These are quick and easy to make and really pack a punch. The crisp pepper goes perfectly with any type of meat, and is sturdy enough to hold as many toppings as you’d like! Cut the pepper in half, take the seeds out, and you’re ready to make your sandwich. Check out this recipe here.
2.) Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Rasin Sandwich
Via: honeydewyouloveme.blogspot.com
This protein packed sandwich will leave you feeling satisfied for hours. Cut and core the apple, and fill it with peanut butter. The chocolate chips and raisins are optional, but they’re a great choice! Check out this delicious recipe here.
Advertising
3.) Koya Tofu Sandwiches
Via: justbento.com
For these, you’re going to need to soak the tofu for 5-10 minutes. You then fry the tofu in a skillet, until golden brown. Choose your toppings and fill your sandwich! Get the recipe here!
4.) Butternut Flatbreads
Via: empoweredsustenance.com
These butternut flatbreads are made with a unique ingredient… Gelatin! Of course, you can skip this if you feel uneasy about putting gelatin into your bread. However, it won’t be as chewy (if that’s what you’re looking for)! You can bake them from 12 to 17 minutes, depending on how crisp you want them. Find the recipe here.
Advertising
5.) Cucumber Subs
Via: makethebestofeverything.com
This cucumber sandwich is perfect for any type of meat. You can also use chicken or tuna salad! Cut the cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds and fill it up! Find the recipe here.
6.) Italian Chickpea Sandwiches
Via: allrecipes.com
This gluten-free bread is filled with herbs and is super easy to make. It only requires 8 ingredients and cooks in just 15 minutes. I definitely recommend this recipe, you can find it here!
Advertising
7.) Italian Sub Roll-Ups
Via: health-bent.com
This paleo wrap is genius! Use the meat for a sturdier sandwich, instead of the lettuce! Lay out some meat, fill it with your favorite toppings, and wrap it up! You can find this recipe here.
8.) Tomato Burgers
Via: theironyou.com
Tomatoes are moist, juicy, gluten free, and have little to no carbs. It’s no secret why tomatoes make the perfect alternative to hamburger buns. Once you cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the seeds, and grill them for a few minutes, you’ll be able to stuff your favorite toppings (such as cheese and lettuce) inside the holes so there’s no mess! You can find the recipe here.
Advertising
9.) Plantain Tortilla Wraps
Via: zenbellycatering.com
These wraps are amazing. Plantains are healthy, however, you don’t want to eat these raw. They have a very bitter taste, but when you cook them your taste buds will sing with joy. You’ll need a food processor in order to purée the plantains, and then you can add the rest of the ingredients. Did I mention they only take 15 minutes to bake? You can find the recipe here.
10.) Sweet Potato Buns
Via: platedwithstyle.com
These healthy buns are filled with honey, coconut milk, lemon juice, and of course sweet potatoes. They’re easy to make, and the recipe can be adjusted to fit your taste. All you have to do is cook the sweet potato in the oven until it’s soft, then purée it with the other ingredients. Give these a try- find the recipe here.
11.) Buckwheat Flatbread Sandwiches
Via: food.com
This flatbread isn’t considered paleo because it includes some grains. However, it’s packed with flavors and textures that you won’t be able to find anywhere else! It takes about two days to make, considering you have to soak the dry ingredients with water, oil, and apple cider vinegar. When the seeds rise to the top of the bowl, you’ll be ready to bake! You can find the recipe here.
Everyone experiences mental stress at one time or another. Maybe you’re starting a new career, job, or business, or you feel incredibly overwhelmed between work, parenting, and your love life (or a lack of it). It could even be that you simply feel that you have way too much to do and not enough time to do it, plus, on top of everything, nothing seems to be going the way it should!
Yup, we all experience mental stress from time-to-time, and that’s okay as long as you have the tools, techniques and knowledge that allow you to fully relieve it once it comes.
Here are 5 tips for relieving mental stress when it comes so you can function at your best while feeling good (and doing well) in work, love, or life:
1. Get Rationally Optimistic
Mental stress starts with your perception of your experiences. For instance, most people get stressed out when they perceive their reality as “being wrong” in some way. Essentially, they have a set idea of how things “should be” at any given moment, and when reality ends up being different (not even necessarily bad), they get stressed.
Advertising
This process is simply a result of perception and can be easily “fixed” by recognizing that although life might not always be going as YOU think it should, it’s still going as it should—for your own benefit.
In fact, once you fully recognize that everything in your life ultimately happens for your own growth, progress, and development—so you can achieve your goals and dreams—your perception works in your favor. You soon process and respond to your experience of life differently, for your advantage. That’s the essence of becoming “rationally optimistic.”
The result: no more mental stress.
2. Unplug
Just like you might need to unplug your computer when it starts acting all crazy, you should also “unplug” your mind.
Advertising
How on earth do you unplug your mind? Simple: just meditate.
It isn’t nearly difficult or complicated as some people think, so, if you don’t already meditate, give it a try. Whether you meditate for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours, this is a surefire way to reduce mental stress.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to relax your body (resulting in less mental stress), while also reducing anxiety and high blood pressure.
3. Easy on the Caffeine
Yes, we know, we know—everyone loves a nice java buzz, and that’s okay, but there’s a fine line between a small caffeine pick-me-up and a racing heart and mind that throws you into a frenzy of mental stress.
Advertising
Try giving up caffeine for a while and see how you feel. And, if that’s completely out of the question for you, at least try to minimize it. You might find that lots of your mental stress mysteriously “disappears” as your caffeine intake goes down.
4. Attack Mental Stress Via the Back Door
That’s right: your body and mind are part of the whole being, and are constantly influencing and affecting each other. If you’re experiencing a lot of mental stress, try to reduce it by calming your body down—a calm body equals a calmer mind.
How do you calm your body down and reduce physical stress? A great way to reduce physical stress (thereby reducing mental stress) is to take natural supplements that are proven to reduce stress and anxiety while lifting your mood. Three good ones to look into are kava-kava, St John’s wort, and rhodiola rosea:
Kava-kava is a natural plant known to have mild sedative properties, and you should be able to find it at your natural health food store or vitamin store. It’s available in capsules or liquid extract form.
St John’s wort is a natural flower used to treat depression. Again, it’s found at your local health store in capsules or liquid. Because it uplifts mood (enabling you to see the brighter side of all experiences) it helps relieve mental stress as well.
Rhodiola rosea is a natural plant shown to reduce stress and uplift mood, and Russian athletes have been using it forever. Like the other two supplements mentioned, rhodiola rosea can be found at your natural health store in capsule or liquid form.
While these supplements are all natural and can be very helpful for most people, always check with your health care provider first as they can cause side-effects depending on your current health situation etc.
Advertising
5. Good Old-Fashioned Exercise
This tip has been around forever because it works. Nothing relieves mental stress like running, kickboxing—you name it. Anything super-physical will wipe out most of your mental stresses once the exercise endorphins (happy chemicals) are released into your brain.
The result: mental stress will be gone!
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or just plain stressed, try using some of the above tips. You can even print this out or save it to refer to regularly.
