As Katy says on her website stressfreelady.com, we all deal with some amount of stress and anxiety. However, we do not have to let it take over our lives! Follow her advice to help relieve stress, and to manage the impact of stress and anxiety in YOUR life!
A Few Ways to Relieve Stress
01 Relieve Stress with Guided Imagery
Have you ever heard that picturing one of your favorite places can help you relieve stress? If you don't think you have found your ideal place, simply imagine how it may be. When you make that picture in your mind, add as many senses as you can.
For example, maybe you are on a hammock on a white sand beach, looking out over turquoise water. You can feel the sun streaming down on you, and smell the aroma of suntan lotion. You hear seagulls flying nearby.
Invoking your senses helps you feel even more relaxed and happy.
02 Meditation to Help You Feel Calm
When you are feeling calm and relaxed, stress just fades away. Meditation can also help you feel more in control of your thoughts.
While there are many meditation techniques, the simplest is to simply focus on your breathing. When you feel your attention wandering, just notice what you are thinking and bring your attention back to your in breath and out breath.
You can start with just 5 minutes a day and work your way up to 20-30 minutes a day.
03 Go for a Walk
A recent study showed that students who did daily moderate exercise (such as brisk walking) had lower levels of stress than either those who got no exercise or those that exercised strenuously. And if you can do your walk in nature, there is even more stress reduction.
If you are not used to walking, start with 15 minutes a day and try to gradually increase your time. Don't forget to do some stretching along the way, and make sure to walk with good posture. Not sure exactly how to walk in that way? Check out how to walk better and improve your posture.
These are just a few of the ways you can help relieve stress in your life. Katy includes 25 suggestions in her article, along with the steps to take to implement each one.
Her other tips include progressive muscle relaxation, aromatherapy, art therapy, having a well-balanced diet, listening to music, journal writing, yoga, laughter, and more.
Read the full article, 25 Ways to Relieve Stress
In addition, check out our RELAX AND REDUCE STRESS BrainSpeak Pathways program. It is an excellent tool to help you stress less. Click here to find out more about the Pathways Series, then click on the green PATHWAYS to HEALTH link on that page and scroll down to find this program.