Sometimes the stresses of work and life events take a toll on your overall health. You might find yourself asking – what are some ways that I can relieve stress in the body and mind that builds up without breaking the bank? When you get stressed out it’s essentially a short-term mechanism that activates when you perceive danger – when there rarely is any. The stress generated from this action can be harmful to your health if not managed so let’s cover some simple ways to relieve stress:
1. Meditate
When you start to feel tense throughout the day, focus on your breathing and practice some meditation exercises to release the brain’s bias to hold onto negativity. Meditation is one of the key health practices of mega-successful individuals around the world. Find some stillness in that jam packed day of yours.
2. Do self-massage techniques
Have a tennis ball, medicine ball, or foam roller in your house? Use these easy-to-find and inexpensive devices to perform some self-myofascial release – a fancy word for self-massage. There is a layer of tissue that surrounds your muscles called fascia. Sometimes when the muscles are stressed and tense from sitting for extended periods of time, or previous injuries, the fascia will bunch up in “knots” or trigger points. Putting pressure on these knots can help to release and remobilize that fascia giving you great muscular stress relief. If you’re sitting all day, try foam rolling exercises like foam rolling your glutes, and shoulders. You could also look at investing in a standing desk to reduce the pressure on your lower back.
3. Go for a 10 minute walk
This is a simple one that stems from the guidance that we all need exercise to maintain a healthy mind and body. Doing something as simple as walking puts your body into a state of meditation, thanks to involuntary attention where something holds our attention and allows for reflection. Go for a brisk walk, and brush off the negativity by reflecting on all of the thoughts in your mind one by one.
4. Watch a funny movie
Laughing is an easy way AND fun way to relieve stress. Gather friends and family around a new or old comedy film and enjoy some laughs. I’m sure you’ve heard “laughter is a powerful medicine” before but it’s true – laughter stimulates your organs, activates and relieves stress response, and soothes tension by stimulating circulation and aiding in muscle relaxation. It can also quickly improve your mood.
5. Keep a journal
Reflection has been touched on a few times in this post so far and this point will cover that topic more in depth. Keeping a journal allows you to record the positive and negative events and reflect on them on the next day, the next week, and the next month. This is an extremely useful tool in identifying your triggers so you can manage your stress levels better in the long term. Let out anything and everything you’re feeling – it is the most pure form of reflecting on your cataloged thoughts by capturing your feelings in that ever present moment.
Conclusion
I hope these tips help you to lighten your stress load and work towards becoming a more relaxed individual. Work on building your own relaxation routine that handles your stress triggers as best as you can.
