Six Stress Relief Techniques that Actually Work
Let’s face it, all of us have to deal with stress at some point in our lives. Money, career, kids, commuting…these are just some of the common causes of stress people might face.
When these things begin to add up, it can make us lose focus and become short tempered. It can also affect our physical health causing us to lose sleep and increasing our risk of potentially fatal diseases.
Eliminating stress completely can be just about impossible, but there are things you can do to make it easier to manage and make life more bearable in general. Here are a few techniques that are recommended.
#1: Meditation
When we think of stress relieving techniques, meditation is probably the first thing that comes to mind. It gives us a chance to take time out to relax and focus on what’s ahead of us. We can train our minds to minimize problems and concentrate on the present making issues that may exist in the future and the past seem less consequential.
#2: Deep Breathing
While meditation is an effective way to minimize stress, it is not always possible to escape to a secluded place where you can achieve a meditative state. Deep breathing, however, is an intrinsic part of meditation and it can be done just about anywhere at any time.
To effectively relieve stress, concentrate on taking deep breaths while disengaging your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations. This technique can not only reduce anxiety, it has also been known to help those with eating disorders to think about their bodies in a more positive way.
#3: Body Scan
A body scan combines deep breathing and muscle relaxation. To perform a body scan, breath deeply while concentrating on certain parts of your body mentally releasing any tension you feel there. Include every body part to achieve full relaxation. This can help build a powerful mind body connection while minimizing stress.
#4: Exercise
Exercise is terrific stress relief. It works to boost endorphins to relieve anxiety and depression. The activity will also help you focus on your body to take your mind off distressing thoughts. In addition to minimizing stress, it has also been shown to boost confidence, promote relaxation and improve sleep patterns.
#5: Yoga, Tai Chi and Quigong
Although any type of exercise can eliminate stress, these three types of exercises are particularly relaxing. Though they all differ slightly, they all involve going through a series of postures and slow movements while breathing deeply. They emphasize a mental focus that can calm racing thoughts while improving flexibility and balance.
#6: Guided Imagery
Sometimes just taking a break from your day to look at a soothing image can help you to relax. Stopping your work to pull up a picture of a nature scenes or even lovely décor can be a great way to relieve stress and boost your mood when things become overwhelming.
Guided imagery takes the relaxation these soothing images provide to the next level with calming audio to go with them. There are several guided imagery apps available that you can download to your devices. Then, when the stress starts to build up, just pull up one of these apps for a quick pick me up during your busy day.
Conclusion
Stress can be too much for anyone to deal with. Luckily there are several techniques you can use to keep it from getting the best of you. Which of these will you be using to keep yourself feeling happy and relaxed?
