Ways to Help Reduce Stress

When life gets hectic, you need a break. Continuous stress can wear out your body and mind. In fact, a 2015 article in the "International Journal of Stress Management" says that stress has been shown to decrease job satisfaction, reduce concentration, impair decision making skills, and leave you feeling sad and exhausted. Because of its toll on your well-being, you should find time and ways to reduce your level of stress.

DEEP BREATHING

Deep breathing exercises help to calm the heart and refocus the mind. Start by relaxing the body and closing your eyes. While focusing on inflating your lower abdomen, breathe in slowly and deeply through your nostrils for a period of five seconds, hold the breath for three seconds and then release it through your mouth. Repeat this exercise as necessary but be careful not to overdo it as you may begin to feel dizzy.

PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION

Progressive relaxation helps to free yourself of muscular tension built up by stress. Begin by lifting your eyebrows, holding a smile or frown, and stretching your mouth like a yawn. Hold these poses for about five seconds, then relax. Move down your body, stretching your neck, back, arms, fingers, legs, toes and all of the other parts that feel stressed out. As you unwind, sit quietly for a moment and allow yourself to relax. Taking the time to de-stress your muscles should improve your mood and lower your overall stress level.

VISUAL IMAGERY

Visual imagery distracts your mind from its current problems and worries so that you can have a second to breathe easily. Start by closing your eyes and imagining whatever makes you feel most relaxed--lying in the arms of a loved one, lying on a beach blanket next to the ocean or watching the sunset from the top of a mountain. Picture yourself feeling the warmth of another's touch, the sand beneath your toes or the cool breeze of the wind against your skin. As you drift off into your fantasy world, you should feel more liberated from your stress. In the best case scenario, find the time to actually take a vacation.

EXERCISE

The Mayo Clinic states that beyond aiding your physical health, exercise benefits your mental health by relieving you of stress. In fact, it enhances your mood by improving your confidence, reduces the production of stress hormones, and distracts your mind from less beneficial thoughts by focusing it on your muscles and the exercise at hand. Although your busy life may not allow for much time to work out, finding even a half hour each day may benefit you significantly in the long run. Also, involve your family as you can and commit to a consistent routine of any sort of aerobic activity, such as jogging, biking, hiking, swimming or dancing.

REFERENCES

• San Francisco Unified School District: Stress Reduction Activities
• Prevalence of Yoga as an Alternative Therapy

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