Fortunately, there are many effective ways to reduce stress within our everyday life at work and at home. Some of them can be done by yourself, and with a little practice, they can be instrumental in helping you avoid any long term detrimental effects that might have otherwise have occurred from your ongoing stressful situations.
The key point to understand in the relief of stress is that relaxation is incompatible with the stress state, so that if you can generate relaxation in some way, you will automatically be countering the stress in your life.

Meditation is one of the key ways people can reduce stress and introduce a feeling of complete mental and physical relaxation into their lives, one which can continue to provide help in dealing with any stress experienced throughout the rest of the day. I want to say here, that, because of meditation’s connection with Eastern religions, many of you might feel that it is not in consonance with the life you are leading. The truth is, meditation is a valuable technique that is not of itself religious, but has simply been incorporated by various religions for their own purposes. It can be utilized in a completely non-religious way to achieve deep states of relaxation and great stress relief. Those suffering from serious stress should not hesitate to make use of this valuable resource for reducing stress in their lives.

The basic form of meditation is simply to focus your attention on one simple and relaxing thing. This relaxes the mind and keeps it from dwelling on stress generating thought. As a result, the mind gets relief and with the mind more relaxed the body follows. To do it, you should be in a comfortable position. Some people meditate in the so-called lotus position, you may have seen on yoga magazines. But this is not at all necessary. You can just sit in a comfortable chair or lie on your bed. You may chose to meditate for any period, but 20 to 30 minutes would be a good period to aim for. If you are worried you will lose track of time, you can use an alarm, preferably a gentle one, like a radio with music coming on or another softer choice of sound.

Once you are ready, you can choose how to concentrate your attention. One very popular way is to concentrate on your breathing. Pay attention to your slow breathing in and out. Here I want to point out, controlling your breathing, all by itself, can be a powerful influence on your stress and significantly reduce it. When we are experiencing stress we breathe shallow breathes up in our chest. When we are relaxed, we breathe slow, deep breaths by expanding our lower stomach area. Just by imitating the physiological states of relaxation, by controlling our breathing consciously to be like that when we experience relaxation, we induce our minds and bodies to experience relaxation. Thus, we can note here that breathing to promote relaxation, even without the act of meditation is a valuable resource for reducing stress. The beauty of using breathing for this purpose is that it can be employed wherever you are, even at work. You can just stop for a few moments and take a few slow, deep diaphragm breaths and you will be able to counter any stress you experiencing.

Another way you can meditate is to concentrate on looking at an object. You can do this with anything, but it can be more relaxing to choose a flower or an attractive piece of glass or pottery or a candle with a flame. Observe it carefully, noticing everything about it. Of course, this can be enhanced by breathing in the relaxing way at the same time, even if your attention is no longer on your breathing, but on the object. Some people can become very relaxed by focusing on a sound repeated silently in your mind. It can be short word; it can be a number, like one, or the word “easy,”, or the traditional sound used in religion, Om. You can even make up your own! Today many people have sound machines, and some of you may prefer to sit quietly with all your attention on listening to the sounds generated by your machine. You could listen to waves on a beach, or crickets at night, or a downpour in a rainforest. Many people get relaxed from just listening to such sounds without using them for meditation. There are also many meditative recordings designed to initiate relaxation in the person. Perhaps one of these will prove to your liking and be very beneficial to you. While you are meditating in the way you have chosen, some other thoughts may enter your mind, do not fight them. Just gently turn your attention back to what you were focusing on.

Using imagery is another way to relieve stress that people find extremely pleasant. You can either use a remembered peaceful, relaxing scene you have experienced or make up an entirely imaginary one. As you create this image in your mind, make sure to involve as many senses as possible. For example, an image of a beach should involve seeing the waves and the blue sky with some lovely clouds in it; while at the same time, you should be hearing the sounds of the waves and smelling the water and sand, feeling the warmth of the sun and a light breeze on your body.

Other imagery might involve seeing stress flow out of your body, or things you are concerned with moving away from you into the distance. You can also see waves of relaxation flowing down over your body and these waves can move in time with your breathing. You should feel how the relaxation is moving down your body with each new wave. Once you have done this regularly, wherever you are, you can stop for a while, even for just a minute, or as long as you are able, and imagine you are in your relaxing place or the waves of relaxation are flowing over you while you breathe in the relaxation-inducing manner.

You can also do deep breathing while imagining the stress flowing out of your body with each breathe you exhale.

Another very effective way to reduce stress is by practicing muscle relaxation. Remember that relaxation is incompatible with the stress state, so that if you can generate relaxation in some way, you will automatically be countering the stress in your life. Relaxed muscles are the opposite of the tensed muscles experienced with stress. If you learn to relax your muscles, you will be in a more relaxed state and your stress will be reduced.

Many people use what is called, progressive muscle relaxation. You should consult with your doctor before using this method if you have back problems or muscle spasms, or any other condition you think might lead to injury from this program. Starting either from the top part of your body or at your feet, you tighten then relax each set of muscles. For example, you might tighten your fists and hold this for about five seconds, fully experiencing the tenseness of the muscles used. Then you release this contraction and completely relax the muscles. Breathe out as you do so. It is important to focus your attention on the different feelings of tension and total relaxation. Take your time to fully experience the feelings of relaxation in the muscles. You can repeat doing this with each muscle group, feeling deeper relaxation each time as you release the contraction. Be careful when you contract the muscles in your feet and your back; do this deliberately, but gently and carefully. Practice throughout your body for awhile, then you are ready for the next stage. Now you will tense all the muscles of your body at once and then release them, while saying a word, like “relax” or a phrase, like “let go,” out loud or silently in your mind. Make sure you keep breathing in a relaxing manner as you are doing all these exercises. Never hold your breath. If practiced regularly, you can reach a point where all you have to do is feel in your body where you are experiencing muscle tension, think of that muscle group in your mind, say that word or phrase, and while you are in that stressful situation, you will experience relaxation.

Exercise is another very effective way to relieve stress. It releases tension in the muscles, which leads to a state of relaxation when completed. It improves blood flow to your brain and throughout your body to bring more nutrients and oxygen to these areas and remove toxins and other waste products from them too. In addition, a body in better physical condition is better able to deal with the actual physiological stresses created by being in stress creating situations. Exercising results in an improved mood. This may result from physiological changes within your body, but there is another reason as well. While you are exercising, especially if you are doing some sport, you are focusing on other things rather then the concerns which were causing you stress. Exercise will also help you to sleep soundly, and getting enough healthy sleep is an important part of combating stress. You should examine your sleep habits and make sure you are getting enough sleep each night. Many people do not get enough sleep and this contributes to the stress they experience trying to cope with things during their waking life. If you are one of the individuals who do not get plentiful sleep, you should seriously consider rearranging your life to get more sleep. Make sure you consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

There are some forms of exercise that combine meditation, breathing and physical movement. For example, you might wish to try Tai Chi or Yoga.

Remember, the best stress reduction system is the one that works for you and leads to less stress and more relaxation. Often people can improve their overall results by just adding more pleasant enjoyable moments during the day. Listening to your favorite music or reading a good book are some things you may have neglected to include in your life recently. Taking the time to enjoy good food, and taking a brisk walk can all add up to less stress and a more enjoyable relaxing existence. A lot of little things can add up and change the tone of your life toward the more positive. One of these things, often overlooked, is to include more humor in your life. This might include seeing more comedies in the movies, and amusing shows on TV, for example, going to the Comedy Channel regularly, or reading your favorite comedian’s latest book. It is now accepted that humor and laughter can significantly lower stress and have very positive mental and physiological effects on your health.

You must experiment and see what works best for you. Often it may actually be a combination of things that will best lead to you a less stressful, more relaxing and enjoyable life.

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If you watch the news or read the paper, magazines or online you are always seeing new ways to stay healthy, increase your quality of life, lose weight and de-stress.

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3. Counteracting Stress in your Everyday Life

More than ever before research is proving the fundamental responsibility played by stress in triggering or aggravating a lot of physical and emotional afflictions. In the June 6, 1983 issue of Time Magazine, the cover story called stress “The Epidemic of the Eighties.” The article also claimed that stress is a major health issue. Indeed there is no doubt whatsoever that our world has become even more complex and stressful in the past two decades since that article was published.

Numerous surveys indicate that most adults perceive themselves as being subject to a lot of stress. Authorities in the field estimate that 75 to 90 percent of the visits to primary care doctors are for stress related problems.

Most adults say their stress is for the most part due to their job. The levels of stress have also soared in children and the elderly population because of several reasons including: Peer pressures that often push people to everything from cigarette smoking to alcoholism and drug abuse; the wearing away of family and religious values and ties; growing crime rates; fear for personal safety; and last but not least social isolation and loneliness.

Stress can cause and aggravate problems such as diabetes, ulcers, low back and neck pain, high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks. This is because of the augmented sympathetic nervous system activity and a high level of cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones. Chronic stress is often associated with weakened immune system resistance. Stress can cause anxiety, depression, and its various impacts on the body’s organs.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “stress” as follows:

“To subject to physical or mental pressure, tension, or strain”

The same dictionary defines “tension” as follows:

“Mental, emotional, or nervous strain”

The following is the definition of “anxiety”:

“A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties”

And the following is the definition of “depression”:

“The condition of feeling sad or despondent”

The following is the definition of “clinical depression”:

“A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death.”

What we can be sure of is that our thoughts are the major cause of our experience of stress, anxiety and depression. In other words, what we think about, and our attitudes and the way we view our experiences create our feelings. So if we can learn how to alter our thoughts, attitudes, and points of view, we can release our feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression and change them for a better state of being.

Since the beginning of time, people have tried to find methods that would allow them to eliminate stress. With the pharmaceutical industry there seems to be a drug for everything. For that the industry has developed a large line of anxiolytics from Valium to Xanax. If you choose to utilize these pills for relief, please make sure that you pay attention to the fine print and learn about the side effects, which often are, among others, addiction and dependency. Indeed these types of drugs aim at treating the symptoms, instead of the cause. So as soon as one stops taking them, the symptoms can come back.

A smarter method to get rid of tension, stress, anxiety, and depression is to treat its actual cause, which as I said previously, is most often our thought processes. There is the good news. The heart of hypnosis is relaxing. The AMA recognized hypnosis in 1958 as an effective way to cure stress and stress related symptoms. And unlike anxiolytics, there are categorically no negative side effects.

When you enter hypnosis, you are in the Alpha level of consciousness. It’s the daydream like temporary psychological frame of mind which we feel as we’re just about to fall asleep in the evening. And we feel it again when we awaken again. There are many different ways we can guide ourselves into this state of tranquility, from step-by-step relaxation to visual imagery to listening to hypnosis CD’s.

Once in the hypnotic state, we can interact with our unconscious mind, which is the seat of our emotions. And one can more easily admit new points of view and ideas which will help us to eliminate anxiety, or even prevent anxiety from occurring in the first place.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), which is a new sort of hypnosis, has many great techniques for dissipating stress. Perhaps the most effective technique is called the “swish” pattern – or the “flash” pattern. When you use the “flash” pattern, your unconscious will automatically use negative, stress triggering mental pictures, to generate relaxing mental pictures. In other words, what generally makes you feel stress will automatically make you feel more relaxed!

TO SUM UP

Tension, stress, anxiety, and depression can be triggered by our thoughts. So by changing our attitude and the way we perceive our situation and our experiences, we can eliminate these feelings at the root. Hypnosis and NLP are natural tools that allow us to change our attitude and point of view to rapidly eliminate the root cause of our negative feelings.

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More than ever, scientific surveys are proving the primary role played by stress in causing and aggravating various physical and emotional disorders. In the June 6, 1983 issue of Time Magazine, the cover story labeled stress “The Epidemic of the Eighties.” The article also mentioned that stress is our prominent health issue. Indeed it is unquestionable that the world has become more and more complicated and stressful in the past 25 years since that article was written.

Many surveys indicate that almost everybody perceives themselves as being under a lot of stress. Authorities in the field estimate that around 75 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are related to stress.

Most people say that their job is the major reason of their stress. And stress levels have also increased in children as well as the elderly population because of several reasons including: Peer pressures that often lead to everything from smoking to drug and alcohol abuse; the dissolution of family and religious values and ties; growing crime rates; threats to personal safety; as well as social isolation and loneliness.

Stress can cause and aggravate problems such as diabetes, ulcers, low back and neck pain, hypertension, strokes and heart attacks. This is due to the ever growing sympathetic nervous system activity as well as a flood of cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones. Chronic stress is corollary of weakened immune system resistance. Stress can contribute to anxiety, depression, and its various effects on the body’s organs.

“Stress” is defined as follows by the American Heritage Dictionary:
“To subject to physical or mental pressure, tension, or strain”

The following is the definition of “tension” from the same dictionary:
“Mental, emotional, or nervous strain”

The following is the definition of “anxiety”:
“A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties”

And it defines “depression” as follows:
“The condition of feeling sad or despondent”

The following is the definition of “clinical depression”:

“A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death.”

We can nonetheless be sure that our mind is the primary cause of our feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. We could also say that, what we think about, and our attitudes and the way we view our experiences dictate what we feel. So if we can manage to modify our thoughts, attitudes, and points of view, then we can be relieved of our stress, anxiety, and depression and replace them with a better state of being.

Since the beginning of time, people have tried methods for getting rid of stress. The pharmaceutical industry seems to have a drug for everything. For that the industry has produced a large line of sedatives from Valium to Xanax. If you choose to use drugs for relief, please make sure that you read the fine print and learn about the side effects, which usually are, among others, addiction and dependency. Indeed these kinds of drugs try to treat the symptoms, but not the cause. So when one stops ingesting them, the symptoms can come back.

A more intelligent method to eliminate tension, stress, anxiety, and depression is to treat its actual cause, which as I said above, is generally our thought processes. There is some good news. The basis of hypnosis is relaxing. The AMA accepted hypnosis in 1958 as an effective method of treating stress or stress related symptoms. However unlike anxiolytics, there are categorically no bad side effects.

Hypnosis is the Alpha level of consciousness. It is the daydream like temporary psychological state which we feel as we are about to fall asleep at night. And we feel it once more when we awaken again. There are several different ways we can guide ourselves into this relaxed mood, from step-by-step relaxation to visual imagery to listening to hypnosis CD’s.

When we enter the hypnotic state, we can communicate with our unconscious mind, which is the seat of our emotions. And one can more easily accept new points of view and ideas which will help us to dissipate anxiety, or even prevent it from occurring in the first place.

NLP, which is a modern kind of hypnosis, offers various really good techniques for releasing stress. Maybe the technique that works best is called the “swish” pattern – or the “flash” pattern. After using the “flash” pattern, your unconscious will automatically use negative, stress triggering mental images, as triggers for tranquilizing mental images. Otherwise stated, what commonly makes you feel stress will now trigger relaxation!

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2. Fibromyalgia and the Benefits of Relaxation Therapy – Let’s Just Relax!
3. Stress Management: Do You Know How to Relax?

It seems like everyone is trying to learn how to deal with stress. From work hassles, to family problems, to money issues, people’s lives are filled with potential stressors. One of the best ways to deal with stress is relaxing. Taking just 10 or 15 minute break away from your hectic life can do your mind and body a world of good.

But, surprisingly, many people don’t seem to know how to relax effectively. They know how to take a short break away from the stresses of work, or running after hyperactive kids. But they don’t know how to use that break to give them the most benefits.

So, how do you relax the right way? Here are some tips.

Let Go of the Tension: If you have been on your feet all day, sitting down for five or ten minutes can be a huge relief. But if you are sitting in your chair as stiff as a board, and already thinking about having to go back to work in a little bit, you aren’t really relaxing.

When you sit down to take your break, forget about the work you will have to get back to once the break is over. Make a conscious effort to let go of the tension. Put your feet up, if you can. Relax those stiff muscles. You can even slouch in your seat if you want to.

A good way to relieve stress is by relaxing your body.

Don’t Think: Many people use their breaks to think. They think about all of the things they have to do after work, or once the kids are off to school. Or they think about how they will deal with the problem that came up before their break. Typically, thinking about things like work-related problems or your busy schedule aren’t very relaxing.

During your break, try occupying your mind with something that won’t add to your stress. Read a romance novel or an entertainment magazine. Or spend the time playing with a stress relief toy.

Rethink Those Errands: The purpose of a break is to give you some time to relax and reenergize, so you can face the rest of the day with renewed energy and pep. However, if you spend your breaks running errands, you aren’t giving yourself time to relax or reenergize.

So, before you spend your break running errands, reconsider. Are these things you absolutely have to do during your break, or can you do them at another time?

Learning how to deal with stress is critical. But things can get so hectic, some people feel almost guilty for taking a moment to relax. However, by doing so, you will actually make yourself better able to deal with the stresses of daily life.

And in the last part of our article we will focus on one way to relieve stress:

Slowly Count To Ten: If you can stay relatively calm and in control, stress won’t be as much of an issue for you. When something bad or unpleasant happens in your life, don’t react immediately. Instead, take a moment and slowly count to ten. As you count, rate the stressor on a scale of 1 to 10.

Your boss yelled at you? On the scale of bad things that can happen on any given day, that’s about a two. You lost your keys? That’s about a 4. Not an ideal situation, but one you can handle.

Counting to ten gives you time to really evaluate the stressful situation. Once you put things in perspective, you might find it’s not worth stressing over.

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2. Hypnotherapy Can Eliminate Anxiety And Stress So You Can Relax
3. Anxiety & Stress – Use Nlp And Overcome Them & Relax

One very good way to handle stress is relaxing. Taking just 10 or 15 minute break away from your hectic life can do your mind and body a world of good.

But, surprisingly, many people don’t seem to know how to relax effectively. They know how to take a short break away from the stresses of work, or running after hyperactive kids. But they don’t know how to use that break to give them the most benefits.

So, how can you relax effectively? Here are some tips.

Let Go of the Tension

If you have been on your feet all day, sitting down for five or ten minutes can be a huge relief. But if you are sitting in your chair as stiff as a board, and already thinking about having to go back to work in a little bit, you aren’t really relaxing.

When you sit down to take your break, forget about the work you will have to get back to once the break is over. Make a conscious effort to let go of the tension. Put your feet up, if you can. Relax those stiff muscles. You can even slouch in your seat if you want to.

A good way to relieve stress is by relaxing your body.

Don’t Think

Many people use their breaks to think. They think about all of the things they have to do after work, or once the kids are off to school. Or they think about how they will deal with the problem that came up before their break.

Typically, thinking about things like work-related problems or your busy schedule aren’t very relaxing.

During your break, try occupying your mind with something that won’t add to your stress. Read a romance novel or an entertainment magazine. Or spend the time playing with a stress relief toy.

Rethink Those Errands

The purpose of a break is to give you some time to relax and reenergize, so you can face the rest of the day with renewed energy and pep. However, if you spend your breaks running errands, you aren’t giving yourself time to relax or reenergize.

So, before you spend your break running errands, reconsider. Are these things you absolutely have to do during your break, or can you do them at another time?

Learning how to deal with stress is critical. But things can get so hectic, some people feel almost guilty for taking a moment to relax. However, by doing so, you will actually make yourself better able to deal with the stresses of daily life.

Related posts:

1. Dealing With Stress Do You Know How To Relax?
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3. Hypnotherapy Can Eliminate Anxiety And Stress So You Can Relax

It seems like everybody is always dealing with some form of stress.

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1. Stress Management: Do You Know How to Relax?
2. Dealing With Stress Do You Know How To Relax?
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