I’d like to start this Monday off by sharing some stress relief tips that I’ve found useful over the years…
STRESS RELIEF TIPS
by Lin Turner
With so many illnesses linked to high levels of stress, learning to attain stress relief successfully can be a matter of life and death. This set of tried and true techniques gives you a number of choices to help you get some stress relief in your life.
If you’ve lost your sense of humor, find it immediately. When you laugh, even smile, endorphins (those pain-killing hormones that make you feel good) are released and levels of stress hormones drop. Create a stress relief kit stocked with your favorite stress-busting devices from comics to clown noses, whatever tickles your own funny bone. Keep this kit handy at all times. You never know when a good belly laugh will save the day.
Breathe deeply. Pay attention to your breathing. When you get stressed, your breathing becomes short and shallow. By consciously slowing down your breath, your thoughts and actions will follow suit. Visualize something soothing as you breathe fully and deeply.
Put yourself in “time out.” Adults need the opportunity to separate themselves from the action, get quiet, and “think about their behavior”, just as kids do. Call a time out and put some physical and emotional distance between you and the situation.
Take a hike. Give your body a chance to expend a little of that extra “fight or flight” energy it has recruited in response to a perceived threat. If you can’t get outside and let Mother Nature inspire you, climb a few flights of stairs or walk to the water cooler and back.
Nourish your body and your mind. Just as nutritious foods help your body cope with stress, nourishing thoughts are imperative to effective stress management. Telling yourself you can handle any situation and focusing on one thing at a time helps you to stay in control. Although consuming substances like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or drugs may temporarily make you feel less stressed and more in control, if you habitually rely on these substances to deal with stress you will inevitably experience more stress and feel out of control.
Listen to soothing music. Keep a portable cassette or cd player handy with your favorite piece of music ready to whisk you away from the maddening crowd.
Write things down. Creating a “to-do” list will keep you organized and on track. Writing about your feelings in a journal can help you identify and come to terms with some of the issues that are producing stress in your life.
Take a mini-holiday. Go where no man (or woman) has gone before. Or at least go where you have never gone before. Visit an art gallery, your local aquarium, botanical gardens, or planetarium. This gives you a different perspective on things and helps you appreciate life more fully.
Talk it out. Whether it’s with your best friend or your pet parakeet, talking it out helps you to clarify the cause of your stress and identify strategies for dealing with it.
Delegate. Learn to let others do what they can do while you do what you do best.
Reward yourself. Soak in the tub. Get a massage. Allow yourself to shut off the phones and sit quietly for twenty minutes. Meditate. Let yourself receive a compliment without protest. Pet your dog or cat. Open your window and let the breeze blow over you. Feed the birds. Drink a big glass of pure water. Sing loudly and off key. Laugh — a lot!
Let go of your expectations. Release your grip on reality. Accept that people seldom act the way you want them to and situations are seldom what they seem. Let life throw you a challenge.
By the way, I use a CD I created when I get stressed out. Click here to learn more about Cat’s Purr, the CD that’s guaranteed to reduce you to a puddle of relaxation in thirty minutes or less.
