Tips for staying healthy during the late winter season were shared in the February issue of Anne & Stiil by various specialists in their fields, including clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Piret Annus from Studio Tasapisitasakaal.

Since stress and negative emotions are a natural part of life and survival, avoiding stress altogether is not possible. When a stressful situation is short-term, our body handles it well. But if stress becomes chronic, the immune system becomes worn out, because stress hormones are released into the bloodstream that suppress immune function, making us more susceptible to illness and inflammation. Chronic stress affects the entire body, leading to symptoms such as general fatigue, dry eye syndrome, muscle tension, various pains (especially headaches), digestive problems, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, dizziness, reduced concentration and productivity, anxiety, panic attacks, and low mood.

Today’s health professionals emphasize the importance of movement, and this advice should not be underestimated. Constant sitting slows down metabolism and the absorption of nutrients—including vitamins and minerals needed to cope with stress. When everything feels overwhelming, it’s worth standing up for even 10 minutes, doing some stretches or bends, moving around if possible, even stepping into another room or outside. During work, it’s helpful to schedule proper breaks that don’t include work: chat with someone, listen to music, drink tea, do breathing exercises or a 3- to 5-minute meditation. If your thoughts feel stuck, focus on something else for a moment. After a very hectic and stressful day, it’s especially important to help your body process excess cortisol and adrenaline—going for a run or swim can be ideal.

Shallow and rapid chest breathing is often associated with stress and anxiety, so mastering a few breathing exercises is helpful. There are many to choose from, and it’s often necessary to try different ones to find what suits you best. Options for calming the mind include various meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as simple yoga, breathing, and visualization techniques. These are useful during overwhelming moments, when you’re excessively worried, or struggling to fall asleep. Each person is free to choose the practices that suit them, and incorporating any of them into daily life gradually makes one’s lifestyle more balanced, satisfying, and productive.

In my daily work, I often encounter the fear that these practices are too complicated, requiring special time, posture, or environment, or the belief that they simply won’t work. In reality, any mindfulness or meditation practice doesn’t require special skills, time, or place. Today, many apps help integrate these practices into daily life—such as HeadSpace, Breathing Space, Stop, Breathe & Think, Insight Timer, Aura, The Mindfulness App, and Smiling Mind.

If stress affects sleep quality and duration, decreased melatonin also impairs white blood cell function, making us more vulnerable to illness. To cope with worrying, it’s important to recognize your typical worry patterns. A simple method is to observe the thoughts that come to mind. When you notice a worry, ask yourself whether you can realistically solve that work problem in the middle of the night, whether it’s necessary to deal with it now, or whether it can be postponed until tomorrow. Anxious people often have excellent problem-solving skills, but at bedtime, they don’t realize their mind is just cycling through negative scenarios mixed with solutions—so it’s better to delay problem-solving until morning.

A simple method is to focus on your breath: notice the feeling as air enters and exits your body, place a hand on your belly and feel it rise and fall, observe the sensations in your body as you breathe. If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath and sensations. Visualizing a pleasant memory or peaceful place can also help you fall asleep. You can also listen to guided meditations on YouTube or nature sounds.

Apps offer endless options: for example, Calm lets you prioritize your goals—whether it’s enhancing calmness, dealing with anxiety and stress, improving sleep, or increasing gratitude and self-care. Alongside soothing sounds, it offers sleep-promoting meditations and “sleep stories.” Relax Melodies offers different meditations for each day of the week, allows you to set session length, and lets you choose background sounds like flowing rivers, rain, birdsong, wind, or more unusual ones like a cat purring, lullabies, ticking clocks, monk chants, or croaking frogs. Sleep Smart also supports relaxation and better sleep.

In addition to exercise and proper nutrition, it’s essential to maintain a balance between daily obligations and enjoyable activities. If your day is filled only with responsibilities and lacks joy or satisfaction, you must consciously schedule pleasurable activities. Everyone has heard the advice: if your day is tough, end it with something enjoyable—like dinner, a bath, or a movie—and plan something exciting for the weekend. This advice remains valid. However, mechanically doing something enjoyable won’t relieve stress unless you’re mentally present. A nature hike or a favorite film won’t help if your mind is replaying work tasks.

If you’re out walking, focus on your surroundings—what you see, hear, and feel. What are the colors, smells, and sounds? What does the landscape and sky look like? How does your body feel as you breathe in forest or seaside air? If you’re making a delicious dinner, don’t rush or eat absentmindedly while thinking about a conflict at work. Instead, focus on the flavors and smells. And always plan something to look forward to. During difficult times, it helps to know that something nice is coming and that the busy period will eventually pass.

If you want to read more advice from other specialists on how to strengthen resilience, maintain and boost your health, and how to eat and heal correctly, the full article is here:
http://digi.annestiil.ee/teema/tervist-kogu-kevadtalveks?id=80912013

Wishing you health, joy, and mindfulness for the approaching spring!