How to Find Stress Relief During the Holidays
Too much comes at you during the holidays. Your body reacts by switching into high gear and increasing your heart rate and adrenaline to meet the increased demands. This is stress. Left untreated, stress assaults emotional health as well, leaving you exhausted and unable to function. Managing stress means getting your body systems back in balance by following these stress relief techniques.
1
Breathe deeply and with awareness. When you feel stress, you take frequent shallow breaths, limiting oxygen and causing more stress. When muscles tense up, find relief with a few minutes of deep breathing techniques. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and then release the breath through your mouth.
2
Imagine a scene that brings you peace. One form of meditation, guided imagery, uses the imagination to focus on a peaceful setting. By doing so, tension melts away. If you're too busy to sit, try a walking meditation by concentrating on each step you take while breathing deeply.
3
Release tension and gain feel-good endorphins with exercise. If finding time to sweat seems impossible, look into gentle mind-body exercises like yoga or Tai Chi. Yoga balances the body systems with a series of postures and breathing techniques. Tai Chi employs a series of body movements that calm the mind.
4
Soothe your mind by listening to relaxing music. After the clutter of holiday music, your ears appreciate relaxing music like classical or new age. Alternatively, find relief by listening to nature sounds like the waves of an ocean.
5
Smell scents to calm you. Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to release a physical response.
Lavender
oil often keeps stress hormones at bay.
6
Rub the tension out with massage. Stress often makes itself known through muscle tension. When massage vanquishes tension, stress vanishes. Acupressure works the same way, but concentrates on pressure points in the body.
7
Manage your time. Everyone possesses the same amount of time, but when you feel stress, it's often because you think you don't have enough time. Look at your schedule and prioritize what you want to accomplish that day. Give high priority items an "A" and concentrate on them. If you still have time, move to important "B" items that are not a high priority.
Tips & Warnings
Avoid caffeine and sugar. Too much of either eventually sends you crashing and feeling worse than before.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2069989_find-stress-relief-during-holidays.html
Too much comes at you during the holidays. Your body reacts by switching into high gear and increasing your heart rate and adrenaline to meet the increased demands. This is stress. Left untreated, stress assaults emotional health as well, leaving you exhausted and unable to function. Managing stress means getting your body systems back in balance by following these stress relief techniques.
1
Breathe deeply and with awareness. When you feel stress, you take frequent shallow breaths, limiting oxygen and causing more stress. When muscles tense up, find relief with a few minutes of deep breathing techniques. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and then release the breath through your mouth.
2
Imagine a scene that brings you peace. One form of meditation, guided imagery, uses the imagination to focus on a peaceful setting. By doing so, tension melts away. If you're too busy to sit, try a walking meditation by concentrating on each step you take while breathing deeply.
3
Release tension and gain feel-good endorphins with exercise. If finding time to sweat seems impossible, look into gentle mind-body exercises like yoga or Tai Chi. Yoga balances the body systems with a series of postures and breathing techniques. Tai Chi employs a series of body movements that calm the mind.
4
Soothe your mind by listening to relaxing music. After the clutter of holiday music, your ears appreciate relaxing music like classical or new age. Alternatively, find relief by listening to nature sounds like the waves of an ocean.
5
Smell scents to calm you. Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to release a physical response.
Lavender
oil often keeps stress hormones at bay.
6
Rub the tension out with massage. Stress often makes itself known through muscle tension. When massage vanquishes tension, stress vanishes. Acupressure works the same way, but concentrates on pressure points in the body.
7
Manage your time. Everyone possesses the same amount of time, but when you feel stress, it's often because you think you don't have enough time. Look at your schedule and prioritize what you want to accomplish that day. Give high priority items an "A" and concentrate on them. If you still have time, move to important "B" items that are not a high priority.
Tips & Warnings
Avoid caffeine and sugar. Too much of either eventually sends you crashing and feeling worse than before.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2069989_find-stress-relief-during-holidays.html
