8 ideas for fighting stress and relaxing at home

Stress and high blood sugar go hand in hand. Instead of seeking food or mindless television as solace for your tension and anxiety, try one of these soothing approaches.

• In an era of cell phones, email and social media, penning a letter and hand-addressing the envelope is a gratifying return to simpler ways, not to mention a wonderful way to keep in touch with those you love.

And what a treat it will be when the return letters start outnumbering the junk mail and bills in your mailbox.

• Teatime is relaxing, and anything that keeps stress hormones from raising your blood sugar is a blessing.

But green tea, one of the healthiest types of tea, also has real health benefits. According to the University of Maryland, green tea may provent coronary artery disease. It also lowers overall cholestrol.

• Buy a rocking chair for your living room.

Screen one of your favourite movies and keep the rocking chair going for the duration. It may not seem like much effort, but over the course of a nostalgic evening, that's more foot and calf stretching than you realize!

• Your living room may have wall-to-wall carpeting, but that doesn't mean you should stroll around barefoot.

Protecting your feet is too important for people with diabetes, particularly if the condition has left you with reduced feeling in your feet, which makes it more difficult for you to tell if your feet are injured.

Even on that plush carpet, it's still possible to step on sharp objects or stub a toe. If you have hard flooring in your living areas, wear shoes or slippers that provide cushioning under your feet and support around the ankles.

Reading is relaxing — and it can also be motivating.

• How many of those books by your easy chair have some element of health, sports or physical activity? If your answer is "none," visit the library and ask for recommendations that will put you in an active, healthy mindset.

Check out a travel guide and plot out an active vacation or look for inspiring tales of people who have overcome major obstacles; they will make yours seem infinitely small and highly manageable.

• Natural light boosts your levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.

Not much sun outside your window? You can also buy bulbs that simulate natural sunshine; their blue wavelength, which is missing in conventional light bulbs, makes all the difference.

Blaring, jarring noises make your living space more stressful.

• Outfit your television, computer and audio systems with headphones so that their users won't fill the house with unwanted sound.
• Carpet your living room if possible, and favour upholstered furniture.
• If you and your partner use noisy appliances frequently, strike an agreement with him or her to establish some quiet hours.
• If noise from the outside is a real problem, consider installing noise-reducing windows.

• Decorating your home in warm yellow, gold, orange and red tones will warm up your mood, too.

Rehabilitation facilities use this golden colour scheme to keep patients upbeat and happy because it mimics the effect of sunlight.

These eight techniques can help you feel more relaxed at home. And with less stress, you'll have a better chance of keeping your blood sugar at a normal level.