According to Gallup’s State of The Global Workplace 2023 Report, employees in the U.S. and Canada region are some of the most worried and stressed in the world.¹ Add recent events to the mix and the stress rises.

Are you stressed? Recognize the signs. They often include common physical symptoms such as headaches, low energy, upset stomach, increased sweating, hair loss and insomnia.² Then, identify the events and situations that trigger these stressors.

The good news is that you can learn to manage your stress to better care for yourself holistically. Holistic health or holistic healing is often defined as a form of healing that looks at the whole person: body, mind and spirit.³ And it’s not something to leave for another day. If you start taking the needed steps now, you’ll soon realize you have more control over your stress levels than you realized.

Taking care of your physical health

Eat healthy

The food you eat plays a major role in how you feel both physically and mentally. Try to:

• Eat food as close to its natural state as possible. That means eating primarily whole natural foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.
• Eat a variety of foods. This ensures a better chance of getting all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you need for good health. 
• Focus on reducing or eliminating chemical additives where possible. This includes preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and artificial sweeteners. The best way to do this is to eat primarily homemade and buy from brands you trust.
• Avoid highly processed foods, refined grains, deep-fried foods and added sugars. There's more to food than the nutrients within it. In fact, the way it is grown, processed and cooked has a massive impact on its nutritional profile.⁴

Hydrate

Stress can lead to dehydration symptoms. You can get water through other beverages or foods high in water content, like fruits and vegetables. In the U.S., some estimates show that about 22 percent of our water intake comes from our food. The amount of water your body needs varies. Depending on how much you exert yourself and how much you urinate or sweat, for most healthy adults the volume of fluids to prevent dehydration is:⁵

• 13 cups for men
• 9 cups for women

Drink in moderation

It’s safe to say that alcohol is both a tonic and a poison. The difference lies mainly in the dose. Moderate drinking seems good for the heart and circulatory system and probably protects against type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Heavy drinking is a significant cause of preventable death in most countries. In the U.S., alcohol is implicated in about half of fatal traffic accidents. Heavy drinking can damage the liver and heart, harm an unborn child, increase the chances of developing breast and other cancers, contribute to depression and violence, and interfere with relationships.⁶

Get enough sleep

Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain healthy and stave off diseases. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly. This can impair your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories.⁷ Love watching re-runs of your favorite TV show before going to bed? Be careful, it doesn’t interfere with the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep for adults. Consider a screen ban on televisions, computers and tablets, cell phones, and other electronic devices in your bedroom. 

Move your body

There are many benefits to adding aerobic exercise to your routine. Whether you call it aerobic, cardiovascular, or endurance exercise, you’re probably talking about the same thing: getting your heart pumping faster and oxygenated blood flowing to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness. But it benefits more than just your heart. Physical activity can help manage body weight, lower blood pressure, decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol, control blood sugar, reduce stress, and improve sleep and memory.⁸

Just breathe

According to a new study from Stanford Medicine, there’s an easy, at-home way to help lower your stress level: cyclic sighing. This controlled breathing exercise emphasizes long exhalations. What’s more, it can take as little as five minutes to experience less anxiety, a better mood, and even decreased breathing rates at rest — a sign of overall body calmness. The instructions are simple: Breathe in through your nose. When you’ve comfortably filled your lungs, take a second, deeper sip of air to expand your lungs as much as possible. Then, very slowly, exhale through your mouth until all the air is gone. After one or two deep sighs, you may already feel calmer, but repeat these deep sighs for about five minutes to get the full effect.⁹

Go outside

There’s nothing more soothing than observing nature’s beauty—listening to a tree’s rustling leaves, watching wildlife at play, or feeling the sun’s warmth on your skin. Open your doors so you can open your mind.

Take care of your mental health

Communicate

Reach out and share your feelings with a loved one. It can alleviate stress and help you feel cared for. And then you can better cope with the problem you’ve been carrying — you might even inspire your confidant to share with you an issue that’s been on their mind. We are social beings by nature. And to that end, we literally need social connections to be well. Like you would water a plant, how are you watering your relationships? How can you invest in the relationships that matter most to you?

Try using your driving or walking time to catch up with family and friends. If you take a 30-minute walk, spend 15 minutes catching up with someone you care about. It’s an excellent way to ensure you’re nurturing yourself and your relationships.¹⁰

Drop the guilt

Do you feel bad about how you feel? Try not to. Getting rid of guilt may require self-reflection to identify where the remorse comes from and why you feel it. Whether your guilt is justified or based on imagined responsibility, remember that you’re human, and we all make mistakes. Try to acknowledge your feelings, make amends if necessary, and then forgive yourself. If you need help letting go of persistent guilty feelings, consider reaching out to a mental health professional.¹¹

Accept yourself

Though you might be good enough, you’re not perfect. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses — including you. So don’t compare yourself to others.

If you’ve made a mistake, acknowledge it and learn from it, but don’t berate yourself for it repeatedly. Learn to forgive yourself for your mistakes. Make an effort to see the silver lining in every situation. Rather than focusing on what you did wrong, try to identify at least one thing you did right. If you have a negative thought about yourself, reframe it and replace it with a positive one instead.¹²

Create something

If you are looking for another way to improve your mental health, pick up a pencil, crayon, instrument, paintbrush, or whatever else and get those creative juices flowing. For some people, writing about their feelings can be a big stress reliever. Or perhaps expressing your feelings through gardening, painting, or playing the piano is more your thing. Just get started. Artistic self-expression may contribute to maintaining or reconstructing a positive identity and improving mentality and skills. When being creative, a person enhances their artistic skill, improves brain connectivity and engages in self-care.¹²

Take care of your financial health

Financial stress can seem overwhelming, yet here are things you can do so that you worry less.

Communication is key. Discover and articulate your financial hopes and goals by talking to the key people in your life to ensure you’re on the same page. Develop a budget. Enlist the help of a financial professional.

Plan for the future (and take action). Create an emergency fund, take full advantage of your employer’s 401(k) match if available, and pay down debts. If college tuition weighs heavily on your mind, consider what you can save reasonably now.

So, do what you can to take care of your whole self. And don’t stress about feeling down about this new normal. Things will get better, but to make yourself better and stronger, manage your stress now so you can adapt and grow.