Let’s Talk Stress

There are a lot of things you can do to calm the stress in y0ur day, body and mind.  In my article Stress – Natural Cures I show you some simple ways to destress and now I want to share some more…If you’re in bed and your mind keeps spinning with everything that happened that day or with everything you have to do the next day, try one of these:

1. Start by tenses up your toes and hold the tensed position for 10 seconds.  Now release the tension.  Next move to tenses your calves for 10 seconds, then relax.  Do this with each part of your body from your thighs, buttocks, shoulders, face, etc.  By the time you get to your face, you should be nice and relaxed.
2. Another tip is to count backwards from 100.  The act of counting backwards makes you concentrate and this will help you forget the tensions of the day.
3. Sit quietly in room (there are times when the only place I have a minute to myself is the bathroom, so if you are the same, then go to the bathroom and close the door)…dim the lights or turn them off and light a candle.  Get comfortable (I do this by actually taking a hot shower by candlelight). While sitting there (or while in the shower), close your eyes and take slow, deep breathes and chant something.  You can chant the word “Peace”, “Relax” or whatever word calms you.  Do this for a few minutes and let the stress wash down the drain.
4. Believe it or not when you have a lot of stress your body goes into flight mode instead of fight mode.  So why not fight back against that stress.  Do you remember those punching bags you use to get your kids, why not buy one and keep it in the closest, so when you have a stressful day, you can come home and punch the bag until your stress is gone.  Or you can jog, do aerobics or some other high impact exercise.
5. Take a vacation in your mind.  Would sitting on the beach, listening to the waves hit the sand help relax you? Then why not get a picture of a beach, get some headphones and listen to your waves and relax for a few minutes.  You might be surprised at how taking a couple of these mind vacations a day can help keep the stress away.

Stay tune for more Stress relief ideas in future posts…