Feelings of stress are your body’s natural response to something that’s a threat to you. The ‘threat’ can be as minor as being late due for an appointment or as major as dealing with debt or battling a life-threatening disease. When we’re stressed, our bodies flood with hormones to prepare for flight or fight mode.
This response is part of our history and evolution, from the days when we were regularly under physical threat from outside enemies. Today, this is very rarely the case, but our bodies still respond as if an attack by wild animals and natural disasters are an immediate concern.
We now have lives where we are under regular minor stresses (at work and home), but the age-old physiological responses are the same. When under strain, we experience a pounding heart, quicker breath, and tense muscles.
If you’re living with constant tension, it will start to take its toll on you - both mentally and physically. This is why it’s important to learn how to combat your response with relaxation techniques that reduce the impact of those hormones.
In general, to combat the adverse effects, you should aim to get enough sleep, eat healthy foods that are good for your brain, and carve out a good balance between the things that exacerbate your tension levels and those that relax you.
A regular Tai Chi or yoga practice is an excellent addition to a busy life. Even regular exercise like running or going to the gym can help you to lower your overall stress levels. The rush of endorphins being active gives you are a natural way of reducing the effects, but if you want a little extra, try these four relaxation techniques:
1. Bring Your Breathing Into Focus
Breathing is the most natural thing that we can do. The problem is that it’s a reflex action, and we don’t always take note of any changes. When we get stressed, our breath becomes shallower, and that leads to a quickened pulse. It can also prevent you from getting enough oxygen to your brain for rational thought.
For a short-term fix, stop what you’re doing and take a moment to think about how you’re breathing.
Slow it down to deliberate breaths – count to 5 both in and then out.
Repeat this a few times, and you’ll immediately feel calmer in any situation. You can also practice this daily when you get up and when you go to bed to reap the long-term benefits.
2. Use Visualization
Visualization techniques entail imagining different images or settings that make you feel calm. Whatever works for you – a tropical beach setting, cute baby animals, hitting the open road in your car, walking in the mountains - stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and picture the setting in your mind.
The trick is to let yourself be there in the moment. Try to incorporate all of your senses – smell the breeze, feel the sunshine on your skin, hear the sound of the waterfall, taste that cup of tea.
You can bring your breathing techniques into this so that you are entirely present in your body, but your mind is in a happy place.
3. Create A Mantra
Sometimes, the act of saying a specific set of words can remove you from the emotion of a situation and center your mind on what needs to be done. This mantra should be something you have an emotional connection to – a prayer, an affirmation, poem, or song – for it to really help you let go of your stress.
A clear mantra can help you in a range of situations.
Mantras can be a way to start your day if you are feeling drawn in by anxiety and stress. The mantra can help you to get out of bed. It can be a trigger to release any tension you may be carrying with you from the day. If you say it before you arrive back home or before you go to sleep, you can let go of whatever you’re holding onto.
A mantra can also be used in the moment as a sharp, quick way to tell your body verbally to relax from the stress response. The trick is to use words that make sense to you and believe in what you’re saying. If you don’t commit to the concept, saying the mantra won’t work.
4. Take Some “Me” Time
Self-care is hugely important to your well-being, and everyone needs to be mindful of what it entails. Every day, carve out a little block of time that is just for you. This can be a bubble bath with soothing aromatherapy candles and de-stressing oils in the water. It can be a moment to enjoy your hobby alone or some time to just sit in front of the TV and watch a show.
Whatever you love to do, make sure you have some time to do it where you aren’t rushed, and you don’t have to split your focus.
If you can’t manage every day, try for every other day or every weekend. Just make sure you schedule that time in and don’t let it get taken up by something more urgent. Your time to relax is urgent and important too!
Practice Makes Perfect
Committing to one or several of these techniques is a great step towards dealing with stress. However, you need to know that it isn’t going to work immediately. You’ll likely start to see an improvement in how you handle tense situations as you continue to practice the techniques.
The more you train your body to use these techniques, the quicker and easier it’ll be to snap your brain into focus. This will allow you to deal with the stress in front of you in a manageable way. Just remember to be kind to yourself as you go through the process.
