Babies are lucky, even though they experience stress the same way adults do, like when they don’t get the attention they need, they have all the time in the world to instinctively do what they do best to battle stress and fatigue, and that’s resting and sleeping.

Because we are already adults and we have numerous responsibilities and obligations, which may be what is causing our stress, we can’t just drop everything that we need to do just to rest or go to sleep. We simply have to go on to finish the task at hand. But that doesn’t mean that we must completely continue on being stressed out, this could lead to depression, over fatigue or to some ailments and illnesses.

Relaxation differs for every people. Some love to watch TV while others would rather have peace and quiet and a good book. Whatever it is, what’s important is that you are able to shut out all the negative thoughts and worries and just be calm.

You should never stretch yourself to your limits. From time to time, try to get a quick rest. Just stop what you are doing for about five minutes, close your eyes and forget about everything that worries you. Soothing music can also help you achieve a state of calmness. While resting, feel every part of your body, try to tense your muscles and relax them repeatedly.

The body and our mind work hand in hand. Achieving relaxation is all about simultaneously freeing your mind from worries and allowing your body to rest.

(Photo by liveandrock)

If you are stressed, don’t feel too worried on how to deal with it; this will only aggravate your stressful situation. There are different ways of approaching coping with stress and this article will be a start of it. Read the basics and start to live in a more relaxed state.

There are a lot of ways to counter stress but we can limit them to 10. Here are ten ways on how to cope with stress:

1. Exercise regularly. Stress is an internal reaction and your body’s reaction to change. Exercise can help your body release confined stress and can make the body stronger. The best exercise to improve your body’s response to stress is aerobic. Walking exercises is a good way to start. You may also have other options of aerobic exercising like racquetball.

2. Relax. Surprisingly, it’s quicker for our mind to relax if we will learn to relax our body first. One type of relaxation is the progressive muscle relaxation wherein you will tense each of your muscle groups. You will have to hold the tension for 10 seconds and release it for the next 10 seconds. Relaxation exercises will only take 20 minutes to complete. It should be practiced once a day. You will start to feel more relaxed over time after these exercises.

3. Sleep well. Your body will be vulnerable to stress if you don’t have enough quality sleep. You may have a sleep disorder if you find it difficult to sleep every night or staying asleep. Another symptom of sleep disorder is falling asleep unexpectedly within the day or feeling exhausted the whole day.

If possible, try to sleep at the same hours each night including weekends. To have a regular sleeping schedule, begin by getting up same time each morning; change your bed time when necessary. It can be tough for the first or second week but ultimately, it will help you.

4. Laugh it up. Laughter can really release stress and it’s advisable to do it often. To cope with stress, you can start by thinking about what makes you laugh. Maybe, you’ll feel that you are wasting much time by watching “The Simpsons” each week but it’s a good therapy. You can go browsing the internet and find something that can make you laugh.

5. Make time for fun activities. This is somewhat related to the fourth tip. Give yourself leisure time. I may not be easy but it must be done. You have to decide on the regular activity that you can do leisurely.

6. Improve your diet. You may have to change your diet to cope with stress. You can start by eliminating caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and a drug which can cause the body to react to stress. This can lead your body to be more sensitive in life changes and you may be unable to cope with them. It can also cause panic attacks.

Alcohol may also increase panic and anxiety overtime. It may make you feel more relaxed oftentimes but over indulgence can result to an opposite effect. If you are under medication, this might not take effect if you’re drinking always. You also need to avoid another stimulant which is nicotine that produces similar effects to caffeine.

Examining what you eat, when you will eat and how much is also necessary is also needed. A healthy diet shall make you stronger. It may be hard to stick on a regular healthy diet but the benefits are astounding.

7. Create your support network. If you have anxiety disorder, 3 main types of support will help you cope with stress. One is support from people who also have this disorder. They can understand you and can give advices on how to cope with stressful situations.

The second group is the therapist. You will be assisted by a therapist on learning and coping with stress through known techniques. The therapist will listen to you during those stressful times. The third group is your family and friends. When everyone else cannot understand you, the power of support and love will always come from your immediate family and friends.

8.Change negative thinking. This should not be confused with positive thinking. You may not need to be optimistic and cheerful always and you shouldn’t always forget bad stuff. You just don’t need to feel angry all the times and put yourself down always. You cannot cope with stress if you always criticize and dislike yourself so change this thinking.

9. Manage your time. Your time management must be personalized and flexible. When you feel overwhelmed and rushed, you will be stressed eventually. To cope with stress, cut some activities out of your daily routine. Time management can also include learning new skills such as delegation, assertiveness and saying “NO”.

10. Stop being a perfectionist. Negative thoughts are somewhat related to being a perfectionist. It can be good to expect yourself to do great things but being perfect is impossible. You cannot cope with stress if you will always be perfectionist. Always remember the 2 main goals to eliminate perfectionism: 1 To learn the difference between the perfect and the best that you can do. 2. To praise yourself for each last accomplishment each day no matter how small it is.

Aside from the above steps, there are many other ways to go about coping with stress. Because stress is our response to changes, we can also begin to change some of the things that can only make us pressured and depressed. Practicing at least one technique a day is a good start for you to cope with stress and to live a stress-free life!

(Photo by Zanastardust)

Today I want to scratch a topic that is normally far off the scope of the usual relaxation-wellness-meditation advice. Today I want to talk about a program for the currently most popular MP3 player system around: The iPod (or even the iPhone, as in my case).

I often talk about the incredible benefit of using relaxing music as a tool to de-stress in everyday life.

I recently found an application on my iphone that leverages this concept. Now you can easily put any relaxing music from a CD on your MP3 player and that works well, but this program rather uses relaxing sounds such as chirping birds and flowing water.

It also has a sleep-timer feature so that you can use it for relaxing before bedtime without having it drain batteries the whole night (the timer just turns off the sound after a set amount of minutes).

And all this is just $0.99 - a token price if you ask me.

The only negative thing I have to say about this application is that you can’t seem to adjust the volume of the sounds, which doesn’t really matter to me as the volume is generally just fine.

If you also own an iPod (touch), you should consider giving this “app” a try. It can be found in the iTunes store just like every other application.

Our senses play a very active role on our overall well being. For example, if you have a cold, you lose some of your sense of smell and taste. The role can be reversed as well; you can use your senses to make you feel better. One very good instance would be aromatherapy.

Basically, aromatherapy is an alternative practice to promote wellness using essential oils derived from plants that is able to stimulate our senses that can treat various illnesses or ailments. Aromatherapy has also been effectively used to combat stress because of its calming effects which in turn soothes the mind that can bring in a state of calmness and relaxation.

Some of the more common aromatherapy oils used come from sunflower, sweet almond, apricot, lavender, chamomile, grapeseed, orange, geranium, petitgrain, rose, marjoram, patchouli, and neroli. Each of them has their own areas for wellness specializing in its effects.

Aromatherapy products range from the massage oils, used in many spas, in candle forms, and some in oils that can be poured in drops on pillows and blankets to promote good sleep.

One of the best ways to use aromatherapy to promote wellness is by having a soothing massage using the essential oils. Many spas offer this type of service and I assure you, its time well spent. It’s very relaxing and soothing to the mind. Another would be using aromatherapy candles when you do meditation or Yoga.

Doing the latter at your own home would be very cost effective and a fantastic way to release stress and achieve peace of mind.

(Photo by M@rg)

This is a very interesting and also funny video featuring dozens of good workshop excerpts of speaker and humorist Mike Moore (not to be confused with Michael “Stupid White Men” Moore) talking about the importance of humor when it comes to stress management.

This was recorded on one of his seminars on using humor and recognition to manage stress at work, at home and at play.

I recently stumbled upon the very interesting concept of using “Feng Shui”, an ancient Chinese technique to help improve one’s life circumstances, for stress relief.

Now, I have to admit that I do not have any training in the area of Feng Shui, nor do I have any expertise in this area. That’s why, to introduce you to this topic, let’s ask someone who has.

Stress Relief Using Feng Shui

Author: Ranju Kumar

Feng Shui is an ancient art of establishing energy and a delicate balance of harmony through the things that you are surrounded with on a regular basis. Things that are commonly altered and adjusted in order to create a positive energy that stirs through the home includes interior design strategies, basic architectural design, and even landscaping.

By creating a positive flow of energy in your home, your office, and other environments that you are likely to spend your time, you can experience a more nurturing, relaxing environment. Here I will share with you a few tips on how to reduce stress using Feng Shui in your life.

Feng Shui is often associated with bringing luck and prosperity into the life of the individual that practices it. It is important to understand that a large number of benefits may occur as a natural result of Feng Shui. One of the most common benefits is luck and prosperity, but this does not just have to be related to actual finances.

Luck and prosperity can also be experienced when it comes to the overall health of an individual as well! This art utilizes certain geometric designs, life, and water to bring a delicate balance of harmony so that you may live a life with reduced stress levels. A sense of peace and calmness often surrounds the individual that focus on the art of Feng Shui.

By simply using some basic rules and principles that are customary with Feng Shui, you can create a home that will attract energy that is positive in nature. As a result of doing so, this energy will draw in positive feelings in each and every single room of the home. One of the most basic techniques used to accumulate a feeling of calm and peace in the home is the art of utilizing various colors.

Bright, bold colors are quite likely to overwhelm the mind and the body. If you are looking for stimulation, these colors are great. However, since you are looking to reduce stress in your life, you need to aim for colors that are soft, neutral, and calm. Great choices include various types of blues, browns, and even pale colors like pink. In many cases, a light gray may even prove to be suitable.

Many individuals reduce stress using Feng Shui by rearranging the furniture and decorations in their home. This is actually a common practice among many. You can create a welcoming environment by placing you furniture so that when seated you are facing the entrance to the room.

Clearing the clutter works wonders on keeping the mind calm and the body relaxed. If you are seeking to reduce stress, there are many creative measures that can be used to do so. All it takes is a basic understanding of Feng Shui, some creativity, and some time to apply what you have learned, and you will know how to reduce stress using Feng Shui!

If you burdened by every day stress, your life seems a bit overwhelming at times or your health is suffering due to stress, check out the website for simple and easy tips to making your life more peaceful.

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About the Author:
Ranju Kumar associate to ArtofPlacement, is an Award Winning Interior Designer, the president of Wind and Water,Inc. and a Feng Shui Expert. Is also the author of 20 Minute Feng Shui. The website Feng Shui Tips ranked in top 10 of google and her passion is to create a new paradigm.

With stress being the culprit to the different obstacles we experience today, more and more people are trying to find different activities to be used as their outlet for stress. Some would go to gyms and work up a sweat; others would rather have fun with their friends, while others need some down time and some peace and quiet. On the latter, deep relaxation is the key to relieve one’s self from stress.

When deep relaxation is mentioned, some people would immediately think meditation and yoga. These two are very popular nowadays but that doesn’t mean that they are the “be all” of deep relaxation. The key here is for you to be comfortable, relaxed, and basically be letting go of your stress.

Here are some steps on how you can achieve deep relaxation:

1) Choose an area where you will be able to spend some time undisturbed. If you are unable to find total silence in your home, then just look for a spot where there is the least noise and just let the sounds flow through you.

2) Yoga and meditation is not just about sitting down on the floor cross legged. Find a comfortable position but make sure that you have good posture.

3) Do your deep breathing. Allow the air to come in deep into your abdomen and let it stay in your lungs for 5 seconds or 7. Then as you exhale, expel all air from your chest slowly for the same period of time when you inhaled. Just repeat the process to achieve deep relaxation.

4) Feel every part of your body and tense their muscles as you pass each part. Start with your toes and work yourself up. Do this on two cycles of deep breathing.

5) When you have reached your head, and then work yourself downward relaxing your muscles. You will then feel relaxed and continue to feel this way until you have ended your session.

There are numerous ways on how to lessen pressures and tension. If you are already feeling the stress, this article is right for you! I have discussed here the top ten stress relievers to help you prevent the stress and to relax. Keep on reading and start living normally!

1. Breathing Exercises.

As the American Institute of Stress president Paul Rosch puts it, beating stress is just a matter of releasing yourself from that stressful situation and catching few breaths. Deep breathing is an effortless stress reliever that gives numerous benefits to the body. One of these benefits is oxygenating the blood that leads to waking up of brain, quieting of mind and relaxing of muscles. These exercises are also helpful because it can be done anytime and anywhere and can relieve you from stress very fast.