There are so many causes of stress these days. It can often creep up on us without noticing or it can be a major bout due to perhaps an unpleasant event. Whatever does cause us stress, it is important that we try to get on top of it and take action to reduce it.
There are all sort of ways and methods aimed at managing and reducing stress that alone can make your head spin – but what to do first?
Here are six quick tips which may help to reduce and manage your own stress levels. I hope you find them interesting and useful.
Tip 1: Aromatherapy
Smelling nice things helps to make us feel good – nice fresh air, freshly baked bread and similar.
And nice smells can help us to relax and reduce stress.
Particularly some aromatherapy involving Lavender essential oil.
It’s easy to do too – pick up some Lavender oil and put it in to a diffuser in the room – straight away you the calming influence of gentle aromatherapy.
All sorts of other essential oils to try too including rose oil, frankincense oil and vanilla oil.
Inhaling the aromas of essential oils stimulates the olfactory nerves within your nose.
The limbic system gets involved which helps to control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels and hormone balance.
Tip 2: Shout it Out
The simple act of singing helps to the release of hormones to reduce stress.
So if you can, have a little sing song with yourself perhaps in the car or in the shower.
Or at home alone – crack it up and shout it out along to your favourite artist.
Or if you don’t feel like singing – close your eyes and immerse yourself in the music.
Don’t you feel better afterwards?
Tip 3: Give it a Squeeze
The simple act of squeezing on a stress ball can help to reduce stress – it’s what the ball is for after all.
Stress balls are everywhere – why not buy a couple for yourself.
Perhaps keep one at work and one at home.
Then when you feel the need – squeeze away!
Squeeze the ball and release for as long as you like.
Does that not help to reduce stress and tension?
Tip 4: Colour it in
Colouring can help reduce stress too.
I have fond memories as a young child spending time with colouring books – simpler times back then with no internet.
Now these days we have colouring books specifically for adults.
It can be very therapeutic and relaxing to have half an hour or so (or as long as you like) with the book and a pack of colouring pencils letting your imagination run riot.
No right or wrong – colour away and the stress with it.
And you have the added bonus of admiring your own work!
Pick up a colouring book and pencils next time you’re in town or from your online retailer of choice.
Tip 5: Glass Half Full
Are you a glass half full (optimistic) or glass half empty (pessimistic) person?
We all have tendencies either way though can lean more one way that the other.
If we see things as glass half empty it can mean we look on the bad side of things and that can cause stress and worry.
If that’s you – try to break out of that mind set and start to look for positives in any situation – the glass is half full.
It is said that in every problem there is an opportunity and negatives can be turned in to positives.
So next time you start to feel stressed – take a moment to think what the positives may be and try to concentrate of them rather than “glass half empty”.
Tip 6: Yoga
Practicing Yoga is all about the inner peace and tranquillity which all helps to reduce and cope with stress better also due to the state of mind.
If you have not tried Yoga before it’s easy to get going with some of the basic starter exercises.
There may be a local group you can join or you may have a friend who practices Yoga and who you can join to learn from.
Or simply buy yourself a Yoga mat and a book or load up YouTube and watch any of the many, many instructional videos which you can follow along against.
Even a few minutes of Yoga a few times a week can help with stress reduction and has general health benefits also such as helping with flexibility and muscle tone.
