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What have in common music, books, exercises and volunteer work? They are all great stress relievers. Unlike many believe, venting is not always the best way to relieve stress and can even lead to more damaging results than helpful ones. Fortunately there are many other more beneficial ways of keeping your stress under control. Find out here what are our top 10 ways to relieve stress.
Listen to music
picture credit: alancleaver
A great trick for relieving stress is to find some music that matches your mood. Listening to someone sing your emotions, and singing with them, is very cathartic. That’s what the Blues are all about! Some of the happiest people you’ll meet listen to very angry, fast, hard driving music. Experiment and see what helps your mood. If you find the music is keeping you in a negative place, work in more and more upbeat, soul-lifting songs. You’ll be out of your funk in no time.
Read a book
When was the last time you actually read a book for pleasure? Far too many of us neglect this simple escape. Unlike numbly watching a television program, reading is active. Your brain gets to work on something new, and gets a rest from thoughts that have been stressing you. When you get back to your daily routine, you’ll be refreshed.
Go outside
Take a walk. Stretch your legs, or go for a drive in the country. Even if you can’t go any further than your company parking lot, just getting away the same old scene for ten minutes of fresh air can help. Getting some sun in will also boost Vitamin D, helping your body to fight off stress.
Volunteer
Sometimes we get so caught up in our own problems that we blow them out of proportion. Consider spending a couple of hours at a soup kitchen, helping a needful friend, or even cleaning up a local waterway. Focusing on someone else’s problems can not only give you perspective, but it also helps you to know that there are people willing to help others out there.
Physical contact
Human beings crave touch. When you are stressed, you might put those needs on the back burner, but that’s a mistake. Schedule yourself an appointment to get a massage or a pedicure. You could offer to trade massages with your partner. This releases tension stored in your muscles, and who knows, it might even lead to that ultimate stress buster – sex!
Eat Right
It’s a real temptation when you feel stressed to hit the drive-thru or eat comfort food. But that really doesn’t do anything to help us break the stress cycle. It undermines our health and makes us more prone to getting sick, not to mention the guilt. Eating enough protein, fruits and veggies, making sure you get all of your vitamins, and staying hydrated are all vital.
Move
Exercise is one of the best stress busters around. Find a sport or activity you truly enjoy. You’ll be doing something fun, and giving your body a gift in the process. The endorphins your body produces will elevate your mood and help you feel better despite yourself. Even going for a 30 minute walk will help counter the tensions of the day.
Meditate
Meditation, self-hypnosis, and prayer all have positive benefits for stress relief. Whatever your belief system or what method you use, make sure that you regularly take the time to consciously shift your focus. If pressures and worries keep interfering, use the trick of scheduling time to worry later. It’ll free you up to lose yourself in your meditations, and you can regain calm and composure.
Write it down
Whatever anxieties are eating you up, writing them down can help you get perspective and work through them. The process of simply organizing your thoughts into sentences and seeing them in front of you can help solutions to appear from nowhere. You can find someone to write to, keep a journal, or even just jot them down on a notebook and shred them as soon as you feel better.
Take some vacation
Don’t wait until you can take no more. Some of us are so worried about work that we simply forget that taking vacation doesn’t just fell good, but is also something we need to relieve some of our stress. And you don’t need a lot of money to enjoy a nice vacation. Although traveling to an all-inclusive or cruising on the rivers of Europe may sound tempting, a fishing trip or a camping trip can be just as, if not more relaxing.
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