Stress has become a common, everyday occurrence in the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life. Between working, school, kids, finances (or lack thereof), spouses, bosses, and the constant display of bad news coming in at us through the media from all over the world, it’s no wonder stress has become a major problem in our culture.
There are some pretty serious health risks to a high-stress lifestyle such has heart disease, obesity (from emotional eating or stress eating as well as the hormonal changes), headaches, depression and anxiety, along with a multitude of other possible conditions. Therefore, it’s important to learn techniques and coping mechanisms that will help you better handle stress on a daily basis. While it’s recommended to make some lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, there are things you can do at the moment of onset.
Something to keep in mind is that we all have days where we are more irritable and stressed than usual. The first thing you want to do is accept that it’s okay to have a bad day. Promise yourself that you will take steps to reduce the impact of stress. Accepting yourself and your own behavior will go a long way.
Top 5 In-The-Moment Stress Relief Techniques
1. Breathe! Breathing is a major stress reducer. Taking a moment to close your eyes and focus on your breath, paying particular attention to the path the air is taking in through your nose and filling the lungs and then back out again, is impressively therapeutic. The idea is to breathe deeply. Take anywhere from 3 to 10 deep inhalations and full exhalations. Think “in with the good, out with the bad.” It will not make the problem itself go away, but it will clear your mind and relieve tension.
2. Take a walk. If you have to excuse yourself to go and take a walk outside or throughout an office building, then do so politely. Be honest and forthright. Say something like, “Look, I’m really sorry, but I need to take a walk and clear my head for a few minutes.” Most people, including bosses, will understand and have no problem with this, so long as it isn’t excessive or for long periods of time.
3. Tighten and relax your muscles. Intentionally tighten all the muscle groups in your body for a 5-second count and then release them. You can do this as a whole-body tighten and release, or do it for individual muscles.
4. Yoga. The teachings of yoga are focused on reducing stress and living a more balanced life. It has numerous benefits both for the body and the mind, so adding yoga to your routine 2 to 3 times a week would make a big difference.
5. Music therapy has been shown to be immensely helpful in reducing stress. Researchers and practitioners suggest soft, soothing music, not the kind that activates the agitated and restless parts of your brain such as punk rock and metal music. You may enjoy that kind of music, but it’s likely to incite more anger and tension in these moments. Binaural beats, a special form of sound production, can be greatly therapeutic as well.
Let us know how these steps to reduce stress has helped you.
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