Stress Reduction Tips and Strategies

Coping with Stress in a Stressful World

Chances are, you have experienced stress in your life. From career, family, or just driving in your car, stress is everywhere all the time. Relaxation techniques are a great way to help reduce the stress we feel each day. Relaxation isn’t only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. It’s a process that lessens the stress effects on your mind and body. Using ways to relax can help you cope with everyday stress. And these options can help with long-term stress or stress related to many health problems, such as heart disease and pain.

The Benefits of Relaxation Techniques

When faced with everyday jobs and tasks or the demands of an illness, relaxation techniques may not be a main concern in your life. But that means you might miss out on how relaxation can benefit your health.

Relaxation techniques can:

• Slow heart rate.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Slow breathing rate.
• Improve digestion.
• Control blood sugar levels.
• Lessen activity of stress hormones.
• Increase blood flow to major muscles.
• Ease muscle tension and chronic pain.
• Improve focus and mood.
• Improve sleep quality.
• Lower fatigue.
• Lessen anger and frustration.
• Boost confidence to handle problems.

Progressive muscle relaxation

In progressive muscle relaxation, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group.

This can help you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation. You can become more aware of physical sensations.

In one type of progressive muscle relaxation, you start to tense and relax the muscles in your toes. You gradually work your way up to your neck and head. This is best done in a quiet area without interruptions. You also can start with your head and neck and work down to your toes. Tense your muscles for about five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

Visualization 

In visualization, you may form mental pictures to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation.

To relax using visualization, try to use as many senses as you can, such as smell, sight, sound and touch. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, think about the salt water’s smell, the sound of crashing waves and the feel of the warm sun on your body.

You may want to close your eyes and sit in a quiet spot. Loosen any tight clothing and focus on your breathing. Aim to focus on the present and think positive thoughts.

Take a break

Relaxation doesn’t have to take up lots of your time. Just stepping away from something stressful for a few minutes or taking time away from your normal routines and thoughts can give you enough space and distance to feel calmer.

• Read a book or a magazine, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
• Run yourself a bath, watch a film, play with a pet or try out a new recipe.

Active Relaxation

Relaxation doesn’t have to mean sitting still. Gentle exercise can help you relax too.

• Take a walk, going at your own pace. You might choose to go for a longer walk, but even a few minutes of walking can help you feel relaxed.
• Look for a class you’d like to try, such as yoga, Pilates or gentle stretching.
• Try some seated exercises, which you may be able to fit into your day more easily if you are busy. They may also help if you have mobility restrictions that make other exercise difficult. The NHS has a selection of sitting exercises you could try.

Learning to breathe more deeply can help you feel a lot calmer. It takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.

• Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to keep your shoulders down and relaxed, and place your hand on your stomach – it should rise as you breathe in and fall as you breathe out.
• Count as you breathe. Start by counting ‘one, two, three, four’ as you breathe in and ‘one, two, three, four’ as you breathe out. Try to work out what’s comfortable for you.

You can find more details about this exercise on the NHS website.

Deep breathing/Diaphragmatic breathing

Deep breathing/diaphragmatic breathing and Box breathing, where you refocus your attention on your breathing. Box breathing is a breathing exercise to assist patients with stress management and can be implemented before, during, and/or after stressful experiences. Box breathing uses four simple steps. Its title is intended to help the patient visualize a box with four equal sides as they perform the exercise. This exercise can be implemented in a variety of circumstances and does not require a calm environment to be effective

• Step One: Breathe in through the nose for a count of 4.
• Step Two: Hold breath for a count of 4.
• Step Three: Breath out for a count of 4.
• Step Four: Hold breath for a count of 4.
• Repeat
• Note: The length of the steps can be adjusted to accommodate the individual (e.g., 2 seconds instead of 4 seconds for each step).

Light Exercise – Walking

Spending time outside and in green spaces can be great for your physical and mental health.

• Take a walk in a green space if you can, taking time to notice any trees, flowers, plants and animals you see on the way. See our page on relaxation exercises for a guided mindful moment in nature.
• Spend some time taking part in conservation, whether that’s digging in your own garden or taking part in a local green project. You can find projects and outdoor activities to suit whatever level of mobility you have. See our pages on nature and mental health for more information about how to find projects in your area. If you live in an area where it is difficult to access nature and green spaces, our page on overcoming barriers may help.

Listen to Music

Music can relax you, connect you to your emotions and distract you from worrying thoughts.

• Listen to your favorite songs. You could dance or sing along, or just close your eyes and enjoy.
• Really listen to the music. Can you pick out different instruments? Can you hear a drum beat or a certain rhythm? Focus on the music, and let other thoughts fade away.

Take a Technology Break

Technology can be great for helping you feel connected, but if you’re using it a lot then it can contribute to making you feel busy and stressed. Taking a break can help you relax, even if it is only short.

• Try turning your phone off for an hour if you can.
• Step away from the TV or have an evening where you don’t check emails or social networks. Use the time to do something relaxing. You could try some of the ideas above.

Meditation:  simple, fast way to reduce stress

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, you might try meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace. Meditation is a widely studied and widely used practice that can help you improve your overall health. Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)Trusted Source, meditation is effective for creating calm and relaxation in your mind and body.

Parts of meditation

Each type of meditation may include certain features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who’s teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

• Focused attention. Focusing your attention is one of the most important elements of meditation.

Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many things that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on things such as a certain object, an image, a mantra or even your breathing.

• Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the muscle between your chest and your belly, called the diaphragm muscle, to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe better.
• A quiet setting. If you’re a beginner, meditation may be easier if you’re in a quiet spot. Aim to have fewer things that can distract you, including no television, computers or cellphones.

As you get more skilled at meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere. This includes high-stress places, such as a traffic jam, a stressful work meeting or a long line at the grocery store. This is when you can get the most out of meditation.

• A comfortable position. You can practice meditation whether you’re sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation. Aim to keep good posture during meditation.
• Open attitude. Let thoughts pass through your mind without judging them.

Everyday ways to practice meditation

Don’t let the thought of meditating the “right” way add to your stress. If you choose to, you can attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors. But you also can practice meditation easily on your own. There are apps to use too.

And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes a day for meditation.

Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

• Breathe deeply. This is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function.

Focus all your attention on your breathing. Feel your breath and listen to it as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.

• Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on each part of your body. Become aware of how your body feels. That might be pain, tension, warmth or relaxation.

Mix body scanning with breathing exercises and think about breathing heat or relaxation into and out of the parts of your body.

• Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra. It can be religious or not. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.
• Walk and meditate. Meditating while walking is a good and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you’re walking, such as in a forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall.

When you use this method, slow your walking pace so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don’t focus on where you’re going. Focus on your legs and feet. Repeat action words in your mind such as “lifting,” “moving” and “placing” as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground. Focus on the sights, sounds and smells around you.

• Pray. Prayer is the best known and most widely used type of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions.

You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about possible resources.

• Read and reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts and taking a few moments to think about their meaning.

You also can listen to sacred music, spoken words, or any music that relaxes or inspires you. You may want to write your thoughts in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.

• Focus your love and kindness. In this type of meditation, you think of others with feelings of love, compassion and kindness. This can help increase how connected you feel to others.

Building your meditation skills

Don’t judge how you meditate. That can increase your stress. Meditation takes practice.

It’s common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you’ve been practicing meditation. If you’re meditating to calm your mind and your mind wanders, slowly return to what you’re focusing on.

Try out ways to meditate to find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs as you go. Remember, there’s no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you reduce your stress and feel better overall.

Basic Meditation Exercise

Here’s a simple meditation you can practice daily for natural anxiety and stress relief:

• Step 1: Sit in a quiet, distraction-free location.
• Step 2: Maintain a comfortable but raised posture, such as a straight back, shoulders down, and feet flat on the floor.
• Step 3: Choose an object of focus. This may be:
  • a word you repeat mentally or aloud
  • something in the room, like a candle, you stare at
  • an image you hold in your mind with closed eyes
  • the rhythm of your breath
• Step 4: Breathe deeply and slowly. Stay with your object of focus. If your mind strays, or you have distracting thoughts, simply let them pass by without judgment and return to your object.

During meditation, you focus on one thing. You get rid of the stream of thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process can lead to better physical and emotional well-being.

When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.

The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include:

• Giving you a new way to look at things that cause stress.
• Building skills to manage your stress.
• Making you more self-aware.
• Focusing on the present.
• Reducing negative feelings.
• Helping you be more creative.
• Helping you be more patient.
• Lowering resting heart rate.
• Lowering resting blood pressure.
• Helping you sleep better.

Congratulations! You may be on your way to a less stressed life which may lead to greater overall happiness and increased quality of life. Dealing with stress over the long term requires stress management techniques such as the ones described in this free lesson to be incorporated into ones daily routine. We wish you a stress free life!!

Thank you for visiting us.

For more information about stress management, visit NHS website,

Disclaimer: These tips and strategies are not intended as a diagnosis of any disorder via this website. The information provided on this site is not a replacement for the therapeutic relationship in psychotherapy. The information on this website is not intended to replace medical advice. I am not a Medical Provider (Physician, Psychiatrist, Nurse Practitioner, etc.). The information provided on this site is solely as suggestions to reduce stress and can be readily found at the National Institute of Health NHS website, NIH website, and NIH books.