anxiety

Easy Stress Relieving Techniques

Having a multitude of techniques to cope with surviving stress is essential for daily life. Stress can become a bigger problem if you don’t have the tools to deal with it. It can contribute to high blood pressure, digestion problems, sleep issues and may even add to belly fat for some people.

Here are a few more techniques that are simple for you to use.

1. Soothing Scents
flowersMany of you may already know lavender is wonderful for calming the nerves. Some of the other scents that are also soothing are ylang, ylang, sweet orange and lemongrass. These can actually calm your nerves instantly by inhaling the aromas from these oils. Put a drop of lavender on your fingertips and massage your temples for a tension headache. It feels very soothing. Try adding a few drops of one of these essential oils to an unscented candle and light it. They smell heavenly and will calm your spirit in a short time.

2. Surrender in a Bath
Many years ago I was doing psychotherapy in a warm water pool. The effects were amazing. Hydrotherapy has been used for many years as a healing tool, as well as having restorative abilities. To add to your bath time and for surrendering stress, I suggest using bath salts, low lights or candle light, with special relaxing music and even light a healing or aromatherapy candle for added effect.

3. Visualize an Inner Vacation
Use any slow, deep breathing techniques and imagine the most calming peaceful place for you. It might be lying on a beach during a warm afternoon, listening to the seagulls and the gentle waves, and picturing on each outbreath as the waves moving out, the tension leaving your body. Or you might prefer imagining the mountains, and listening to the birds and a nearby river, as you smell pine trees with a gentle wind. Use any peaceful inner vacation area that works for you and brings you peace, relaxation and perhaps, even joy!

4. Use Acupressure
Stress can create serious aches and pains in the body. Sometimes it helps to apply pressure to certain meridian points on the body. I learned these from a reflexologist and from energy Medicine. The energy channels may get blocked from stress or anxiety and this can cause pain or even illness. There are several points I especially like using to alleviate stress. Hold each of the points with the index and middle finger for 30 seconds. The first point is on the little finger side of the forearm at the wrist. Do it on both wrists. It releases headaches, stress and anxiety. The second one is the third eye point between the eyebrows, where the bridge of the nose is indented. It actually calms the body and relieves that anxious feeling. The third point I like to use is in the center of the breastbone. It also calms tension and other emotional imbalances. I find the 3 points work well together when you take the time.

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Learn more about our complementary upcoming Stress and Anxiety Group Healing Call here.

15 Tips to Reduce Stress

The goal in these stress tips is to learn how to manage the stress in your life. Use the tips that you resonate with the most.

1. Deep Breathing

This is a simple yet very effective relaxation method. Regularly take deep breaths, breathing out tension and breathing in relaxation. It is a core component of all yoga, Zen meditation and spiritual practices. There are a number of very useful specific breathing techniques just to release stress from the body. Here are more breathing techniques. https://hzharris.com/all-resources/

2. Sleep

According to a National Consumers League survey, about 60 percent of people who are stressed say they don’t get enough sleep. For those of you who have difficulty falling asleep, it is very important to begin a soothing and calming bedtime routine. Take a nice, warm bath and find a light enjoyable novel to read prior to bedtime. Avoid watching action movies or the news before bedtime. Also avoid any stressful conversations prior to bedtime.

3. Warm Soothing Bath or Shower.

Use sandalwood incense and lavender oil in the bath or on your skin. Add a few candles and perhaps a good book or some classical music, and you’ll be well on your way to relaxation.

4. Reconnect with Your Spiritual Selflover holding hand walking on the beach

Reconnect with your Inner Guides, Higher Self or Inner Wisdom can help lower blood pressure. The very simple act of meditating or praying has helped many reduce stress. This may take practice to do regularly, but research has shown the benefits are tremendous.

5. Regular Exercise, Especially Walking

Exercise clears your mind and returns the body to a more healthy state. Even a 10-minute walk can decrease stress and anxiety. When you exercise, beta-endorphins (the body’s natural relaxants) are released. Endorphins counteract the stress hormones that are often raging through your body. Exercise gets your blood circulating, boosts your mood, and eases tension.

Exercise rids the body of excess energy it really can’t do anything about,” says Dr. Tara Cortes, clinical director of  primary care at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Studies also show that active people have a decreased risk of coronary heart disease, the number- one cause of death in the United States.

6. Yoga

Even one yoga class a week can cut levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This is reason enough to get you to a yoga class for your refreshing and rejuvenating workout. If all you need is simple relaxation, then find a yoga class to your liking that specializes in low-key hatha yoga or one of the restorative yoga classes. There are many types of yoga from which to choose.

7. Take a Vacation

If you don’t have the time or money to plan a fabulous excursion for a week, then a quick weekend getaway might suffice. Or plan a special event near your home, perhaps a stay vacation. All that’s necessary is that you spend an extended  period of time not thinking about those stressful things, such as work, money, relationships—anything that makes you feel crazy, overwhelmed and stressed.

8. Call a Friend

Often things seem better after you talk to a really good friend. Friendship is as beneficial for your health as it is for your spirit. Researchers have found that having good friends helps lower blood pressure, relieves anxiety, and may even help you live longer. Many experts list friendship as the key factor in getting through stressful times.

9. Share Household Chores

Because you may not always get that needed acknowledgement, or pat on the back, other tactics can help. One way to get more help is to divvy up the chores. Dividing chores gets the whole family involved in running the household, says Craft-Rosenberg, the family studies professor from Iowa.

The resilience of a family is related to how well they can work together,”

she says. Even small children benefit because contributing makes them feel needed. Additionally, when others share the workload, there’s less pressure to get everything done at once.

10. Lighten or Change Your Workload

If work is creating a great deal of your stress, it might be time to talk to your boss, delegate tasks, or start looking for a new job. Keep in mind If work is making you crazy, you’re not alone. Work is the top source of stress in adults aged 18-54,  according to the National Consumers League survey. Forty-six percent say it’s a problem. In the meantime find some ways to unwind after work. Sit quietly for 10 minutes before you start your evening. Play a favorite CD while fixing dinner. Or delegate your home chores so you can relax on weeknights instead of slaving over dinner. Or you can choose to occasionally pick up something special for dinner instead.

11. Forgive Someone

Studies found that those people who forgive others tended to have lower blood pressure than their less-forgiving peers. Perhaps it’s time to give up that grudge, if only to gain health benefits. It doesn’t mean you condone what others have done. Forgiveness is about releasing the negative and toxic energy built up in your by anger and resentment that is held inside of you.

12. Reduce Caffeine Intake

Drinking three or four cups of coffee every morning does more than wake you up. The caffeine raises your blood pressure and increases secretion of adrenaline, a stress hormone. In fact, the caffeine in your coffee cup imitates and even exaggerates the body’s response to stress. The effects of caffeine last for hours after drinking it.

taking time for yourself13. Take Twenty Minutes

Whether you’re a doctor, lawyer or an at-home mom, giving yourself time to unwind is vital for de-stressing your life. Taking 20 minutes for yourself won’t solve all of life’s problems, but it gives you a chance to feel calmer and find clarity.  Whether you need a nap, a bath, or a quiet place to look at the trees or to read a book, make sure the time is spent doing exactly what you want to do.

14. Make Love

Whether you prefer cuddling with your honey or the act itself, sex is a wonderful time-tested  stress reliever, and it’s well worth taking the time to do it. It also brings you a deeper connection and comfort with someone that really can shift your energy.

15. Join the Surviving Stress and Anxiety Online Group Healing Call

Living in these stressful times, it is important to have tools to release stress and anxiety in the moment. Part of the focus during this group healing will be for you to come away with tools you can use on your own.

Learn more and register here: https://hzharris.com/upcomingprograms/

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