While there are several ways of relaxing and reducing tension in the body, some have been proven to be more effective than others. This article discusses ten of the best ways of how to relax and feel better when you are stressed. Try out at least three or four techniques and find out what works best for you:
1. Meditation
Meditation calms the restless mind. The best place to meditate is in a quiet and comfortable room. Just close your eyes and focus your mind on one single positive thought. This way, you can get rid of all the negative thoughts that occupy your mind, making you feel more at peace with yourself. Yoga and tai chi are two of the most common meditation techniques; they also help to loosen tensed body muscles.
2. Controlled Breathing
If you are going through stress, you tend to breathe so fast that you do not breathe out properly. This creates an imbalance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body, leading to depression and fatigue. Therefore, it is important to control your breathing – by performing breathing exercises. Just take a deep breath through your nose, and hold it for five seconds, Release it slowly through your mouth. Repeat 8-10 times and you will feel better almost instantly.
Feeling stressed?
Health experts opine that soothing music calms down the tensed and agitated mind. Hence, listen to your favorite music every day when you wake up and before going to bed. Slow tempo music is recommended because it helps to bring down your heart and breathing rate.
4. Sex
Sex has many benefits, and one of them is that it helps to relieve tension in the muscles. Sex will instantly make you feel better and relaxed when stressed.
5. Self-Hypnosis
This includes the use of visualizations and guided imagery to help you communicate directly to your subconscious mind to feel less pain, develop healthier habits or give up bad habits that may cause stress. Self-hypnosis will require some practice and training, but it is worthwhile.
6. Exercise
Unknown to many people, stress management and exercise are closely linked. Exercise not only distracts your mind from stressful conditions, but also acts as an outlet for frustration and gives the body a lift through the production of endorphins.
7. Get Creative
A classic distraction therapy, creativity harnesses positive thoughts in the brain, and helps to cut down stress levels. Just go out and do something you like, for example: try out a new recipe, paint a picture, compose a new song, write a poem or update your blog.
8. Have a good laugh
Laughter is always the best medicine. Watching a funny television show or film is a good way of releasing endorphins; which is nature’s way of relieving pain and making us happy. What’s more, you do not need to watch the whole show to realize the full effect. Just 10-15 minutes of laughter can transform your day.
9. Massage
Having a full body massage helps to eliminate the pain and tension from your stressed out muscles. Deep tissue massage is recommended because it releases tension from muscle fibers more effectively than any other technique. For the best results, the massage ought to be done by a certified professional. Other common types of massage include the Swedish massage, the Hong Kong massage and scalp massage. Additionally, massaging with aromatherapy oils such as chamomile and lavender has a refreshing effect on the body and mind.
10. Seek Professional Assistance
Lastly, when faced with extreme cases of stress or depression, it would be best to seek the help of a health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychoanalysis. Remember that getting early diagnosis and treatment can help to avert long-term complications.
Next time you feel stressed, just try some of the tips above and you will feel instantly better. If you want even more useful tips, you can check out our article 10 tips to improving your overall health as well.
Image source: bark @ flickr.com
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