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| How to reduce stress instantly? |
How to Reduce Stress Instantly? 10 Most Effective Ways to Relieve Stress
"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it", quoted Lou Holtz, a former American football player. Stress is a mess especially if you don't know how to deal with it. It's no secret that we are living a stressful time right now and it's now more important than ever to find out effective ways to relieve stress.
In this article, 'How to Reduce Stress Instantly? 10 Most Effective Ways to Cope With Stress', we shall outline 10 quick yet effective ways to combat stress.
What is Stress?
It's not something that
could be ignored. Depending on the intensity, it could be lethiferous too.
It sucks your energy, thus
enervating you off your natural vigor and charm. It aggravates the grief,
leading to physical, as well as emotional travails. It's a stumbling block, which
definitely curtails you from the path of wisdom. To live with stress, as your
companion is tantamount to being in the inferno.
It's a kind of restlessness often associated with frustration, anxiety, depression, fury, etc. You feel lost, monotonous, deprived of energy, and disappointed with your life. To put it in simple words, it's a discomforting insecurity in your life. Let us take a brief look at the types of stress.
1. Acute stress
Almost every human being on this planet, experience this. It's nothing but basic fear or nervousness. And the reasons for this could be anything like preparing for an interview/exam, homesickness, trouble making a decision, etc. You need not give much emphasis to this kind of stress for it's quite common and there's nothing serious about it. It's temporary and just for the time being.
2. Chronic stress
If you experience stress often, for a long period of time, then you might be suffering from a severe form of stress called chronic stress. Chronic stress and depression have the same origin. It could worsen with time. It's dangerous because it's also associated with suicidal tendencies along with severe physical ailments. Umpteen people die every day because of it.
How does stress affect us?
According to Dr. Dan Engle, head of the medical board for True Rest, stress plays a significant impact because, when people are
stressed they don't make effective decisions and it's easy to get into a state
of projection, blame, and disempowerment. We live in a pretty stressful time
and pretty stressful culture. There is so much happening with the technology
that is stressful to the nervous system. For, the nervous system has not
evolved to keep pace yet with our technological advances. Stress doesn't just
impact our mental health, it can certainly play a huge role in physical pain
and sleep cycles as well.
Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone is known to cause high blood pressure, chronic pain, sleep disorders, migraine, headaches, weight gain, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal issues, immune system suppression, etc.
How to reduce stress instantly?
It was rightly said, "The only thing you can control is how
you react to things out of your control". Unfortunately, we can't do
anything about the stressors. But, we surely can cope with them.
In this section, we offered 10 effective ways to cope with stress.
1. Breathing exercises
One of the best ways to lower your stress down significantly over a short period of time is by deep breathing. It has been noted that by regulating our breath patterns we can lower stress levels. In fact, slow breathing techniques are helpful to a number of central nervous system activities as well as in bettering the psychological status of a person. When you breathe deeply and calmly, you allow more carbon dioxide to enter your blood which helps quiet the brain and regulates your heartbeat. Valentina Dragonir, Psychotherapist, and Founder of Psihosensus says "a breathing exercise that is particularly useful is to make the exhale longer than the inhale. Inhale counting 4 seconds and exhale counting to 8 seconds".
There are plenty of breathing exercises you can try. Perhaps, the easiest and the best one to do is belly breathing which can be done anytime, anywhere, and has been noted to decrease stress in healthy adults, as well as improve cognitive functions. In order to do it, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. And then, place one palm on your belly and the other one on your chest. Pay attention to how your body is moving. Breathe in (through the nose) and breathe out (through the mouth) 5 to 10 times. It feels better after doing it.
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2. Sniffing Oils
Essential oils have been used ever since ancient times to help
humans in many things. They have been used in medical practices, cosmetics, and
even in food preparations. Lavender, for one, is used widely for a variety of
purposes. This oil is believed to promote relaxation, sleep, alleviate
depression, and lower anxiety. This fact is supported by a study by Toda and Matsuse about
the endocrinological effects of lavender on stressful visual stimuli.
Robert Johnson, Founder of Sawinery, says "Whenever I feel stressed, I put a drop of pure lavender essential oil in my palm, rub them together, and inhale the fragrance. This immediately lowers my agitation due to stress".
3. Exposure to visual art
Art is cathartic. It helps you release your emotions and ease from stress. The tightening effect and physical tension caused by stress can be relieved through art. This catharsis or release of emotions calms your mind, through the attainment of peace.
Professional Landscape Artist, Author, and award-winning
educator, Diana Stelin says "Exposure to
visual art whether is art-making or art viewing, reduces cortisol levels, aka
stress hormones, by 75%".
Domingo Zapata stated, "By painting, I relax, let go of my demons, and travel to another planet. Through art, I get to create my own world where everything is a little more beautiful".
Studies have shown that art therapy helped increase self-esteem and decrease stress in 86% of patients suffering from mental disorders.
4. Chewing gum
It seems a bit strange but chewing scented gum can actually help
reduce stress. And that too, instantly. All you got to do is take a piece of
chewing gum, pop it in, and keep chewing it for as long as you wish. For the
benefits to kick in, you are supposed to chew at least for 3 minutes. You can
adjust your vigor while chewing to see what delivers you the best results.
A study published in Science
Direct corroborates this fact.
(Tip by Yasir Nawaz, a Digital content creator)
5. Journaling Exercise
Often suppressed emotions can cause stress. Journaling gives you
the opportunity to express your feelings and emotions. It's your safe and
private place to talk about the stress you are feeling. According
to Dr. Noelle Nelson, Psychologist and Author,
Journaling is an immediate, cathartic stress reliever since you are no longer
hiding your feelings inside.
Write down the things that are causing you the most anxiety right
now. Pause for a moment and think about all the things you are grateful for.
Jot them down. Now, carefully observe both lists. Take a long, deep breath and
observe. What you would notice is that there are only 2-3 things bothering you
while there are plenty of things that you are happy about, that you are
grateful for.
Journaling helps you feel immediately the release of anxiety and stress.
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6. Listening to Music
Music is a great stress reliever that will boost your mood and
lets you release tension almost instantaneously The National Institute of
Health, America, conducted a study on the effects of music on the brain. The
study revealed that music could alleviate stress and ignite positive emotions
through the release of dopamine, the happiest neurotransmitter you have.
Dopamine facilitates a feel-great feeling, rewarding you for doing an activity,
like listening to music. Music can instantly trigger the mood needed to kick
stress.
(Tip by Dr. Bryan Bruno, Medical director at Midcity TMS)
7. Physical Movement/ Exercise
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Annie Varvaryan says, "on the level of the
body, it is important to tap into the 'relaxation' response of the Nervous
System by doing exercises that can increase calm and loosening of tension in
our bodies". We usually carry stress in the form of tension in our bodies
usually in the shoulders and neck. Some exercises to relieve stress include
deep breathing strategies and progressive muscle relaxation which is a series
of tensing and releasing different muscle groups in the body. There are plenty
of exercises especially designed to fight stress, we've mentioned a 60-second
one below, called Standing forward bend (by Tina Williamson, Founder of Mindfulamazing).
Instructions:
1. Feet touching or hip-width apart, whichever feels better for
you.
2. Standing tall, inhale, and as you exhale bend toward the floor.
Sweep your arms down on either side of your body.
3. Tuck your chin close to your chest, relax your shoulders and
extend your spine.
4. Ensure your weight comes from your pelvis and not from your
back. Straighten your legs as much as possible.
5. Let your arms hang. Hold for 30 seconds. Sway your head from side to side and release from the tension.
8. Bilateral Simulation
This technique involves stimulating both sides of the brain to
stop anxiety or unwanted feelings of discomfort. It is absurdly simple yet
amazingly efficient. Grab a ball (or lemon or anything you can toss) and think
of something that is causing you discomfort. Now pass the ball back and forth
from one hand to the other, crossing the mid-line. Do this for a minute. Stop.
Take a deep breath and check in with yourself. You will notice the stress and
anxiety dissipate. If it hasn't repeat the same, again.
By doing this, you are stimulating and activating both hemispheres
of your brain. Due to this, blood and electrical impulses spread throughout the
brain, flooding that area of association and diffusing it.
(Tip by Bara Sapir, an Internationally recognized expert in Personal Empowerment)
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9. Light a scented candle
Lighting a scented candle and watching it is an easy and surprisingly effective way to relieve stress in an instant. According to studies, aromatherapy has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and other discomforting feelings. Life coach and Meditation facilitator, Harley Frank suggests trying soothing scents like lavender and sandalwood. In addition to the benefits of aroma, lighting a candle and watching its flame allows you to take a quick pause in your day, which will make you more relaxed.
10 . Meditation to deal with stress
It's a
simple process of healing yourself by eliminating mundane and carnal thoughts.
It's an efficient method of realization of the self by concentrating on the
region below your heart chakra. Stress has a stiffening effect on our tissues.
This precisely means every time you have an anxiety attack, some or the other
part of your body is subject to severe danger. Stress is also known to damage
your DNA. It aggravates diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, spondylosis, etc. By
meditating, you terminate the thought process going on in your mind and you
still the wheels of your brain. And when that happens, automatically every
single tissue in your body relaxes thus the stiffening effect of stress
retracts. Meditation has immense power in healing many diseases. When you
meditate, a happiness gene is activated, which is present in your left
prefrontal lobes.
A Few more additions and
subtractions
Take something warm like tea, coffee, or milk. The warmth soothes your mind. Don't take too much of it. For, increased levels of caffeine are scientifically proven to exacerbate stress. Keep refined food and sugar at an arm's length. For, they are malicious. They malign your mind. Try to eat healthy food. Take a shower, with warm or cool water, as you desire. It cools you off restlessness and also relieve you of physical pain. If stress makes your head ache, close your eyes, put on a drenched cloth on your eyes and rest for five minutes. And when you get back to being normal everything feels way better. Stroll through the woods, if you wish. For nature, cool breeze, rustling leaves, bounteous flora, and fauna, are naturally calming. We are so work-oriented that sometimes we forget about our basic needs too. By taking a day off, you could actually mend your emotional self. Spend a lazy day. Eat the food you like. Watch your favorite movie. And rest the whole day. Simply take a break from your work. And do nothing for a while, at least.
A positive attitude (APA) to beat stress
Have you ever
wondered so as to, who could be the strongest man on Earth? Well I think that
the most optimistic person is the strongest one. When you have APA, no trouble
could trouble you. Nothing is insurmountable if you have APA. You realize that
everything is a part of life. And every experience is amazing. Be it good or
bad. You may not have the physical strength, but your emotional stability is
more than enough to uproot the mountains. Your way of handling things is very
different than others. How does one develop optimism? It's a long, insidious
process. It's not something that could be developed overnight. Start looking at
the brighter side of things. Fathom only, ' the good side' of people and ignore
the darker shade. Feel grateful for what you have. Instead of whining about
what you don't like and don't possess, feel grateful for every single aspect of
your life.
Look at yourself in the mirror and be generous enough to flash yourself a vibrant smile. It could light up your day. Be courteous to yourself and also to others. Courtesy costs nothing. Talk to your loved ones, friends.
Concluding 'How to reduce
stress instantly?'
There are actually innumerous ways to cope with stress. But not everything works best. As human beings, our personalities, wishes, and desires vary from one another. That's why we have highlighted the 10 most effective ways to relieve stress. These can be made use of by almost anyone.
If you liked my work, you can also buy my ebook, 'Resuscitate yourself', by clicking here or you can get it from Kindle and Amazon. It is a self-help book, which is mainly focused on an effectively efficient approach in improving brain power and beating stress, depression, and other mental ailments.
Hope my article, 'How to Reduce
Stress Instantly? 10 Most Effective Ways to Cope With Stress', is of
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