• Breathe

Sit back and take a deep breath. Take the breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your lungs fill with air and blow all the air out. Do this about 10 times.

• Walk

Leave your workspace and take a walk outside. The natural sunlight will help you release pressure and the exercise will release some endorphins that will also help you feel better.

• Eat

Many people feel stressed because their body is lacking fuel to keep going. Eat and drink something.

• Write it out

Sit down and write about what is bothering you, as discussed in the post about journaling.

• Vent

Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest verbally. Choose the right person to vent to and feel the stress slip away.

Note: Not all stress relievers work for every person. Find what works best for you and your stress by trying different ones.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frield/95509221/)

With the downfall of the economy, many Americans are stressed out right now. This is why it’s time to learn some ways to help you de-stress. Read to find out how journaling can help you lower anxiety in your life.

How Journaling Lowers Stress

Journaling lowers stress because it helps you unload your brain onto paper rather than keep it in your head, in which case, you just mull over for days. When you sit down to write out what is bothering you and all of the things that you have to do that make you feel overwhelmed, you start to pull mismatched pieces of information from your brain and collaborate it so it makes better sense.

Have you ever sat on a problem for days, not knowing how you were going to deal with it? It’s because when you are stressed, your emotions cloud your reasoning and problem solving ability. However, when you write things down such as in journaling, you are able to separate your emotions from the concrete facts of your problem. You gain a new perspective on the situation and end up finding new ways to deal with it.

Your Stress Relief Exercise

Don’t wait to do this exercise later, because chances are, you won’t ever do it. So right now, grab a piece of paper and pen. Start writing down every single thought that comes to your mind, no matter how foolish or irrelevant you think it is to your current stress. Write until you have absolutely nothing left to write about. Don’t think about it too much, just write.

Now take a look at what you’ve written. Cross out all the things that are irrelevant to your situation. Then see what your true problems are and make a list of them. Take that list and start to tackle each situation separately. Write out a plan of action for each situation. If you can’t think of what to do, skip it and come back to it later.

Once you do this, you will most likely feel like a large weight has been lifted off your shoulders and feel less stressed!

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefield/1119389/)