No Stress Top Ten Stress Relievers

 “Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” Hans Selye

Pain in the chest, heart is pounding, a slight sheen of cold sweat on my skin. Damn. Breathing heavy can’t catch my breath. Is that guy looking at me? Get out of my way idiot! What you don’t have a job to get to? Have to keep moving can’t be late today, the people from corporate are at the office and I am not going to be the late guy. It has been a bad day already cold shower, no coffee zombie mode, favorite shirt is in the laundry. Lets go hammer make the move gotta go, gotta go! Come on no traffic .Wait is that woman looking at me? Shut up! You are talking to yourself, wipe the sweat off your face and try to relax. Just got into work.

That was an example of a stressful ride to work. I wanted to make stress evidently clear, not just an idea but something many people go through. Stress in the beginning is not painful it wont bother you, but over time it will take a toll on you physically and mentally. Studies have shown prolonged stress can weaken the immune system. Stress can cause hypertension, and illnesses related to high blood pressure are one of the biggest killers on the planet.  Unfortunately most people don't learn to deal with stress properly opting to alleviate it by drinking or eating comfort food, or by shopping or by immersing themselves in their computers or phones. The good news is there are several scientifically proven stress reduction methods that have no side effects can be free with long lasting results.  Lets go hammer and look at ten stress relievers that may extend your life!

Now try these out and figure out which on works for you. 

1. Get Active: It does not matter what you do. Just get out there, go for a walk, a jog ride your bike, lift weights, swim, garden or maybe clean the house. Whatever it is break a sweat, physical activity will kick in your endorphins you will start to feel a little better and your mind will reset. 
2. Meditation: You don't have to levitate above the mat in lotus position for meditation to help. It does not matter what kind of meditation you use, or the time, or where you meditate. You can use guided meditation, guided imagery, or visualization, depending upon which one works for you. When people meditate the benefits are it will focus your mind, instill a sense of calm, sense of balance and peace. 
3. Laughter: If your not laughing you may end up crying. When you laugh its infectious and can break up a tense situation. It changes the mood in a room, it lightens your mental load and can cause positive changes in the body. Laughter has been known to change our response to stressors as it fires up and cools down causing a good relaxed feeling. So tell some old interesting stories or jokes, watch a good comedy or hang out with some friends and family. 
   
4. Stay Connected: When some people are stressed and irritable they don't want to be a burden. So they wrap themselves in cocoon and alienate the world, making it worse rather than better. Reach out to your friends, your family, your support structure. The contact will shift your focus and maybe your attitude with what is important. So reach out to that friend, go for a coffee, email that cousin you have not seen in a while, maybe volunteer with your favorite charity, help out that older man or woman.
5. Put yourself first: There will be times in life when it easier to go along to get along. Then there are times to say I will pass, if they don't like it sorry. You cannot please everyone all the time. If all you do is put other people ahead of yourself, this can lead to resentments being formed more anger and stress. It is fine to say no, or even to delegate some things you won't be able to get to. 
6. Sleep: I cannot emphasize the importance of sleep enough. When stress is involved you can to wrapped up in your head, thoughts racing around non stop. It can through a monkey wrench into your plans. The quality of your sleep will affects your mood and energy level. One hour before bed turn off the TV and computer, lower the light on all the alarm clocks, listen to some light music, make a ritual out of the time and manner in which you fall asleep. 
   
7. Keep a Journal: Write out your feelings, thoughts for the day. This can be a good release for many people. We are not looking for you to be Hemingway or Faulkner, a stream of consciousness works. You do not need correct grammar or sentence structure, just let it flow out onto the paper. No one needs to see it when your done, you can throw it away. 
8. Yoga: Yoga is one of the most underrated ways a person can change their mind, body and word. The best part of it all is the not the poses, or the movement in the poses. The magic occurs in two places your breathing, and shivasina the stillness at the end of class. In learning the yoga breathe, it allows you a deeper level of peace by controlling the body and the mind. The suggested beginner Yoga is Hatha Yoga it has a slower pace and has been called a good stress reliever. 
   
9. Music: People have used music to set the tone for their mind for years. Actors will listen to particular genres and artists to get into a role. You can do the same as the music we listen to will help to provide a distraction, reduce tension and decrease stress hormones. It does not necessarily have to be music it can be any hobby that will absorb your mind, like gardening, sewing, and or sketching. 
10. Seek Help: There will be times when things will be beyond our scope to handle them on our own. We have all needed help at different times in our lives. If you have tried a couple of different ways to relieve stress listed above without success. Seek out help, therapy can be very helpful. The professional counselors can point out ways you can deal with your stressors, point out new stressors and help you to develop new problem solving tools. 

Please read and share this article. On Sunday we will have a new article for you, in the coming weeks a site and a Facebook page will be up as well.  I am available for personal training sessions, program design and movement assessments. Please contact me through this blog or my email.