In today’s society, it is basically impossible to completely avoid stress. Even if we ourselves are not stressed, there is plenty of it all around us at all times. While we may not be able to completely avoid stress, there is a couple of things we can do with it. Basically, we can either succumb to it and allow it to rule our lives or we can take a stand and deal with it in an appropriate manner.
The thing about stress is it usually doesn’t hit us full force all at once, except in certain circumstances like life or death situations. Usually, stress starts in small amounts and gradually grows until it becomes a force that is powerful enough to dictate our lives.
Learning the ques and hints that your body presents to you is highly important. Basically, the more ques you know, the earlier you can intervene and stop your stress dead in its tracks.
Dealing with stress appropriately is not only important when it comes to being in control of your life, it is important when it comes to your physical and mental health. A shocking but true fact is that stress, when endured in large amounts for extended periods of time, can cause issues such as anxiety disorder and even heart related health issues.
However, this can all be avoided by keeping our stress levels to a minimum. For some, this is an easy task. For others, it may seem impossible, at least without the right tips.
Luckily, there are exercises you can do to help calm yourself in stressful times. Let’s take a look…
• Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a widely used relaxation technique. This is likely do to the fact that it is extremely effective when it comes to slowing a person’s heart rate, improving oxygen intake and providing an overall calming effect. Simply take a deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds and then slowly exhale. Paying close attention and being aware of the air flowing in and out is a great way of increasing the positive impact this exercise has.
• Positive Imagery
Have you ever heard someone say, go to your happy place? Chances are that you have because this is a quite common saying. However, have you ever put any real thought into how beneficial that actually might be?
Believe it or not, going to your “happy place” is quite simple and works wonders when battling stress. All you have to do is picture yourself somewhere that provides you peace and serenity. Anything you can imagine will work. However, it is important to be very detailed in your imagination. For example, try to feel the sun shining on you or possibly try to picture the sand going between your toes on a beach.
• Yoga/Meditation
Yoga and meditation are practiced on as regular basis by many people for the purpose of maintaining stress levels. Even beginners can experience positive results from these two methods. However, as with anything in life, practice will only make things better.
The above were just a few example of the nearly numerous different types of relaxation exercises that are available.
One thing to keep in mind is the fact that different things will work for different people. Therefore, you may want to do some experimenting and discover which exercise works best for you.
I wish you the best of luck and I hope you are able to use this information to create a less stressed future.
Click here for some helpful stress relieving tools.
