Healthy Ways to Relax and Ease Stress

More often, Stress is inevitable. It’s a normal part of everyday life.

What we do about our Stress levels though spells the difference. For instance, there are healthier ways to deal with Stress and keep it at a manageable level. Number one is to keep a positive mindset. Two: there are healthy things you can do with your body to help ease any feelings of fatigue and/or tension. Here are 3 healthy ways to relax and keep stress at bay:

1 – Breathing Slow and Relaxing

When you live your life too fast, your heart rate also goes faster and faster. New York City psychologist Fred Muench, Ph.D. says that, “Slowing down to five or six breaths a minute lowers your pressure and calms your mind.” So start breathing slow when everything turns hectic. You will feel much more relaxed and your heart will also thank you for it. To practice slow breathing, take some time in the shower inhaling for five seconds then exhaling for six. Repeat five to six times per minute.

2 – Exercise Regularly

Working out doesn’t only help you maintain a healthy weight; it also helps you reduce any feelings of tension. Even women who suffer from chronic fatigue and/or diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder can benefit from exercising regularly. Exercise has the ability to decrease stress hormones like cortisol, while also increasing the body’s endorphins or feel good hormones. Aside from this, a British study also found that six weeks of resistance training can significantly calm worries. Sixty percent of participants with generalized anxiety disorder were no longer diagnosed after doing six weeks of resistance workouts.

3 – Staying Hydrated

When you exercise though, make sure that you re-hydrate after every workout. A decrease of even just 1% of your body’s fluids can darken your mood and increase your tension. This is one finding from a multi-university study. Don’t replenish your fluid levels though by drinking coffee and/or other drinks with caffeine. Again, a British study reported that about 15 to 25% of people are more susceptible to severe anxiety genetically once triggered by caffeine or coffee. So make sure that you avoid even just mild dehydration and always keep a water bottle ready.

Generally, if you keep a healthy body, then your mind will also follow. If you have a strong mind and a healthy body, then you can be immune or ready to handle any type of stress. 

3 Steps Towards Beating Stress

Stress can get to us in several ways, you might have a stressful job, maybe you and your significant other are not getting along, or maybe your dog won't stop peeing on the couch. Regardless of where your stress is coming from, life is stressful and we often forget how much stress can effect our bodies in a negative way. Stress is probably the most common illness these days. There are a lot of factors that could lead to stress and stress could also lead to other related disorders or diseases – depression, chronic fatigue, migraines, cardiovascular diseases, and anxiety. A great way to get relief from stress and prevent the onset of these more serious illnesses is 1) to keep a healthy mental attitude and 2) to get help from a certified professional.

1 – Mindfulness Meditation

There is at least one very good reason why you shouldn’t stress yourself out any further if you already are physically drained and/or have an emotional burden. Whining and worrying won’t do you any good, and in fact it would only even make things worse.

Elizabeth Hodge, M.D. of Harvard Medical School explains that when you worry too much and imagine bad things will happen, you will experience a surge of erratic thoughts and emotions and physical reactions. You will experience these even if nothing bad has actually happened. You can learn how to (peacefully) watch your thoughts though – without getting your mind and body to over-react. Practice mindfulness and meditation. You can visit mentalworkout.com/store/ to access Mindfulness Meditation™ program.

2 – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Another technique to beat stress, depression, and anxiety is through A.C.T. or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This is all about keeping a positive outlook in life even if you are stressed or over-fatigued. Don’t focus on your problems, and instead think about all the good things you care about. This simply means learning to live with it all, no matter what condition you are in. You can go to contextualpsychology.org/act_for_the_public to learn more about A.C.T.

3 – Seek Help from an Expert (Cognitive Behavioral Therapist)

One of the worse things that could happen when you are not able to take charge of your stress level is that it could lead to a severe anxiety disorder. If your incessant worrying and lack of concentration is already interfering with your job or family/personal life, then it probably is the best time to seek help from a professional.

Undergoing CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will help you confront your distorted thoughts, calm your responses, and gradually help you adjust to your emotions and fears. Your therapist may also suggest that you take antidepressant medications and you shouldn’t worry. These days the first typical options are not habit-forming drugs like Valium or Xanax.

You can perform a self-screening test at adaa.org/ to know whether you already need a CBT. (You can also find a therapist thru the site.) You can also visit abct.org/shbooks/ to grab a book or books about CBT.

Top Ten Ways to Relieve Stress Using Visualization Techniques

The Top Ten Ways to Relieve Stress Using Visualization Techniques

 
Too much stress can cause major problems including restlessness, muscle tension, depression, migraines, and can sometimes be associated with heart disease.  In order to avoid these serious conditions, it is important to pay attention to your body and to do exercises to lower your stress levels. Visualization Techniques for stress relief have to do with visualizing yourself in a better place. Below are 10 tips to help you along the road to a life with a reduced amount of stress.

1. Find a place where you can relax.

Fill your bathtub with lavender and bubbles and a bath pillow and lie back, or grab a few pillows and lay down in your bed. Sometimes it is hard to find a place to be alone and to relax. Make sure that if you live in a busy house, to find a way to give yourself some alone time every day in order to help lower the amount of stress in your life.

2. Find your happy place.

I’m sure you have heard the term “happy place” used by a therapist or a friend who sees a therapist. Don’t laugh, many people use this technique to decrease anxiety, or to stop an oncoming panic attack and it truly does work. It may take a while to find the perfect happy place, but it is important to pick one that works for you. If you have a fear of sharks, than imagining yourself on the beach might not work for you.  

3. Set a timer.

It is important to give yourself 10 minutes or more to relax in order for this to work. Set your timer for 10 minutes and do not let yourself come back from your happy place until the timer goes off.

4. Close your eyes and visualize.

Once you have your happy place, lay back and envision yourself there, imagine all the details around you, are you reading on a beach with a soft breeze blowing through your hair, are you laying on a floating chair in a pool in your back yard letting the warm of the sun warm you to the core? Imagine your body relaxing in a calm and secluded area. 

5. Let your body relax.

As you imagine yourself in your happy place, be aware of your body and let go of any tension you feel as you lie there.

6. Dismiss negative or stressful thoughts

Sometimes when a person is visualizing their happy place, they let their mind wander to a stressful thought or they let dark things enter their happy place. Sometimes it is easy to dismiss the thoughts and focus on the happy place again, but in other cases you might need to choose a new happy place and start over. There are no stressful or negative thoughts allowed when in your happy place.

7. Breathe in positive energy breathe out negative energy

As you breathe, envision yourself breathing in the positive energy located in your happy place and when you breathe out envision yourself depositing all of that negativity away from you.

8. Focus!

Sometimes it is hard for people to focus. They have many thoughts running through their head all at once. Sometimes it helps to start out by just focusing on your breathing or to purchase a cd that can guide you to a happy place and talk you through the relaxation. This way you can focus on what you are being asked to do. This can be easier for some people.

9. Enjoy it!

This should be a relaxing and happy time for you. Make this time your own. Put on your favorite pajamas, light your favorite scented candle, and do what you need to do to make this time as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.

10. Remind yourself that you can always go back to your happy place.

Your happy place should be an imaginary personal paradise that you can return to by just closing your eyes and breathing when you need to.