5-Minute Stress Relief Strategies

5-Minute Stress Relief Strategies Stress comes from many areas of life, and stress relief comes in many forms. While some people like using one favorite tool for stress relief, many experts feel that the most efficient approach to stress relief is one that attacks stress from several different directions, utilizing an overall plan of attack for stress relief. An important first step in this stress relief plan is to have one or two quick stress relief strategies that can help you relax your physiology or de-stress your mind, to reverse your bodys stress response?? so that you can think clearly and avoid the negative effects of chronic stress.?? The following are some quick and effective stress relief strategies that can help you do just that: these stress relief activities, once mastered, should enable you to de-stress in under 5 minutes so that you can move on to the next steps in your stress relief strategy or immediately face the stressors at hand. Here are several strategies to try: Breathing Exercises Stress relief breathing is one of the most popular ways of calming down quickly for good reason: breathing exercises can be done by anyone, at any time, with little training, and at no expense! Breathing exercises can also be combined with other stress relief techniques (such as guided imagery or meditation) for added benefits and ease of use.?? PMR Progressive Muscle Relaxation, or PMR, is a technique you can learn that, with practice, enables you to completely relax all of the muscles in your body quickly, thereby releasing tension from stress.?? As each of the techniques that are mentioned in this article, PMR helps you to reverse your bodys stress response quickly. It can also be done at virtually any time or place, once youve learned the technique and practiced it. (Its especially useful for when youre trying to get to sleep.) Mini-Meditation Meditation is gaining status as a stress management mainstay because it brings so many wonderful benefits, including (after consistent practice) resilience against future stressors!?? Many people shy away from learning meditation because they think they dont have the ability to learn the technique or the time to practice regularly. Actually, meditation can be very simple to learn, and even 5 minutes of meditation can make a difference. Aromatherapy As far as ease of use goes, aromatherapy is about as easy as they come! Studies show that certain types of aromatherapy can be effective for stress relief,?? and once you have the aromatherapy going, its passive stress reliefâ€"you dont have to do anything except go about your regular activities as you normally would! (Combining techniques can provide added stress relief, but isnt necessary.) Quick Burst of Exercise Exercise is an excellent stress relief technique because its great for your whole body and brings physical benefits other than those experienced because of a reversed stress response.?? Exercise can provide a distraction, endorphins and an outlet for frustration. Unfortunately, its not always practical as a quick stress reliever, as the full benefits of exercise are often not achieved until sustained exercise has occurred, and that can leave you sweaty; therefore, you may not use it in a class or at the office, or when youre meeting with clients and under stress. However, in situations where it can work, even a quick burst of exercise (like a quick run up several flights of stairs, or several sets of push-ups) can be useful for stress relief. (Always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program, of course.) Have a Good Laugh Maintaining a sense of humor can relieve stress in several ways. First, there are specific benefits that you get from laughter that can help you relieve stress and even stay healthier in your life. Also, laughter connects people, and social support is good for stress relief.?? More, its hard to stay stressed when youre laughing. And maintaining a sense of humor reminds us that our stressors may not be as menacing as they seem, and probably have solutions, too. For these reasons, laughing in the face of stress can help you feel better in a matter of minutes.