5 Ways to Relieve Stress Anywhere

Are any of you stressed out? You might not be at the moment but something tells me that most people who read this article either have been lately or will be at some point this week. There is plenty to be stressed about: work, family, finances, health, coworkers, food, etc. The American Institute of Stress claimed that 3 out of 4 doctor visits are in regard to stress related ailments.

Many times we start feeling that stress mounting up and we may be at work where it seems impossible to do anything about it (unless you work at a gym and you can go pound on a punching bag). My stress level rises when I’m driving in big cities and that is not the place you want to be all tensed up. So what can you do about stress? What are some things that might help you get through those moments?

1. Regulate Your Breathing

Being aware of how you are breathing is a crucial part of maintaining control. It is almost like hitting the reset button on your body. People experiencing panic many times feel that they are not getting enough oxygen, when they are many times getting too much oxygen (the reason people say breathe into a paper bag – you are resupplying the carbon dioxide that you are exhaling). So when you find you are stressing or becoming anxious – become mindful of how deep or shallow your breathing is and do what you can to bring it to a normal level. Fresh air always helps, too. So open a window or walk outside for a moment if possible.

2. Visualization

It is helpful to have a picture in your mind (or on your desktop) of something that is relaxing and soothing: a picture of a place that is connected to a calmer feeling. We are visual creatures that attach feelings to memories. If you don’t believe me, search online for pictures from your team’s worst loss in the last 5 years. Just suggesting it made certain moments come to mind – seeing the picture will make it worse. The feeling of anger and frustration was attached to the picture or thought. The same thing can work in the calming you down. If there is a place that brings calm – a simple picture whether in your mind or in front of you can many times help bring calming.

3. Muscle Relaxation

This is a technique that has been around a while and is very helpful. Tense up the muscles in your body for 5-8 seconds and then relax them. Start in your face and work down to your toes, flexing or tensing each muscle group on the way down. Let the stress push down to the next muscle group and let the tension move out the bottom of your feet.

4. Music

Most work places have some music playing or at least allow you to. If your work place doesn’t allow it then memorize tunes to sing or hum to yourself. When my daughter was still a year old I would wake up in the morning and I would hear her humming the tune to “Lullaby and Goodnight.” We have rocked all our kids to sleep with that song and up until he was 10 or so my oldest son would still ask me to scratch his back and hum that song to him. Music relaxes. Utilize it if possible.

5. Physical Exercise

This sounds strange especially if you are driving or sitting behind a desk, but it is not altogether out of the question. In the office take a break and walk down the hall. You might even close the door and do a few sit-ups, jumping jacks, or push-ups. Some people keep hand grips or other exercise items to squeeze in their hands to relieve stress when in office or in the car. If stress gets too bad on the commute plan a stop along the way to “walk it off.”

These are certainly not the only things that a person can do to relieve stress but I hope they are helpful to you in those confined situations that you may occasionally (or daily) find yourself in. If stress is becoming an overwhelming problem in your life then please seek professional help.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash