stress busting tips
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 11:47 PM
I thought i'd share some of my stress busting tips- believe me I need t
hese as much as anyone! Most of you will know that I support meditation, exercise, breathing, and connecting to nature to relieve stress, but I wanted to see if I could find more that might benefit us all. So
here’s my list of
helpful tips to combat stress!
· Employ diaphragmatic or 'deep breathing' exercises.
· Lie face down on t
he floor and begin breathing deeply and slowly, with your hands resting under your face. Do this for five minutes.
· Sit in a reclining chair. Put a hand on your abdomen and a hand on your c
hest. As you breat
he, make sure t
he hand on your abdomen is moving up and down rat
her than one on your c
hest. If t
he hand on your abdomen is moving you are breathing deeply and slowly.
· Try progressive or 'deep muscle' relaxation. Progressively tense and relax each muscle group in your body. Learn t
he difference between muscle tension and relaxation.
· Meditate. Use visualization. Sit quietly with your eyes closed; imagining t
he sights, sounds and smells of your favourite place, such as a beach or mountain retreat.
· Exercise regularly or take up yoga.
· Make time for music, art or ot
her hobbies that
help relax you.
· Learn to identify and monitor stressors. Come up with an organised plan for handling stressful situations. Be careful not to over generalise negative reactions to things.
· Make a list of t
he important things you need to handle each day. Try to follow t
he list so you feel organised and on top of things. Put toget
her a coping plan step by step so you have a sense of mastery.
· Keep an eye on things that might suggest you're not coping well. For example, are you smoking or drinking more or sleeping less?
· Keep a list of t
he large and little hassles in your day versus t
he major stressful events in your life; this
helps you focus on t
he fact that you're keeping track of and managing those as well as you can.
· Set aside a time every day to work on relaxation.
· Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, binge eating and ot
her drugs.
· Say no occasionally.
· Get t
he right amount of sleep. For most people, this is seven to ten hours a night.
· Cultivate a sense of humour; laugh!
· Research has shown that having a close, confiding relationship protects you from many stresses.
· Don't run from your problems! This only makes t
hem worse.
· Talk to your family and friends. See if t
hey can
help.
An affirmation for you- Calm reflection will guide my thoughts and actions as I journey through August, secure in my independence as a co-creator of all that is.
Much love and many blessings, Rachael xxx
