We often encounter stress from just about everything we do – work, house chores, dating, marriage, even when it comes to picking the right pair of shoes! So, what can you do to take help your mind take a step back to relax? Here are eight simple and effective suggestions to try.
1. Listen to Music
Listening to right music when you’re stressed soothes your mind when you’re stressed out. Music has the potential to effect our physiological function, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. Different people react this way to different kinds of music, so figure out which kinds of music relaxes you, compile them and save it as your playlist.
2. Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises allows your body to absorb more oxygen which in return, releases physical tension. Just take a deep breath in a steady pace, hold it in for approximately 5 seconds, and then exhale, release,
3. Have a Laugh
Laughter is possibly one of the most under-appreciated form of stress management. When you laugh, your body naturally reduces all your stress hormones, epinephrine and cortisol, while releasing more endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ chemical. So crack a few jokes, or give some comedy a try.
4. Get Physical
Exercise the perfect and most effective stress reliever as it releases endorphins and helps you blow off all that steam you have bubbling inside. On top of a little release, you’ll come back with a better frame of mind, and you’ll even burn off a few more of those calories.
5. Drink Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is the perfect tea to help you relax, and it can improve your sleep, as well. Chamomile tea is perfectly caffeine-free unlike most teas that do contain a very small amount of caffeine, and let’s not forget that soothing and sweet taste of freshly brewed chamomile.
6. Pamper Yourself Silly
There’s no scientific proof to validate how getting a pedicure can help you de-stress, but as a woman to another, why would anyone say no to a little pamper session? Massages will definitely help you de-stress, but the relaxing ambience of a spa generally makes the difference. So, if you’ve got some to spare in your budget, go get that treatment!
7. Meditate
Meditating up to 15 minutes a day has amazing positive effects on your physical and psychological well-being. It is believed that meditation reduces the release of stress hormones, while slowing down the heart rate to improve the flow of blood around your bod.
8. Explore the Meaning of Happiness
This is more of an exercise for the mind than the body. Think about what makes you happy in life. Are those extremely long hours in the office good enough for that extra money really worth it? Think for a moment, about what you’re excited to come home to? Your family, your pets? Sometimes, in order to really de-stress, it could be to just change your perspective. So, take some time off to search yourself. And when you do that, stress would be nothing more than just a challenge you can’t overcome.
