Easy Stress Relief Techniques

Stress affects many people nowadays. Though you can’t avoid all stress, you can defeat negative effects by learning how to create a “relaxation response”. It is a state of deep rest and compared to the stress response it is positive.

When you are in the critical situation, stress gives your body chemicals which prepare you to “fight or flight”. It is very helpful in the true emergency situations when you have to be alert. But if you are stressed constantly, it wears your body down.

If you want to reduce stress you have to bring your system back into balance by using any of the stress relief techniques. The relaxation response is a great method. In order to reduce stress hormones, you have to do some deep breathing, slow down your heart rate and relax your muscles.

Using relaxation response as a stress relief technique gives you many advantages. It has a calming physical effects. And it has been discovered that it can also increase energy and attention. Moreover it is known that relaxation response have a positive impact on preventing from illnesses, it relieves pains and aches, heightens problem and can boost motivation and productivity. What is great about this technique that it is easy and with regular practice everybody can reduce stress.

Before you start your adventure with relaxation response, you have to know that it is not typical relaxation like: lying on the bed, sleeping, being lazy. Relaxation response is an active process that leads to mind relaxation. It is the best performed when person is awake. When it is trained regularly, it becomes more effective.

There are many relaxation techniques which will help you to achieve the relaxation response. Here are some of them: meditation, yoga, tai chi, deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.

In order to fight with stress effectively, you have to use the most effective stress relief techniques which will enable relaxation response. But if you want to do it really good, you have to practice every day. It is recommended by many experts to take a break every day which lasts about 15 minutes and practice relaxation techniques. You can practice for 30 minutes if you want to achieve better results.

Start your relaxation practice:

First of all, set aside some time in your daily schedule. It is the best way to start practicing the relaxation techniques. Give yourself at least one or two breaks during the day. It can be easier for you to practice in the morning before you go out of home and before completing other responsibilities.

The very important think about relaxation techniques, is that it is better not to practice them if you are very tired. You may wonder why? It is because relaxation techniques can cause tiredness and will to sleep. So it is better to practice when you are fully awake.

If you want these stress relief techniques to bring you better result, choose technique which is the best for you. Try to guess which technique appeals to you more than others. While considering this, you have to think about your own preferences, needs and fitness level. The right technique is the one which satisfies you and fits your lifestyle.

What is better for you?

Do you need social stimulation or alone time? Everything depends you. If you prefer solitude, solo relaxation techniques such as meditation or progressive muscle relaxation will suit you better and give you the power so that your brain will be ready for work. If you are a social person and people surrounding you, help you and being with other gives you the stimuli to do more, you may choose to practice with others.

Reduce your stress with deep breathing

It has been proven that deep breathing is a great and powerful stress relief technique. What is great about it, is that you can learn to do it very fast, and it can be practiced almost everywhere. It provides you with the ability to check your stress levels and to reduce the anxiety and tension when you need it. Deep breathing is a very popular relaxation technique and it is usually combined with other techniques such as aromatherapy for example. All you need to do if you want to practice, is just taking few slow deep breaths.

How to practice deep breathing?

If you want to reduce stress by using breathing technique, you have to breath deeply from abdomen, and get as much air as possible in the lungs. You inhale more oxygen when you take deep breaths from abdomen than when take shallow breaths from upper chest. When you inhale more oxygen, you feel less anxious and tense. So if you feel that you are stressed next time, just take a short break and inhale oxygen with deep breaths for about 10- 15 minutes.

All you have to do is to sit comfortably with the straighten back, put one hand on the chest and the other one on your stomach. When you take a deep breath through your nose, you will feel how hand on your stomach rises, and the hand on your chest moves a little. Exhale the air through your mouth and remember to push as much oxygen as possible while contracting your abdominal muscles. You will feel your hand on the stomach moveing as you exhale whereas your other hand will move very little. Continue breathing through the nose and exhaling through your mouth. Count slowly when you exhale. You can try to lie on the floor if you feel that it is hard for you to breath deep from you abdomen while sitting. If you prefer being on the floor, put a small book on your stomach, and try to breathe so that you see book raising when you inhale and falling when you exhale.

Stress relief with progressive muscle relaxation

Many people use progressive muscle relaxation to get rid of stress. It is another effective and widely used stress relief technique. Progressive muscle relaxation involves a two- step progress and thanks to it, you systematically relax and tense different muscles.

If you practice regularly, this method gives you an intimate familiarity with what tension feels like in a different parts of the body and complete relaxation. Thanks to this awareness, you can spot and defeat the first signs of the muscular tension and stress. When you practice regularly, your body and mind relax faster. If you want to achieve better results, you can combine both deep breathing and muscle relaxation.

Here is the sequence of muscle relaxation: right foot, left foot, right calf, left calf, right thigh, left thigh, hips and buttocks, stomach, chest, back, right arm and hand, left arm and hands, neck and shoulders and at the and face.

It is rather common to start muscle relaxation from the feet and to work with your muscles up to the face. Follow these instructions:

First of all, loosen your clothing, take of your shoes and make yourself comfortable. Relax for few minutes by taking some deep breaths. When you are ready to start, shift your attention on your feet. Take a moment to see how it feels. Then start to tense muscles slowly in your right foot. Squeeze it as tight as you can. Hold for a while. It can be 5 -10 seconds. After this, relax your foot. Notice how the tension from the foot is flowing away and concentrate on the feeling when your foot becomes limp and loose. Let your body stay relaxed for a moment. Breath deeply and slowly. When you feel you are ready, continue the exercises with the left food and then move slowly up through your body from legs, abdomen, back, neck and face. Remember to contract and relax muscles.

Using meditation as a stress relief technique:

Mindfulness meditation is a very popular and effective method while coping with stress, anxiety, negative emotions or even depression. Mindfulness means that you are being full engaged in the present moment, without analyzing the experience. Mindfulness meditation switches your focus on to what is happening now, instead of thinking about sad things and worrying about some problems.

If you want to reduce stress with mindfulness meditation, follow these instructions:

First of all try, body scan. This method encourages mindfulness by focusing you attention on various parts of your body. It is like with progressive muscle relaxation, first you focus on your feet and next you simply you move on to the rest of the body parts. There is one difference, instead of tensing and relaxing your muscles, you focus on how each part of your body feels without labeling the sensations “bad” or “good”.

Another good idea is walking meditation. You don’t have to sit to mediate. Thanks to walking meditation, you are able to focus on the physicality of each step you make. focus on the sensation of your feet touching the ground, feel the wind touching your face and listen to the rhythm of your breath.

Does it happen that you reach for food when you are stressed and consume your meal in a rush? Try mindful eating. It is very simple technique. All you have to do, is just sit down at the table and focus attention on your meal. Don’t watch TV, read the book or talk on the telephone while eating. Instead relax and eat slowly. Take your time and enjoy the meal.

Zoning out is not the same as mindfulness meditation. When you practice mindfulness meditation, you concentrate and then go back to the present moment. But mindfulness meditation is able to change the brain- when regularly practiced it can make stronger the areas associated with joy and relaxation and make weaker those connected with stress and negativity.

What do you need to start a meditation practice?

It is recommended to choose a quiet environment for the meditation. It can be a secluded place in your home, office, garden or other. You can also choose an outdoor place which is peaceful and quiet.

Next, set yourself in a comfortable position. Avoid lying down because it may lead to falling asleep. Then sit up. Remember about having your back straighten. You can sit on the chair or on the floor. If you want, you can try cross-legged position.

Choose a point of focus. You can think of some word or phrase and repeat it during your session. You can also choose to focus on some object in your surroundings to increase your concentration. You can close your eyes if you don’t want to look on any object.

Proper attitude during the meditation is very important. Remember, you don’t have to be worried about distracting thoughts that come to your mind during the session. Don’t fight these thoughts. Instead of this, you can just turn your attention back to your point of focus

Reducing stress with guided imagery:

It has been proven that guided imagery which is a variation on traditional meditation, helps in relieving stress. We can call guided imagery a “visualization”. If it is used as a stress relief technique, it requires you imagine yourself a scene in which you feel happy, relaxed and free to let go all tension and anxiety. You can choose what would you like to imagine the most- it can be a tropical seaside, your favorite forest or other place. This method can be done alone or with therapist.

When you are ready, close your eyes and let your worries go away. Work with your mind and imagine that you are in a restful place. Imagine it as vividly as you can. Try to encourage your brain to show you pictures, to hear the voices and to smell things. It is important to sensor as many details as possible because guided imagery technique works better then. For example you are on the seaside:

See the sun setting over the water, smell the water of the sea, taste the fresh air surrounding you, feel the warm water on you body, hear the birds singing.

 Stress relief with yoga

As you probably already know, yoga is an excellent stress relief technique. Thanks to practicing yoga, both moving and stationary poses combined with deep breathing are performed. Yoga gives you many advantages. It provides you with physical and mental relaxation and contributes to balanced stress level. Yoga also makes your relaxation response stronger.

What type of yoga should I choose?

Almost all yoga styles end in a relaxation pose, there are some styles that emphasize steady, slow movement and gentle stretching. And these are the best styles for reducing stress. You have to look for the labels such as “for stress relief” or “for beginners”. It is not good to choose yoga which includes intense poses and focus on fitness. If you have difficulties which choosing proper style of yoga, consult with doctor or yoga instructor.

The best way to avoid injures during practicing, is to start with yoga by attending special groups or by gaining more knowledge about this method. Once you have started, practice yoga regularly to achieve better results.

Start your yoga practice:

Before you start your yoga exercises, consider your fitness level and other medical issues with your teacher. Don’t forget that there are many types of yoga and in order to suit your problems, you have to choose the proper one. There are yoga classes for different needs, for example yoga for seniors, prenatal yoga, adaptive yoga, hot yoga which is practiced in a heated environment. If you are just starting your yoga adventure, remember that many yoga classes might be too hard for you.

When you want to practice yoga, look for a low- pressure environment where you can learn at your own speed. Don’t prolong with what feels comfortable and always try to repeat all poses your teacher shows. If you can’t do all poses, your teacher can show you alternative ones.