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Stress Relief Strategies and Tactics to Break the Cycle, Relax, and Feel BetterHumans have always faced stress - war, famine, wild animals - but in our modern world that changes so rapidly, we have numerous other stressors in our lives. I would name a few but I imagine if you're like most people, you have your own list and certainly don't need me to provide one for you. Now, before we launch into this, I want to note that not all stress is bad. Eustress, or good stress, can give us extra energy for an exciting challenge or a worthwhile endeavor that gives our life meaning. But, when our stress levels cross over into bad stress, or distress, we face severe consequences for our health and happiness. Researchers have a hard time agreeing on a common definition of stress, yet they do agree on one thing: physical and psychological stress is linked to many diseases, including: heart disease, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, high blood pressure, eating disorders, chronic pain, colds, headaches, migraines, alcoholism, and many more. Stress Relief & Prevention Tactics In the long term, there are many potent practices you can develop to inoculate yourself against stress. Here are some of the most powerful:  Exercise: Exercise helps flush cortisol, the stress hormone, out of your body. In addition, it builds your physical capacity to handle stress in the future. Good Diet: Eating right - which means eating real foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, and lean meats - and avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates (i.e. processed food) goes a long way. When you're stressed, you crave carbs and sugar and that starts a viscious cycle. Yoga: Yoga is an excellent practice that relaxes both your body and your mind and, like exercise, prepares your body to handle stress in the future. Specifically, you learn to return to your "center" and relax. Other body mind practices like tai-chi, qi gong, and martial arts are excellent as well. Meditation: Meditation will help you relax from the inside out, and there are many wonderful types and techniques. A potent meditation technique against stress is the Heartmath technique, one of several easy meditation techniques effective for stress relief. Time Management: Proactive time management, such as managing your calendar, planning, preparing, and preventing urgent crises will help lower your stress over the long haul. Re-Write Your Story: Stress often comes from the "stories" we tell ourselves. For example, thinking, "I'm going to fail; I won't make it; I'm not good enough" causes stress. Learning to identify your thoughts and "re-write your story" (also known as Rational Emotive Therapy) can help you experience life's events with less stress. Rest: As simple as it sounds, sleep and regular periods of renewal boost your energy reserves and protect against stress. Simplify Your Life: Complexity causes stress. Seek to simplify your life and you will reap huge rewards. These are all potent stress relief techniques that, practiced over time, will greatly enhance your ability to deal with stress. I highly recommend working with all of these not only for stress relief, but to proactively create a balanced life that you love. In-the-Moment Stress Relief Tactics In addition to these preventative tactics for stress relief, below are some stress relief tactics for in-the-moment stressful situations. The key aspect of these approaches, or any other strategy for stress relief is that they allow you to break the cycle. Let me say that again: The key to successful stress relief lies in first recognizing your stress and then, second, doing something to break the pattern. What you actually do matters less. It could be a variety of positive things. More often than not, it is something physical. But, with all of them, the key is "pressing pause" and doing something differently to shift your energy. Here are a few ideas: Relaxation Exercises
Change Your Physical Environment
Find a New Physical Environment
Pamper Yourself
Gratitude
Let Yourself Off the Hook
Have Fun
Get Help If you feel your stress level spiraling out of control, or if you have chronic stress, or if you simply feel you have too much stress in your life and want to do something about it, get some help! Enlist a relative or friend in the process. You may want to work with a mental health professional for psychological stress. Or maybe a fitness trainer to help you get in shape. Or a yoga teacher to learn relaxation techniques. Or a wellness coach to help you gain some insight and take action. Many people can help you. Whatever you do, start doing something differently. Do something to break the cycle and get yourself out of the rut. Good luck. And, take it easy. But, before you leave this page, take a deep breath. . . and one more deep breath. . . and one more deep breath. Okay. Now you can leave :) Leave Stress Relief and Return to Healthy Lifestyle Main Page Leave Stress Relief and Return to BPGR Home Related Articles
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