Stress Management Techniques For Everyday Living
Scientists say that excess stress in our lives is the cause of many evils, from health problems like high blood pressure and obesity to social problems like workplace anxiety and marital strife. Anytime you can practice stress management techniques, you will be doing yourself a favor. It's easy to incorporate these simple stress management strategies into your every day routine.
Light A Candle
There is something soothing about gazing at an open flame. Staring at a fire blazing in a fireplace can be very calming, but not everyone has a fireplace, and it's impractical, and bad for the environment to light a fire every time you get stressed out. So light a candle and watch it burn. For a double duty stress management technique, light a scented candle, which brings us to the next technique.
Aromatherapy
Don't laugh off aromatherapy as new age psychobabble. There is plenty of science to support the connections among scent, memory, and mood. Keep it simple. If you need to relax, light a lavender-scented candle. If you need some energy, peel an orange or lemon and inhale the citrus scent. If you need to work up a powerful appetite, inhale fresh baked brownies or cookies.
Talk It Out
One of the most effective stress management techniques known to humankind is also one of the most fun: friendship. It is human nature to vent; talking with good friends or trusted family members about what stresses us out seems to help us sort the problems out and start solving them. Most people can get the same benefit from talking a problem over with a friend as they might get from talking to a paid professional.
Meditate
You don't have to change into a yoga suit or sit in lotus position to benefit from meditation as a stress management technique. Just take a few minutes a day to turn off all the sensory stimulation that stresses all of us out every day. Try this stress management technique for short bursts of time at first, of 30 seconds to one minute. Close your eyes, shut out background noise (wear headphones if you must), and count slowly from 1 to 15. When you reach 15, start counting backwards back down to 1. Open your eyes, take off your headphones, and resume whatever you were doing. Work slowly up to longer periods, using counting to focus your mind and avoid being distracted by your own thoughts. Even these short periods of sensory deprivation can help alleviate stress.
