How to relieve stress and calm down

In the age of stress, each of us, one way or another, faces it. But here it is necessary to separate the concepts – chronic stress and single episodes. The causes of this condition can be many factors, and such triggers are different for everyone. Therefore, there is no universal way to deal with stress that would be equally effective for everyone. However, there are standard techniques that can be used to reduce stress. In this article, we will look at the most popular and most effective methods for dealing with overvoltage.

Smile as often as possible

Laughter relaxes and relieves the body of tension. No one can genuinely laugh and feel stressed at the same time. Even an artificial smile releases hormones responsible for pleasure and happiness. So laugh as often as you can!

Identify stressors and eliminate them

Take 10 minutes for yourself and think about what caused you the most negative emotions throughout the day (anger, anxiety, excitement, etc.). Write down everything that comes to mind on a piece of paper. It can be people, actions, objects – in a word, everything that causes you stress. Now analyze each item separately. See if you can eliminate him from your life. For example, can you communicate less with a person you don’t like, not do work that you don’t like, not participate in conversations that get on your nerves. Get rid of all the stressors you can.

Change your approach to the situation

If there are stressors on your list that you can’t completely avoid, then just change your approach to them. First and foremost, take responsibility for your stress. What does it mean? If something upsets or angers you, then you allowed that situation or person to affect you in this way. As an example, consider a situation familiar to residents of all large cities. You are stuck in traffic. This is a situation that you have no control over, but nevertheless, because of what happened, you are stressed. Now back to responsibility. By and large, traffic was not the cause of your nervous breakdown. The reason is in yourself. It was you who let the situation take over. But things can happen differently. Firstly, you could use the navigator and go the other way. Secondly, if the situation cannot be changed, try to make the most of it: spend the free time you have on something useful (read a book, call friends, or hold a meeting with subordinates over the phone).

Meditate

Meditation and relaxation exercises are a great way to keep stress levels to a minimum for a long time. If you regularly exercise 3 times a week, then after 2 months your stress resistance will increase significantly. This type of activity provides several benefits. First, they teach you to control your emotional state. Secondly, even from a scientific point of view, it has been proven that regular meditation and relaxation exercises help reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body. In addition, such exercises have other benefits. For example, they are useful for improving memory and concentration.

A simple stress reliever

Sit comfortably or lie down. Put your hands behind your head. Straighten your legs to the toes. Pull in your stomach, hold your breath and count to seven. Exhale slowly, relaxing all the muscles. Feel the relaxation of the body. Then stretch as if after a dream (at this time you can even yawn) and say to yourself (voice or mentally): “I am full of energy, focus and calmness.”

Use the Brian Tracy Method

Brian Tracy is a renowned Canadian expert on the psychology of success. So, in one of his books, he described a method that can be useful for people experiencing stress. First, he advises to describe on the sheet the situation that caused the shock. Then determine the worst-case scenario of a potential development of events. And interestingly, for many, this is enough to realize that what happened is not such a tragic situation as it seemed before. But the Tracy method has a continuation. At the next stage, he advises to realize the consequences of such a scenario and think about what can be done to prevent or minimize the consequences of the worst. And now – act! You already know how to solve this problem.

Get your life in order

For many people, stress happens precisely because of the clutter around them. Someone cannot find documents when they are very needed, or loses an important paper that just lay before their eyes. All this is due to chaos. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary stressful situations, organize the space in which you work or start by making your bed in the morning. By the way, according to one of the theories, chaos around provokes chaos in the head, which in turn does not allow you to relax and think positively.

Sleep is the best healer

Sleep, like meditation, helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Therefore, even a 15-minute sleep can improve your well-being and relieve stress. By the way, the stressful state of the body is often the result of just the same lack of sleep.

Do not take on several tasks at the same time

Probably, many have had such situations when you do one thing, from time to time switching to another, at the same time talking on the phone, and even looking at the TV out of the corner of your eye. It turns out that this is a very bad habit, which over time can become a cause of chronic stress. In order to avoid unnecessary hassle and tension, experts advise to perform all important tasks in turn. Make priority to-do lists. Be the first to complete those tasks that are in the category of “urgent and urgent.”

This not only contributes to better performance, but also saves you time.

Exercise

For people who are often stressed, physical activity is a must. Physical exercise promotes the production of endorphins – the hormone of happiness and pleasure. In addition, regular physical activity makes us healthier, prevents many diseases, which is very important for people who have experienced serious stress (against the background of shocks and overstrain, the body weakens and becomes more susceptible to various diseases).

Do breathing exercises

A couple of deep breaths in and out is the easiest and most natural way to calm down and pull yourself together. But in medical breathing practice there is one secret. It lies in the fact that the exhalation should be a little longer than the inhalation. The best way to relax is when you take a deep breath for 4 seconds and exhale for 6. Such breathing exercises help slow down the heartbeat (it increases during stress) and improve the supply of oxygen to the brain.

Cry

Yes, do not be surprised by this advice. Crying, on the one hand, releases from emotional stress, and on the other hand, toxic substances formed under the influence of cortisol are removed from the body with tears. The main thing is not to get carried away and not to go into depression from stress.

Go for a massage

A good massage relieves stress. And this is not necessarily a massage of the whole body, you can do with a light rubbing of the head and neck. Have you ever noticed that many people, when they are nervous, run their hands over their heads? They do everything right, albeit unconsciously. There are many nerve endings on the head and neck, stroking which helps to quickly calm down. So the next time you start to lose your temper, just rub the skin with light circular movements from the forehead to the back of the head.

“Load” yourself with physical labor

Do, for example, general cleaning in the house or in the garage, clean the garden or set up a flower bed, do hand washing or mopping. The effectiveness of this method of relieving stress has been tested by more than one generation.

Take a warm bath

Alternatively, go to the bathhouse, to the beach or to the lake. The main thing is to create contact with water for yourself. Even a banal sitting on the river bank and watching its waves help relieve stress.

Eat something sweet

Sweets also help relieve stress. The secret is that sweet food stimulates the release of hormones responsible for good mood. But don’t overdo it! Most lovers of “stress eating” soon have a new problem – excess weight. Remember, sweets are not only incredibly high-calorie cakes and buns with creams, but fruits, dried fruits, candied fruits and dark chocolate.

Take up drawing

In recent years, not only children, but also adults have been addicted to painting. True, for adults there are special ones – anti-stress. Psychologists say that color therapy is one of the most effective methods to achieve inner harmony and calm down. Isn’t it time for you to get a set of good pencils and an album for drawing? After all, drawing is a safer method of relieving stress than sedative pills.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy as a method of treatment for various ailments was used in the ancient world. Interest in this type of alternative medicine has not disappeared even today. Even therapists and neurologists often advise their patients to take aromatic baths or simply inhale soothing scents. Lavender, lemon balm, geranium, mandarin, basil, orange, chamomile, bergamot, patchouli, ylang-ylang are best suited for stress relief. Just do not forget: essential oils are used in microscopic doses. Otherwise, the opposite effect is possible.

In order for stress to stop being our enemy, it is important to learn how to control it. First you need to understand yourself: what causes tension in you, and what causes anxiety to subside. So it will be easier for you to choose the most effective ways of dealing with stress for you.