There is no such thing as removing stress completely away from your life. As long as you are alive, stress is always present. Stress is actually our response to the different types of stimulations we encounter around us. Some people are stressed upon seeing a lizard, while others do not see anything wrong about touching one. Some people are feel stressed out upon hearing a certain song, while others dance with it like there is no tomorrow. Stress may not be totally eradicated but it can be managed. Since stress brings health complications to the body, it is therefore imperative to find ways to cope with the different stressors that come into our lives. Here are some excellent tips to help you de-stress:

• Go outside

  Staying indoors, especially during winter months, depresses one’s mood. Confining yourself within the four walls of your room in a cold weather where daylight is shortened will seem to strip you of your energy. If you go outside and take a walk under the bright sunshine, catching a whiff of that fresh air, your mood will be enhanced. Going outside and seeing other people will also change your focus. Rejuvenating with nature by touching the leaves of the trees or feeling the cool smooth way water touches your skin is enough to lower down your stress level. When you are stressed, all your bodily attributes shoots up, the outdoor environment – nature – allows you to take a deep breath that lowers the physiological effects of stress in your body.

• Laugh it Off

  As the saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” Laughing your stresses off is one of the healthy ways to manage your stress. Laughter has many effects to your body. First, it lowers down your blood pressure. Second, it decreases the release of hormones, such as beta-endorphin, corticotrophin and cortisol, which are all implicated in increasing the levels of stress. Third, it increases the levels of the hormone endorphin, responsible for relieving pain.

  And there are still more. When you laugh, you breathe in more air, thus increasing the amounts of oxygen in your body. Laughing may be done in several ways: you can join a yoga group that promotes laughter yoga. You can chant laugh while clapping; say ho-ho-ho-ha-ha-ha while smiling. All these will surely lighten and warm you up.

• Get a Hobby

  Your hobbies will always soothe your soul. Hobbies promote your creativity. When you indulge in your hobbies, there is always a feeling of being relieved from stress, your mind is exercised into thinking creatively, and your thoughts are expressed according to how you want them to be. There are so many types of hobbies to choose from; there is gardening, scrapbook making, sewing, cross stitch, knitting, embroidery, cooking, baking and many more, depending on one’s interests. In most cases, after doing the things that you want to do, you will receive a feeling of being revived from stress and you will be relaxed.

• Talk to someone

  When you are stressed out, there is no need to suffer through it all by your lonesome self. If you have someone in your life that you can trust, you can call them and talk about your feelings. In most cases, this is one of the most effective ways to lessen the feeling of stress within your life. When you are tremendously upset, the phone is just a few feet away for you to call on a family member or a best friend with caring ears and for them to listen to the things that upset you. Sometimes, all you really need is an ear to listen to what you want to express, and you will be back on track.

  To some people talk therapy is very effective, that is the reason why some have active blog sites or membership in social networking sites so that they can express what they feel by writing them down, even if it means talking to the void. Even without some listening ears, like the ones offered by the caring human ear, the opportunity to be able to talk your feelings, frustrations, and worries are enough to bring you back to normality.

• Take time to breathe

  What type of breathing provides relaxation to the stressed senses? In the medical field, doctors and nurses will always recommend to patients who will be undergoing surgery to do deep breathing. Interestingly, several people do not know how to breathe properly, despite the fact that we do it 20,000 times daily. When you do not breathe properly, you will feel more stressed out, you will get exhausted faster, and more pains and illnesses will result. When you breathe properly, the vital organs in your body are oxygenated adequately. But if you do not, the organs are deprived of enough oxygen, making you feel sick in the end.

  Some people are shallow breathers, and shallow breathing is implicated in some diseases. The best type of breathing to relieve one of anxiety and pain is deep breathing. Check if you are doing it correctly. This is done by placing your palms on your abdomen, inhaling a huge amount of air, holding it for a moment and exhaling it slowly through your mouth as if you are whistling. Every time you exhale, imagine you are removing all the stresses in your body. If you practice this often, you will observe that you are more relaxed from day to day.

• Do Yoga, or Tai Chi

  Some of the best philosophies for relaxation are already perfected by the Hindu and the Chinese culture. Yoga is a discipline related to the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human being that tries to perfect one’s spiritual insight and achieve tranquillity. Yoga has different levels of exercises, all of which aims to relax the mind and body of the person. Tai Chi is another way to relax your mind and body. Tai Chi is actually a form of Chinese martial arts that is known for its healing aspects. Its slow movements in martial arts and its mediation aspect are known to facilitate de-stressing.

• Indulge in Aromatherapy

  Aromatherapy is the utilization of essential oils that are volatile to induce a sense of relaxation. There are various kinds of essential oils that are helpful in relaxing one’s mind. Lemon and orange oil, for instance, is beneficial in relaxing the mood of the person; in fact, it is being used for those who are suffering from clinical depression. These oils are either heated to produce effective odour, or being used in massage therapy, which has double relaxing effect.

Sources
fit.webmd.com
stress-relief-choices.com
momsinablog.com
fitsugar.com
howtodothings.com
en.wikipedia.org