Discover How to Relax When Life is Very Stressful
Stress is our constant companion. Most of us, despite lots of practice, have unfortunately become experts at increasing our stress level instead of minimizing it.
Learning how to relieve stress is a skill that often eludes us. Luckily, you can learn how to cope with it by making time for relaxing activities. The more stressed you are, the harder it may be to relax.
Discover how to relax your body and mind when you’re feeling stressed:
Stretch
Consciously taking time to stretch your muscles is a great way to reduce your stress levels. All you have to do is sit in an upright position, breathe in deeply, exhale and then stretch one specific muscle group at a time. Your body will feel more relaxed and less tense which will help lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
Exercise
It’s been shown that 30 minutes of exercise can help improve your mood, make you smarter, and even make you better looking. Take a run around your neighborhood or do some push-ups in your garage. Or better yet, take your old Frisbee out from storage and have fun playing with your family in your own yard.
Music
There are various reasons why people listen to music. Music is often soothing and can help relieve stress. For example, listening to the theme from Rocky might make you emotional and feel great, but it might not be the best choice for when you’re feeling agitated. Find music that makes you feel relaxed and calm rather than angry or sad
Meditate
Meditation can be tough at first, but it’s so worth it. You can learn to control your thoughts and relieve your stress. Just focus on your breathing and try to return to this thought whenever you’re distracted by something else. It might take a little practice for you to get used to it, but once you do it’ll be easy.
Connect
Reach out to your friends, family, or even strangers. Some find relaxation in their own company, but others feel better with others around them. You could talk about how you’re feeling and the challenges that are affecting you or alternatively, listen to others by reaching out.
Laugh more
Laughter has been proven to be one of the best natural painkillers for all types of illnesses so it’s worth trying out. Watch your favorite comedy or visit a comedy theater, call up your funniest friend for good banter, or read a joke book. Anything that will make you laugh!
Practice gratitude
During challenging times, it can be difficult to remember all the good that you have in your life. It might also be helpful to keep a list of things that you can feel grateful for. That way, when hard times come up, they won’t overshadow everything else.
Take a nap
During the day, if you need to make yourself feel better, find a quiet, dark place and take a nap for an hour to help your nervous system reset. This can be one of the best things you can do for stress relief.
Stay positive
It is important to have a creative outlet. When you need a break, focus on something positive like remembering the happy times in your life. Creative visualization can help make your time more enjoyable.
Avoid caffeine
We recommend you stop drinking caffeinated beverages. Caffeine and stress don’t go together well. Reduce your daily levels of stress and stop consuming caffeine to avoid persistent fatigue.
Listen
Close your eyes and focus on the various sounds in your surroundings. Covering your ears and focusing on what you see can work as an effective strategy as well. Try to block off one of your senses and focus on what’s going on in the present moment. This is a great technique for slowing down and getting more in tune with yourself.
Stress is a fact of life and managing it will help you live the best life you can.
It’s important to be mindful of your stress levels; this way you can reduce them before it reaches a high level. Avoiding the situation is not always an option. The techniques for tackling stress are difficult to measure so you should always choose one that is most suitable for your needs. Make sure to use one of the tips above sooner rather than later in order to avoid a meltdown that could happen imminently.
This article was posted originally at Midlife Coacher!
