Ten Tips for Beating Stress

Few things aggravate illnesses and damage the body more than long-term stress. The accumulative effects of weeks, months, years or decades of stressful experiences take an enormous toll on your body. We all know this, yet in our mostly fast-paced society, stress continues to wreak havoc. It is a part of Western society.

Stress is damaging because it changes every system in your body — the heart, blood vessels, lungs, digestion, brain, sensory organs and immune system. They change because your body is confronting the stress and defending itself. However, when stress continually presents itself, it starts to have more major effects on those bodily functions.

With that in mind, all of us need to actively beat stress. Here are some great tips for stress-busting ideas to possibly incorporate into your life.¹

Top-10 Stress-Busters

1. Don’t add undo pressure to yourself; avoid unrealistic goals that cause stress if you can’t meet them.
2. Focus on breathing; take 20 minutes to lie on your back and inhale slowly while raising your arms to the ceiling; then, exhale while smoothly returning your arms to the side; also, try deep breathing in any position, inhaling through the nose and feeling the oxygen enter your body.
3. Experience what you want in life; cut stress by working on your favorite hobby, playing sports, gardening, doing volunteer work, taking a vacation or simply getting out into nature; this also helps curb any anger contributing to stress.
4. Get simple: a walk can clear the mind and reduce tension; stretching your muscles and focusing on them at the same time do the same thing.
5. Try “aromatherapy,” the alternative medicine using fragrant oils of plants; these “essential oils” help relieve different stresses when you breathe in the soothing, calming vapors.
6. Give yoga or Pilates a go, whose classes come in all shapes and sizes; they are powerful stress-busters for millions of people; yoga blends meditation, physical postures and breathing exercises; Pilates is similar, focusing on the muscles that keep you balanced, as well as breathing techniques.
7. Engage in relaxation therapy, the most famous of which is meditation; they are all designed to eliminate stress, and all involve getting yourself in a relaxed, comfortable position and either focusing on your breathing, chanting or visualizing yourself somewhere.
8. Stay rested by doing as much as you can to ensure a good night’s sleep.
9. Periodically, get a massage; deep, circular massages slow down the heart and relax the body — that’s Swedish massage, the standard one; shiatsu applies direct pressure to body parts, and “reflexology” aims at acupuncture points in the hands and feet.
10. Try a few cups of Valerian tea a day, a herb that is proven to quell anxiety and insomnia; chamomile, passion flower and lemon balm are all known to exert a soothing effect; taking ginseng is known to improve the body’s reaction against any type of stress.