We live in times when being stressed has become a part of our everyday lives. The rhythm of life has become so fast that we struggle to get our tasks done every day. On the other hand, our personal life depends on the opinion of others, trends, and mass media. Trying to do more than we can and trying to be what we are not, keeps us in the state of constant pressure, and stress is one of the worst enemies of our body and mind. This way of life leads to anxiety, depression, bad headaches, and hypertension. If you already have conditions like insomnia or asthma, stress will make them even worse. Experiencing stress is inevitable today, but there are methods to control or overcome it. In order to relax and reach a state of calmness and peacefulness, you need to get back to yourself and get your mind off stressful situations.
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A mental picture
Today every single situation can become a stressful one, but you still need to distance yourself in order to relax. Sometimes the best way to do that is to plunge yourself into a guided visualization in order to visit unstressful places in your mind’s eye. The most personal part of every human being is his imagination which can always lead you to a relaxing place. All you need to do is to make yourself comfortable and picture a place where you want to be, or that you dream of visiting. It’ also good to picture accomplished goals, because that boosts your self-esteem and releases you from the fear of failure.
Underwater
It may seem too easy, but sometimes the best way to relieve stress is just to take a bath. Besides the fact that a hot bath relaxes muscles, it can be soothing for the mind as well. But keep in mind that a bath is not some of your daily routines – you need to make it special. Decorate the bathroom with candles, buy a bath pillow and equip yourself with bath salts and soaps that suit you. Let yourself be creative, you can even make your own in-home spa.
Use your hands
When it comes to relieving stress the key is to stay busy and occupy your mind. So stressful situations can be a good time to accomplish some of your artistic ambitions. Arts and crafts are a good way to distance yourself from stressful situations because while doing them you express your inner self. No matter if you take up photography, painting, drawing or pottery, the point is that doing arts and crafts is a creative process, while stressful tasks have nothing to do with creativity. There is no deadline and no objective, just you and your emotions.
Music in the air
It is well known and proven many times that music has a positive effect on our moods and emotions, so it can help reduce the stress. Instrumental and classical music with slow tempos can give us a peace of mind, but it can also affect your body – relax tense muscles, lower your blood pressure and even slow down our breathing and heart rate. There are also music therapies for anxiety and depression. But it doesn’t have to be classical music, actually, it needs to be music that you like. Your favorite songs will release feel-good neurochemical such as dopamine. And you don’t need to be at home to do it, just equip yourself with a set of headphones.
Take it all out
Getting into a relaxed state doesn’t mean just sitting or lying down. In fact, one of the best methods to get rid of stress is to take it all out with physical exercise. If you’re not the sporty type, don’t worry – you don’t have to go to the gym. Sometimes a 10-minute walk is all you need. It will clear your head and boost endorphins in your brain. Just be sure to pick some calming, green space for your walk. While easy walks are just fine, breaking a good sweat can really clear your mind. Don’t worry, that still doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym. If you want to avoid heavy workout, just get on your bike in order to get more significant results. That way you can spend a relaxing time in nature and pump the stress out. The only thing you need to be aware of is that bicycles are serious investments and you need to choose carefully the one that suits you the best easily if you look for bicycles online. Don’t go for the cheapest one that will be ‛just fine’ because that never works out.
Overcoming stress is an individual process that works differently for everyone. While visualization, hot baths, arts and crafts, music and exercise are proven to work, you can also come up with your own technique. Give your best to be yourself and you’ll start to feel better. The rhythm of today’s life is fast, but the world is never gonna pass you by.