Find Peaceful ways to combat stress
Stress is all around us for many reasons, yet we know that the long-term effects of stress, including a weakened immune system, blood clots, high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as short-term consequences, including crank impatience, throbbing headaches and sleepless nights, but there are some techniques to consider to help alleviate stress and do your body good. Among the pro-active ways to create peace and conquer stress are:
- Get some exercise - Physical exertion can help alleviate stress. Whether you want to take up a running program or time in the gym, set yourself a plan to regularly schedule time for exercise. Focus on a specific area of your body you want to target and create a workout routine of individual exercise. Regular exercise will help focus your thoughts on the exercise and away from the issues causing stress.
- Chuckle - Your mood improves when you are giggling and laughter has a positive impact on creating a relaxed feeling, thereby reducing stress. Chuckles can also stimulate your heart, lungs and muscles and even ease stomachaches because of their positive effects on digestion.
- Smell the roses - Fragrance may actually calm tensed-out nerves. For example, aromatherapy has demonstrated physiological reaction to reduce stress.
- Take a tea break - Research has shown tea drinkers to have a lower level of the stress hormone corisol. Frazzled nerves seem to be soothed from tea while many caffeinated drinks seem to take much longer to soothe or calm down stressful encounters.
- Take a meditation break - A few calming moments of silence can have a wonderful soothing effect by reducing blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels. Meditation brings benefits by quieting the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for such things as our "fight-or-flight" response, and amping up the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows heart rate, breathing and improves blood flow. Techniques vary widely, but most involve finding a comfortable position in a quiet spot, then either focusing on your breathing or repeating a mantra.
