Description:

Stress, What is it?

Stress in and of itself is not a bad thing; in fact it is stress that keeps us motivated, encouraged, able to go that extra mile. Stress is not just worrisome events in our lives, but also happy events. To your body, stress literally means change. Your body doesn’t know whether to cope with the extra adrenaline from exaltation to devastation, it just knows that it is under more duress. It reacts to the extra stimuli, whether it is tears of joy from the birth of a new child, or tears of devastation from the death of a loved one.

stress management

Weddings are a wonderful event, but ask the Mother of the Bride what kind of stress she has been under to organize it.

Buying a new car is fantastic, then comes the licensing, the registration, and the monthly payments.

Holidays are festive, until you remember that Mom and Uncle Frank aren’t speaking to each other.

Stress isn’t just associated with work, traffic and school anymore; it is anything that disrupts our daily routine, whether good or bad. For the most part, we have no way of controlling the stressors that enter our lives, but we can take some control of the way we respond to it.

Introduction:

There are so many ways that our bodies and minds can learn to deal with stress; from relaxation, to change in diet, to change of atmosphere. This guide deals with the relaxation techniques you can incorporate into your daily routine to help you deal with every day stress, new stress and unsuspected stress.

First, take this little test. The following is a list of the top 12 major stressors than can wreak havoc in our lives. Look at each stressor; see which ones you have experienced in the last six months and the last twelve months of your life. Add up the points to see where you fit in the scheme of stress.

Now that your points are added up, lets see what level of stress you have been dealing with, or avoiding in the last year.

If you totaled:

30 points or below – you are at average stress levels.

30 – 65 points – you are dealing with moderate stress levels.

65 – 100 points – you are dealing with a strong stress level

Over 100 points – your stressors are much higher than the average person in a year.

Does this mean that if you only have 20 points on the scale you should be happy and carefree, or if you have over 100 points, you might as well give up and hibernate under the covers until next year? No! This chart doesn’t take into account the every day stressors, like work, children, soccer practice, laundry etc. This chart also does not dictate how you should feel about your life at the stress level you are on. Some people naturally handle stress in a better way, others have one small stressor and it can affect them severely. This is just a guide to give you an indication of what your body, mind and spirit are up against, and hopefully offer some techniques to help you through your trying times.

The reason for learning to relax is that tensions in direct opposition to relaxation. Our bodies do one or the other, when we relax our body and mind; we automatically exclude the tension that tightens our muscles. Relaxation exercises reduce stress and anxiety and produce a feeling of well-being. Once you have experienced how your muscles should feel in a relaxed state, it is only a matter of practice to recall that relaxed state when needed. The following is a simple relaxation technique to help educate your mind as to what the body experiences in a relaxed state, and hopefully incorporate that state when your body begins to feel tense.

meditation

Lean back in a straight-back chair; place both feet flat on the floor. Rest your hands comfortably in your lap. Begin to stretch your legs as far as they can go…relax. Stretch your legs again, move your feet up towards you and hold. Turn your feet down, away from you, hold then relax.

Lying down on the floor or your bed, stretch your body out.

Beginning with your head and neck – tighten your muscles until you can’t tighten them anymore, take a deep breath – hold it to the count of ten and then release.

Move to your shoulders – shrug them up around your neck, tighten up, take a deep breath, hold to count of ten and release.

Tighten your upper and forearms, deep breath to count of ten, release.

Tighten your torso and pelvis, deep breath to count of ten, release.

Tighten your thighs, deep breath to count of ten, release.

Tighten your calves, deep breath to count of ten, release.

Tighten your feet and toes, deep breath to count of ten, release.

This technique can be used anywhere, anytime, without anyone noticing. It is especially great in the car when road rage starts to affect you.

Inhale through your mouth, in your mind count to ten; slowly, and then exhale very slowly through your nose. Repeat 3-5 times, you should feel your shoulders start to lower, your neck relax and your forearms let go. Wait about five minutes and repeat.

Treat yourself. Sometimes the only time and place we have to ourselves is in the bathroom. There is actually a lock on the door to keep you in, and others out.

Using the techniques of lighting therapy and aromatherapy, take a relaxing bath, even if you can only afford yourself 10 minutes.

aromatherapy

Dim or turn out the lights

Light candles that have an essence of lavender or chamomile to them – these scents are wonderful for relaxation.

Use a bubble bath that contains these same fragrances.

Get in the tub and soak, look at the flickering flame shadows, close your eyes, breathe in the scents deeply.

Do not use this time to shave your legs, wash your hair, or as part of your hurry up and get ready for work routine – this is for relaxation purposes only, your hairy legs and your dirty hair can wait until morning.

If you have a radio with soft soothing songs, or cd’s with slow beats, or even new age, rainforest type cd’s this will enhance your experience immensely.

relaxation cd's

new age cd

These are all well-known techniques to help calm the body, nerves, spirit and mind. There is nothing new, the hope of this guide is to bring into focus the necessity of taking time to distress, especially if you are at a very high stress level. It is not a cure-all, but it is a step to taking care of you. Most of us don’t do that, and the stress and tension just continue to build.

Go sit in a chair, or lie down, or take a bath. You deserve it.

relaxation techniques

If you found this guide helpful, please press Yes at the bottom.  Thank you for your support.