Stress affects everyone, so it is critical to identify, understand, and practice your own ways to cope with stress.

With fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes focused on reducing stress, Wellbeats offers engaging content to help you calm the mind, bring awareness to the present moment, and build resilience into your every day.

Breathing, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mindfulness are five areas of focus to consider as you work toward managing stress and reducing its negative impact.

1. Breathing to Cope with Stress

Relaxing, deep breathing can help reduce stress and relieve tension by clearing your mind. Focusing on your breath helps calm your nervous system by decreasing your heart rate, slowing your breath, and lowering your blood pressure.

Wellbeats Class: Breathing Challenge

By reconnecting with your breath, you’ll clear your mind. This quick breathing challenge is perfect to clear your head and refocus with effective breathing techniques. Already a Wellbeats member? Try our Breathing Challenge class now.

2. Exercise to Cope with Stress

In addition to benefiting your overall health, exercise has some direct stress-relief benefits. Physical activity increases your body’s production of endorphins, serving as a natural mood booster. It also improves blood flow and oxygen use within your body, positively impacting your brain. By shifting your focus from your thoughts toward your body, physical activity may simply aid in taking your mind off stressors as well.

Wellbeats Class: Stress Relief

This fun cardio workout uses kickboxing moves to elevate your heart rate, reduce stress, and boost your mood. Already a Wellbeats member? Try our Stress Relief class now.

3. Nutrition to Cope with Stress

Food can work for you or against you in combatting stress, and well-nourished bodies are better equipped to cope with stress. Cooking healthy, nutritious meals with nutrient-rich ingredients not only provide physical benefits, but you may find the act of cooking itself to be soothing.

Wellbeats Class: Cooking to Reduce Stress

In this class, Chef Marshall will help you relieve stress by guiding you through stress-reducing foods as he demonstrates a simple recipe for creamy avocado chicken salad. Try the recipe now.

4. Sleep to Cope with Stress

Getting enough sleep is crucial to stress management as sleep is the time when both your brain and body recharge. Sleep affects your mood, energy level, and ability to concentrate. Adequate sleep equips you to tackle stress more easily.

Wellbeats Class: Eat Better, Sleep Better

This class breaks down the relationship between nutrition and sleep, including how much sleep you should be getting, tips for improving your sleep, and even some recommended foods to eat before bedtime. Already a Wellbeats member? Try our Eat Better, Sleep Better class now.

5. Mindfulness to Cope with Stress

A form of mental training, mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of awareness of your thoughts, emotions, or experiences in the present moment. It lowers the body’s stress response.

Wellbeats Class: Mindfulness 101

Learn about mindfulness in this interview with Lacey Melguizo, a certified meditation teacher and mindfulness educator. You’ll learn techniques for being more present, recommended exercises, tips for getting started, and the benefits of practicing mindfulness. Already a Wellbeats member? Try our Mindfulness 101 class now.

It’s important to remember that everyone experiences stress. It’s a normal part of life. Too much stress, however, negatively impacts your body, health, and wellbeing. Effective stress management is crucial to taking care of your physical health and mental wellbeing.

About Wellbeats, a LifeSpeak company

Wellbeats, a LifeSpeak company is a leading provider of on-demand virtual fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes for use in workplaces of all sizes, health plans, on college or university campuses, multi-family housing, the U.S. military, and fitness and health clubs. Based in St. Louis Park, MN, Wellbeats makes fitness accessible, affordable, and approachable for everyone. More than 1,000 classes and 30+ programs are available to help members stay on track and meet their goals. To learn more, visit www.wellbeats.com or check out a sampling of the company’s fitness classes during a Facebook Live class, and follow Wellbeats on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.