95% of French people are stressed or anxiousaccording to an IFOP survey dating from March 2022. If stress can almost seem normal on a daily basis, it can actually lead to many health consequences. On the long term, chronic stress promotes cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases like stomach ulcersdermatological disorders, addictive behaviors, depression and can weaken the immune system.
While it is possible to prevent stress through a healthy professional and family environment, a good sleep schedule, or even the practice of certain activities such as and yoga, other tips can help combat the anxious feeling when it has already set in. Furthermore, neurologist Olivier Sillam, alias @drolivier_sillam on his social networks, shared on TikTok 4 tips to relieve stress.
Stress, anxiety: here are the 4 recommendations from a neurologist to apply every day
Not being stressed is beneficial for well-being and health. In his TikTok video, the neurologist details the 4 simple techniques he recommends to his patients to reduce their stress daily.
Cardiac coherence
The expert highlights the potential of cardiac coherence to relieve stress easily and effectively. “The principle is quite simple, we will use breathing to try to synchronize our breathing, our heart and our brain”, he explains. But what does this technique consist of? ? “In practice, you have to breathe for 5 seconds then exhale for 5 seconds, all for around 3 minutes minimum”, explains Olivier Sillam. To make the most of the benefits of cardiac coherence, he recommends practicing it 2 to 3 times a day, in the morning, in the evening, and possibly in the afternoon, to see your stress levels decrease. According to him, “the effect felt is almost immediate and it will accumulate over the days to reach a maximum around 15 days”. For the neurologist, this technique works in all cases, and it is simple to test, because you just need to follow your breathing. To do this better, he recommends using a visual guide, available on social networks.
Regular physical activity
To accompany this relaxation technique, Olivier Sillam recommends practice regular physical activity. Indeed, sport allows you to exercise and clear your head, while remaining in physical shape. “I recommend that patients do regular physical activity, it is really very important, because sport, for different reasons, will really reduce stress levels.”, explains the expert. He recommends doing sports 2 to 3 times a week, focusing on activities that get your heart pumping. He adds that “besides that, we can add slightly relaxing activitiesyou yoga, tai chiso-called psycho-corporeal activities”.
A varied diet
Diet is a crucial lever for staying in good physical and mental health, which is why the doctor advises us not to neglect it when we feel stressed. “A varied diet is also essentialyou must ensure that you have a good intake of fruits and vegetables, vitamins, magnesium in particular”, he recalls. To limit stress, it is therefore essential to adopt A balanced dietin order to benefit from all the nutrients necessary for good health.
Help from a professional
If relaxation and healthy lifestyle techniques do not work to control stress, the neurologist advises turn to a professional for help. “When stress levels are too high, I recommend getting help from a therapist, this can be depending on our affinities, a psychologist, an acupuncturist, or someone who practices hypnosis”, he explains. Regardless of the professional chosen, Olivier Sillam insists on the importance of not being alone with your stress.
Stress management: what about meditation?
And meditation is a well-known relaxation method for stress management, the neurologist does not automatically recommend it to all people with anxiety. “Even though I praise the merits of meditation, it is not the technique that I first suggest to my patients who suffer from stress, because it is not that easy to get started, it takes good will, find a conducive framework, then you can often have the impression of not succeeding at the beginning, which can sometimes paradoxically worsen stress”, he explains.
@drolivier_sillam Often stressed?? A few tips #neurology #medicine #stress #anxiete #coherencecardiaque
Sources :
- Health: 95% of French people are stressed or anxious according to the study carried out by Ifop for Mes Bienfaits – March 2022
- Stress – World Health Organization
