Three stress relief techniques

And there is bad stress. Stress that comes from conflict or worries. Stress that keeps a person from sleeping and happiness. Stress that calls for relief. Here are three stress-relief tips you can follow.

Meditation for stress relief.

Can there be a more obvious stress relief strategy than to bring your entire physical being to a calm? Meditation techniques often involve visualization of something calm, like a blank screen or clouds. Or it can mean clearing your mind entirely.

If stress is caused by how we allow our minds to captured by worries and fears, then replacing those worries and fears with calmer images is the obvious way to reduce stress.

You can sign up for a free course on meditation techniques to reduce stress at my website.

Exercise to reduce stress.

If relaxing to a state where even your blood vessels are almost still is the ultimate in stress relief, surely exercise, which gets even your blood pumping at breakneck speed, must be the ultimate stress demon.

Not so. Exercise is a big stress reliever. In fact, the bigger the muscles you exercise, the more less stress you will bear. That's because exercise releases physical tension in the muscles.

Here's another tip: exercise in water to reduce stress even more. Why? Because you are more buoyant on water; gravity takes a much gentler toll on your body, so the tension created in your muscles just by holding you up gets released. For the ultimate stress release, exercise in water. Or meditate in water. Or laugh in water.

Laughter reduces stress, too.

Yes, laughter also relieves stress. The muscles we use to laugh are those tense ones in our faces. When we loosen them, we release tension from our faces. We also allow more blood to flow to the pleasure centers of the brain (which might be why someone with a 'good sense of humor' is considered more attractive).

I think I will close with this excerpt from my newsletter, A Daily Dose of Happiness, which shows the value of a little creative humor:

"Little Lady was guarding the space between the trees, as I tried to kick her little ball past her.

"Then an idea struck me. Off to the side lay a large, purple fit ball that the kids like to be bounced on. A rushed over, rolled it into the clearing and kicked it toward Little Lady. 'Giant Blueberry Soccer!' I shouted. She laughed.

"For the next ten or fifteen minutes, we rolled and licked and laughed and shouted, "Giant Blueberry Soccer!"

"What a great family moment, stress relief, joy-injector, fun and more. My formula was simple, and you can do it too. Look around and find something that just would not belong, like a too-big ball. Then imagine what it might be, like a blueberry. Then thrust it into your situation with all the gusto you can apply.

"Have fun."

 
 
About the Author
David Leonhardt is the author of two happiness self-help books. Read another article on stress relief tips & techniques or on stress relief breathing techniques.

Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/author-articles/2117/1.html
 

If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/author-articles/2117/1.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked.

Some other articles by David Leonhardt

About Buying Real Estate Property in Cyprus Buying a vacation property has become more than just trendy – it has become an important part of anyone's financial portfolio. People from Western countries are increasingly snapping up ... Secret to Happiness Do I believe there is a secret to happiness? I'll bet you expect me to say "NO, there is just no simple secret." While it is true that there are many factors that ... How a Custom Wall Map Can Boost Your Business Your retail store is open and you are finally in business. But some questions have been left unanswered. Like how do you ... Fitness Equipment and Activity Tips for Kids Are your kids getting enough exercise? If you are like most parents, you are deeply concerned about the state of your kids' fitness...or their total ... Bending Metal Pipes and Steel Beams Even as a child, you were probably bending metal. You might have been bending metal paper clips, or even your parents' cutlery. Or you might have preferred making pipe-cleaner clowns. Or you could have just ...