Stress Reduction
Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life. Unfortunately, sometimes the stress builds up to a dangerous level and begins to negatively affect our health and well-being. Although stress is natural and necessary to a degree, our lifestyles are not well-equipped to deal with stress effectively. We all need to incorporate stress reduction techniques into our daily routine in order to maintain a healthy stress level.
What is Stress?
Stress is the body's way of responding to situations. These can be either positive or negative situations. Originally, our bodies had these stress reactions of either fight or flight in response to life-or-death dangers. We no longer face situations like being chased by sabre-toothed tigers, but the chemical reaction in our bodies is the same today as it was back then. So, when faced with a stressful situation at work, in a marriage, being overworked, stuck in traffic or any other stressful situation, our bodies still react as if we are in grave danger. The adrenalin and cortisol that is released in the bloodstream sends energy to the large muscles in the arms and legs (to prepare us to run or fight); increases our heartbeat; heightens our senses and gives us a feeling of urgency. If the stress is of an emotional nature, as it usually is in today’s lifestyle, there is no outlet for this energy, strength and urgency. Since there is no outlet, the stress just keeps building up. Without some kind of stress reduction methods, this can cause numerous adverse health effects – emotionally, physically and mentally.
What are Some Stress Reduction Techniques That Can Help?
You may think that plopping on the couch and watching TV, playing a video game or surfing the Internet would be a good way to unwind at the end of a stressful day. In fact, these things have the opposite effect. These activities are over-stimulating to the brain and not stimulating to the body, so they are not stress reduction activities at all. Better choices would be things that are truly relaxing or that are physically stimulating. Here are some great stress reduction activities that will help you to release the built-up stress in your system.
1. Exercise - is one of the best stress reduction methods. Whether it is a gym workout, a brisk walk or jog, a stimulating swim or bike ride or aerobics - thing that makes you feel that burn in your muscles will work to release endorphins to make you feel better as well as detoxifying the body of the residual hormones and chemicals left behind from the stress of the day. Regular exercise on a daily basis will keep your stress levels manageable.
2. Time Management - Proper time management skills allow you to organize your priorities and daily activities so that you will be able to have more time to yourself and to do activities that you enjoy that will help with stress reduction. Good time management also reduces stress because you will not feel so rushed and overwhelmed with your responsibilities if you are more organized.
Time Management Tips:
Concentrate on just one task at a time. You will get through your to-do list much faster and feel less harried than if you are trying to do too many things at once.
Ask for help. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Delegate some tasks to others if you can.
Prioritize your time by arranging duties in order of importance and deadline. Put more energy into things that are important and significant to you.
Use a day-planner or lists to beat procrastination. Breaking bigger projects into smaller steps and setting smaller goals will help you to get things done and is a good stress reduction method too.
3. Lifestyle Changes - The way we cope with stress is often more of a problem than the stress itself. Many of our usual behaviours and lifestyle choices can either increase or reduce our stress level. While they may not cause stress directly, they can affect the body’s response to the stress. Some stress reductions to try in your regular routine are:
Try to keep a healthy balance between your work, personal needs, family obligations and fun. Incorporating fun into your busy life is important for stress reduction.
Get enough good quality sleep. Our bodies rejuvenate and recover from injury, illness and stress wile we sleep. It is important to not only get enough sleep, but to get good quality sleep and try to sleep at the same time each night.
You may not think of nutrition as a stress reduction factor, but in fact, eating a healthy balanced diet is very important. If your body is not well nourished it can’t deal with the physical aspects of stress. Also be sure to drink lots of water to help flush the toxins that stress leaves in the tissue.
Smoking, drinking, drugs and even caffeine all have a negative effect on our health and they also make it even harder to deal with stress. Avoid these activities so that you will be able to manage your stress much more effectively.
Relaxation and meditation – activities like yoga and simple meditation are very good relaxation techniques and they are also great for stress reduction. Clearing your mind and deep breathing will go along way to sweep away the stress of the day.
4. Change your thinking. When a stressful event causes negative thoughts, this transforms into negative emotions. You may experience fear, guilt, insecurity, anxiety, anger, depression, and most certainly stress. This triggers the body's stress mechanism, in the same way a physical threat would. Dealing with negative thoughts and how you respond in certain situations can go along way in stress reduction.
These are some of the best stress reduction methods you can use to deal with the stress that everyone is faced with. You need to take care to manage and reduce stress every day so that it does not have time to build up and cause various health problems.
