Everybody has stress in their lives. No matter what your job or family structure, there will always be situations which can cause stress. Since you cannot avoid it, here are some ways you can minimize its effect on your life.
Stress can be caused by too many things hitting you at once. One way to handle it is to find a time and a place every day to relax. Sit in a comfortable place where you will not be to warm or cold. Close your eyes and consciously relax all your muscles. Repeat one word or phrase in your mind and focus on that word or phrase. Make it something short. You can use one word such as “relax” or “breathe” or use a meaningless tone such as “om.” Transcendental meditation often uses meaningless words when they practice. You can also use a religious prayer if you do not feel comfortable with any other words.
If you are not a fan of transcendental meditation, you can focus on muscle relaxation instead. Start at the top of your head and tense all those muscles. Clench your teeth and furrow your brow for 5 to ten seconds and then relax. Repeat this with your shoulders by hunching then and putting your chin to your chest. Hold and then release the tension. Do this with each muscle group all the way down to your toes. While you unclench, imagine the tension flowing away from you, your muscles will feel warm and relaxed, they may even feel heavy.
With both these techniques it is important to take time afterwards to enjoy your relaxed state, even if it is only for five minutes. You will get more benefit from the exercise if you wait before returning the stressful environment.
Sometimes we cause our own stress. One way to determine the source of our stress and maybe find a solution is writing in a journal. This is often done under the supervision of a therapist or counselor, but it can be beneficial without that. Write about what caused the stress and about the worst thing that can happen. Write about what you can do if this does happen and what you can do to influence that result.
Everybody deals with stress in different ways. Explore these and other possibilities to see what will work best for you.
Tags: Everybody, life stress, muscle, muscle relaxation, phrase, religious prayer, Stress Reduction Techniques, time