It's no secret that the pandemic has had us feeling more stressed than usual. However, recent studies show that with the rise in stress levels, there has also been a rise in alcohol consumption among adults. In order to explain the 14% rise in drinking and explore other ways to tame your stress, we turned to Dr. Jamie Huysman.
Dr. Huysman, chief compassion officer at Wellmed, says that the pandemic has taught us we need to find ways to manage our stress. Breath work, meditation, and hobbies can all lower stress levels.
"If you start with trauma reduction techniques, like breathing in for four seconds and blowing out for eight seconds, you're going to find that that's a start, and that calms you down," he says.
Connecting with positive people around you will also help you feel better. Staying away from toxic people and being able to form healthy bonds with people who fuel you rather than drain you is an easy way to do this.
If you used to love baking or running but gave it up during quarantine, getting back into it now can be life changing.
"If you can get into your passion, you can find that sort of thing that blows your hair back," he says. "You're not going to need that alcohol...you'll be just in that zen place of passion."
