Stress is a part of all our lives given the hectic lifestyle that we lead today. Whether it is at home or at your workplace or even while driving on the road, there are quite a few instances where you would feel stressed. If you look back you’d realize that you find it very hard to relax in this stressful and hectic world. But that scenario is about to end as we have put together 10 most popular relaxation techniques that helps calm you down and helps you relax immediately.
Breathe deeply:
Stress evokes tension which in turn results in shallow breathing that does not benefit your entire system a lot as opposed to relaxed and deep breathing. By just changing the way you breathe you can now turn tension in relaxation. All you have to do is focus on your breathing. Drop your chest, exhale and inhale. While inhaling, focus on your breath and feel the air rushing in to your system and expanding your lower back, sides and belly and while exhaling feel your chest drop and your belly, sides and back contracting. Just repeat this routine 10 times and feel relaxed.
Meditation:
Meditation not only calms the mind, but it also calms the body. All you need to do is find a quiet space where you can sit quietly and focus all your attention only on your breath. For beginners this place should be devoid of all distractions from friends, family as well as work. You could also try focusing your attention on the flame of a candle. Every time you catch yourself thinking of work or family or anything else, bring back your mind to the activity at hand. Spend a minimum of 15 minutes every day and you will be surprised with the changes.
Read a book:
If you are feeling stressed, you can relax by reading a fun book. Purchase or rent out a book of your choice preferably humor and read it and this will definitely help you relax. Some of the popular and all time favorite humor authors are Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry, Terry Pratchett and Christopehr Moore. You could try reading their books.
Picture a relaxed you:
If you are not able to mediate, try some visualization. Just visualize yourself in a calm and serene place. This place could be a place that you have visited earlier or something just out of your fantasy. Focus on the details of the place such as the sounds that you can hear, the smells, and touch and feel of things around you too. When you have done this you fin d that is easy for you to relax and take your mind off all the stress.
Exercise regularly:
Exercise is not only good for your body but also helps your mind and soul. Not only does it help release pent up frustrations, but it also helps release endorphins which are known as happy hormones. These happy hormones helps alleviate your stress and also helps you relax. So it’s very important that you make exercise regularly. This could be swimming, jogging, yoga, walking, or other activities such as Tai Chi, aerobics or just spending time at the gym exercising.
Listen to some music:
Music therapy is considered one of the best remedies for stress. However it is very important that you choose the right type of music for this procedure. The kind of music that you choose should be soothing for you. Do not simply go by the titles and the descriptions on the CD’s. Listen to the music and then decide if it works for you for every individual reacts differently to different types of music. While some might find a particular type of music calming, the others might find it not so calming. When you listen to this soothing music it works by inducing deep breathing as you calm down and also produces serotonin which helps reduce stress.
Have a hot beverage:
You can also try reducing the stress levels by having a favorite hot beverage. Green tea, Chamomile tea as well as black tea also help reduce stress. Studies have shown that regular consumption of these beverages helps reduce stress levels by decreasing the cortisol levels (also known as the stress hormone) in the human body. If you drink coffee, it’s time to switch over to green tea as coffee raises cortisol levels in the body.
Massage:
Pamper yourself and treat yourself with a massage. A massage session not only helps reduce stress but also helps lower cortisol levels in your body. It also helps you sleep better as it reduces blood pressure. Usually if you are stressed you would notice that you suffer from headaches, muscle pains and cramps. A massage would help calm you down and ease all the aches and pains and increases the level of endorphins in your body which in turn makes you feel happy and calm.
Take a long walk:
Long walks on the beach or along the country side or in a park helps reduce stress levels to a large extent. Especially walks on the beach are particualry soothing as youc ontinusiosly listen to the soothing sound of the waves lapping on the shore. If you stay close to a beahc, be sure to go for regular longs walks on the shore and see your stress levels reduce automatically. You will not only feel refreshed but also energetic after your longs walks.
Try aromatherapy:
Aromatherapy makes use of a number of essential oils as well as plant essences that are known for their stress relieving qualities. Geranium and Lavender are just some of the popular essential oils used in aromatherapy. While geranium helps reduce stress levels, lavender helps induce a feeling of calm and relaxes your body. These essential oils are available in many forms and you could just inhale them or add it to your bath or use it as a room scent or a perfume or just massage it onto your skin for the best results. You can also use it while meditating and you will be pleased with the results.
