Your hectic lifestyle can take a toll on your health in the long run. Don't believe all those who say that stress is good for you. It is not! Too much stress can have physical manifestations and make you ill. If you think that your stressful life is getting you down, here are 10 relaxation techniques you can try to get rid of stress and worry.
1. Picture a calming thought
Sometimes you just don't have any time for yourself as you see the day whizzing past you in a medley of office work and household chores. Picturing a calming thought in your mind is a wonderful relaxation technique for stressful times. Visualize a calming thought, like a recent vacation you went to, your son's smiling face, or the sun going down. When you visualize a calming thought in the midst of a million worries, you automatically stop the stress from developing.2. Focus on something
A lot of people use the mindfulness technique to relax. This is basically a way of focusing the mind on one thing at a time. For instance, if you are in the garden, focus on the color of the grass or the smell of the air around you and nothing else. If you are at a shopping mall, focus on a particular dress at a window and block your mind of everything else. The idea is to stop multi-tasking for some time.3. Breathing Exercises
The truth is that most of us don't breathe properly and that is the reason why we feel so stressed out and full of worry. Being conscious of your breathing is what is important. When you breathe, you should focus on the air going out and coming into your lungs. When you do this, at least for 5 minutes a day, you will automatically feel fresh and re-energized. When you are breathing deeply, make sure that your mind completely focuses on the breathing and nothing else.4. Meditation
Meditation means different things to different people. If the idea of meditating with your legs crossed while you sit on a rug on the floor does not really appeal to you, you can use a different tactic. Anything that will help your mind keep its attention focused on a repetitive action is meditation. Walking, jogging or praying - all can be termed as meditation if you don't allow the mind to wander and instead stay focused.5. Drink tea
Cutting down the coffee can be an easy relaxation technique to get rid of the worry in your life. It is unbelievable that a lot of the stress in our life is because of the huge amount of caffeine most of us consume every day. So cut back on coffee and start drinking tea. Hot tea of any variety helps, though green tea is strongly recommended.6. Give yourself a massage
When your kids need a ride from school and you have a huge work deadline coming up, you may feel that it is all too much for you to handle. Now is the time to give yourself a massage. Giving yourself a massage is not difficult and costs absolutely nothing. Massage the back of your neck and shoulders as these are the areas which are the worst affected when you worry and stress. Massage for 5 minutes and you will feel yourself relaxing. Do this anytime you feel yourself getting tensed and stressed out. Alternatively, you can ask your kid or partner to do the same for you!7. Use music
Innumerable research has shown the benefits of music in getting rid of worry and stress. It is a good idea to listen to music whenever you can. You can listen to music in the car, while working on your laptop or while cooking in the kitchen. You can listen to music on your earphones or have it blasting out of the home theatre system at full volume. Use music therapy everyday and you will feel better.8. Change your attitude
Whenever you feel yourself getting worried about something, change your attitude. There is always a positive way to look at things. No matter what life has dealt you, you have to find out the positive side of it all. When you change your attitude, you get rid of the worry. Practice positive thinking everyday.9. Time-out yourself
You may have given your children time-outs a number of times, but have you ever thought that you may need one yourself sometimes? Yes, that's right. When you feel that your worries and all the stress are getting too much for you to handle, take a time-out and go sit somewhere alone or lie down on the bed. Don't talk to anyone. Do not use any diversions like the television during this time. This will give you time to re-engage your thoughts and come out a better person.10. Love
Love is a good thing. Showing love is better. This is a relaxation technique that has immediate benefits but very few people give it a try. Yes, that's right! Showing your affection and love to your kids, spouse, parents or a pet can be a wonderful way of relieving tension and worry. Spontaneous hugs, kisses and cuddle always help. More so if you are full of stress.
