If you've been more stressed, more irritable and have been stress eating more during the coronavirus pandemic, you are certainly not alone. In fact, Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed that 90% of his "Dr. Oz Show" audience reported an increased amount of anxiety during the pandemic.
If you can't already tell that you're stressed, one indicator of chronic stress, Dr. Oz says, is your posture. Learn how to check your own posture here — and how to fix it if it's not so great.
As for the million-dollar question of how to deal with increased levels of stress, Dr. Oz has three things you can do every day to help yourself cope.
1. Do a Walking Stairs Exercise For 7 Minutes a Day
"Especially for women, walking stairs is hugely beneficial," the doctor says. "The exercise releases hormones — not the cortisol hormones, but serotonin, dopamine, the feel-good hormones. They get blocked during stress. That's why stress is so detrimental to our emotional well-being. You don't have to walk a lot. Just walking stairs for seven minutes a day reduces the risk of heart disease by up to two-thirds. There was a study called the Million Women Study based on a million women from the UK — but given 10 minutes of some activity a day dramatically changed how well they did in cope of stress."
2. Massage Acupressure Point On Your Hand
Locate the acupressure point on your hand between your thumb and index finger and massage it for five minutes. "It will lower your cortisol levels [and] release oxytocin," Dr. Oz explains, "which is really effective at reducing stress in your body."
3. Know + Limit Your Stress Triggers & Lean On Your Supporters
If social media is a stress trigger for you, for example, be mindful of it. "There are screen time limits that you can set on your phone," the doctor says. "Take advantage of them."
Plus, lean on friends and family, Dr. Oz says. "The most important way to deal with stress is each other. We are the safety net for each other."
BONUS: Dr. Oz's Stress-Calming Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast
