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| Top 10 Stress Relievers:
The Best Ways To Feel Better |
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| There are many ways to reduce tension and relax.
Here are ten stress relievers that are the are most effective
for the amount of work and time involved. Some can be learned in
the time it takes to read this page, while others take a little
more practice, but there's something here for everyone! |
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- Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing is an easy stress reliever that has numerous
benefits for the body, including oxygenating the blood,
which ‘wakes up’ the brain, relaxing muscles and quieting
the mind. Breathing exercises are especially helpful because
you can do them anywhere, and they work quickly so you can
de-stress in a flash. The Karate Breathing Meditation is a
great exercise to start with.
- Meditation
Meditation builds on deep breathing, and takes it a step
further. When you meditate, your brain enters an area of
functioning that’s similar to sleep, but carries some added
benefits you can’t achieve as well in any other state,
including the release of certain hormones that promote
health. Also, the mental focus on nothingness keeps your
mind from working overtime and increasing your stress level.
- Guided Imagery
It takes slightly more time to practice guided imagery, but
this is a great way to leave your stress behind for a while
and relax your body. Some find it easier to practice than
meditation, as lots of us find it more doable to focus on
‘something’ than on ‘nothing’. You can play natural sounds
in the background as you practice, to promote a more
immersive experience.
- Visualization
Building on guided imagery, you can also imagine yourself
achieving goals like becoming healthier and more relaxed,
doing well at tasks, and handling conflict in better ways.
Also, visualizing yourself doing well on tasks you’re trying
to master actually functions like physical practice, so you
can improve your performance through visualizations as well!
- Self-hypnosis
Self-hypnosis incorporates some of the features of guided
imagery and visualizations, with the added benefit of
enabling you to communicate directly you’re your
subconscious mind to enhance your abilities, more easily
give up bad habits, feel less pain, more effectively develop
healthier habits, and even find answers to questions that
may not be clear to your waking mind! It takes some practice
and training, but is well worth it. Learn more about using
hypnosis to manage stress in your life.
- Massage Therapy
Your sense of touch is closely linked to your state of mind
and is vital to your sense of well-being. In fact, babies
who are not touched enough can fail to thrive and even die!
Work with this need by getting a massage from a friend or a
professional. If neither is available, you can use a
self-massager, which will also work great in promoting
circulation, releasing tension, and helping you feel more
relaxed.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation
By tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in your body,
you can relieve tension and feel much more relaxed in
minutes, with no special training or equipment. Start by
tensing all the muscles in your face, holding a tight
grimace ten seconds, then completely relaxing for ten
seconds. Repeat this with your neck, followed by your
shoulders, etc. You can do this anywhere, and as you
practice, you will find you can relax more quickly and
easily, reducing tension as quickly as it starts!
- Sex
You probably already know that sex is a great tension
reliever, but have you officially thought of it as a
stress-relieving practice? Perhaps you should. The physical
benefits of sex are numerous, and most of them work very
well toward relieving stress. Sadly, many people have less
sex when their stress levels are high.
- Music
Music therapy has shown numerous health benefits for people
with conditions ranging from mild (like stress) to severe
(like cancer). When dealing with stress, the right music can
actually lower your blood pressure, relax your body and calm
your mind. Here are some suggestions of different types of
music to listen to for effective stress management.
- Yoga
Yoga is one of the oldest self-improvement practices around,
dating back over 5 thousand years! It combines the practices
of several other stress management techniques such as
breathing, meditation, imagery and movement, giving you a
lot of benefit for the amount of time and energy required.
Learn more about how to manage stress with yoga.
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