Three Things You Can Do Now To Reduce Stress

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Article Title: Three Things You Can Do Now To Reduce Stress

Author: Art

Word Count: 927

Article URL:

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Are any of these scenes familiar?

....The kids woke up late again this morning. By the time you

get them to school and fight rush hour traffic, you'll be 20

minutes late for the meeting you're supposed to lead...

....When you were first hired, you felt lucky to get your

customer service job. But now you wonder if it's worth it. The

phones ring constantly and you hear nothing but complaints.

Last week, you called in sick just to get a break...

....It's almost time for your presentation. Top management is

here and your supervisor is counting on you to make her look

good. You were up all night finishing the Powerpoint. You

wonder if you've anticipated all the possible questions...

Stress is a permanent feature of our lives, but it really seems

to ramp up at work. More than two-thirds of American workers

report that workplace stress is a problem.

This means we're all spending way too much time in “fight or

flight” mode. And it's taking a toll on our bodies through

weakened immune systems, high blood pressure, and heart

disease. These conditions shorten our lives and lower the

quality of what's left.

There are lots of strategies for managing stress, but when

stress blindsides us with no time to prepare, we don't need

strategy. We need quick, practical steps we can take NOW that

work fast and can be done anywhere. When stress launches it's

next surprise attack, try one of these: breathe deeply,

visualize mentally, relax progressively.

Breathe Deeply

Breathing deeply could be the single most effective way to stay

calm. Everyone breathes, but a lot of us breathe the wrong

way--shallow, fast, and high in the chest. This kind of

breathing is restrictive, it increases our anxious feelings,

and it fuels our body's negative stress reactions.

Slow, deep breathing triggers a relaxation response, calming

the body and focusing the mind. It increases the amount of

oxygen in our blood, raising our performance potential.

Are you breathing the right way? To find out, try this: put one

hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen just below your

rib cage. Now breathe. Which hand moves? If it’s the hand on

your chest, your breathing is too shallow.

The trick is to make the hand on your abdomen move. Inhale

deeply while you slowly count to five. Try to get your abdomen

to expand instead of your chest. If you have trouble making it

happen, try it lying on your back. With a little practice and

patience, you'll be able to shift into a deep breathing pattern

automatically.

Once you learn the technique of deep breathing, you can do it

anytime—in the middle of rush hour traffic, right before you

handle the next irate customer, even in the middle of your big

presentation.

Visualize Mentally

There are two kinds of visualization techniques. The first one

involves building a mental image of a place that's relaxing for

you. It may be a remembered place that triggers relaxed,

contented feelings, or it may be imaginary. The basic idea is

to give your mind something to focus on besides the stress.

Once you have visualized your restful scene, you should spend

about 10 minutes attempting to imagine it as fully as possible.

Inventory your senses. What do you see? How does it smell? Do

you hear anything? What do you feel? What can you taste? Then

slowly allow yourself to return to the real world around you.

Effective visualization will take some practice.

Professional musicians and Olympic athletes practice a

different form of visualization: a mental rehearsal of what's

about to happen. Instead of visualizing a relaxing scene,

mentally rehearse the situation that's causing your stress.

Visualize the meeting you're about to walk into and rehearse

what happens. Imagine yourself successfully completing tasks

that give you trouble. Visualize feeling calm and in control.

This type of mental rehearsal can help you actually attain

these feelings when the situation becomes reality.

Relax Progressively

Breathing deeply and visualizing mentally both involve your

mind convincing your body to relax. Progressive muscle

relaxation works the other way, with your body reporting to

your mind that all is well.

Progressive relaxation works by tensing and relaxing muscles

throughout your body, one group at a time. Try this: starting

at your feet and working your way up to your head, contract and

loosen each muscle group one after the other. Become aware of

each muscle, tense it, hold the tension for a count of five,

then slowly relax it. As the muscles in your body relax, your

mind will become calmer and more focused.

The more you practice, the more sensitive your muscles will

become to levels of tension and relaxation. The goal is to

reach the point where you can relax your body on demand without

having to go through the entire cycle. If you can do that, then

stress doesn't stand a chance.

Be aware of the situations that cause you negative stress. If

you can see them coming sooner, it may give you extra time to

breathe deeply, visualize mentally, and relax progressively.

Not only will these fast and easy techniques help you in the

moment of stress, using them regularly may help lessen the long

term effects of stress on your life and health.

About The Author: Art is a writer, musician, and creator

of Relaxation Emporium, where you can learn more about stress

and stress management techniques. Visit

http://www.relaxationemporium.com

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