Ways to reduce stress and anxiety by Deepak Chopra

As an entrepreneur, stress and anxiety is as good as normal . Work all nights and burn candles but ignoring the fact that stress kills you gradually. Yes of course, you can't totally avoid stress and anxiety but you could reduce them and keep them at their level..
Here are Deepak Chopra tips

1. Nourish your body and mind with healthy foods -- and splurge sometimes.

“Eating a pure diet, one free of toxins, is best for mind-body balance. That doesn’t mean you can’t have chocolate, though. Chocolate has been shown to release dopamine and serotonin, which make you happier.

“While I don’t partake in them, I don’t think a glass of alcohol, beer or wine, hurts. However, you should never go to bed intoxicated because that will mess up everything, including your microbiome, which is the 2 billion bacteria in your gut, something integral to your well-being overall.”

2. Get a good night’s rest.

“Head to bed on time as part of a calming nighttime routine. I go to bed every night at 10 p.m. and wake up at 4 or 5 a.m., ensuring that I get enough sleep for the day ahead, which I start with two hours of meditation and an hour of yoga.

“The secret to good sleep is dynamic activity during the day, and the secret of dynamic activity is deep, restful sleep at night. The two go hand in hand. When this equilibrium is achieved, good sleep is effortless,” Chopra wrote in a Heal Your Lifeblog post recently.

3. Just breathe.

“Take a breathing break to take the pressure off. Observe your breath where you are, at your desk or anywhere. Start by consciously breathing in to the count of four and breathing out to the count of six, with a short pause in between.

“The normal breathing rate is about 14 breaths per minute, but if you follow this simple practice, you actually decrease your breathing to somewhere between eight to 10 breaths per minute. Doing so has a very direct positive effect on your biggest nerve [the sciatic nerve], which is your stress-reliever and what brings about cell regulation.”

4. Take a gratitude break.

“Sit for five minutes and meditate and reflect on what you’re grateful for. Or, you can just be grateful for every breath for a couple of minutes at a time. Try using a simple mantra for manifesting gratitude, such as 'I am.' Repeat the mantra to yourself four or five times silently.”

5. Wind down once a day.

“Embrace an active, daily stress-management routine. Once a day, make time to care for yourself by doing yoga or running, walking, watching comedy or getting a massage. You can also take in uplifting entertainment and culture, like art and music, poetry.”

Read more here

Source: ENTREPRENEUR