We’ve talked about how Stress and Disease are correlated, and 15 ways to decrease your stress. Here are 10 Stress Management Techniques. These will help you manage those stressful days.
Stress Management Techniques:
- The best overall stress management technique? Deep Breathing
- Slow, deep breathing creates relaxation because it actually decreases your heart rate.
- As you take slow deep breaths the levels of serotonin increase in your brain, which decreases your heart rate, which decreases your stress
- Read the *story time* below for more on deep breathing
- Progressive Relaxation : This is a method where you tense and relax all muscle groups. I love to do this technique right before sleep.
- I recommend you lay in a quiet place if possible.
- Close your eyes.
- If possible add soft music.
- Try to maintain a deep, calm breathing pattern
- Start with the top of your body (i.e. your head)
- Focus specifically on one body part. Squeeze as tight as you possibly can. Hold that for 3 seconds.
- Release the squeeze and relax that part of your body.
- Slowly, work down your body focusing explicitly on one body part at a time (You can go as detailed as ears, eye brows, eyes, nose, the muscles in your mouth, arms, fists, etc)
- Once you have tighten and relaxed one particular body part, leave it relaxed as you work on the next body part
- Visualization : Using imagery
- Your mind is a very powerful tool. By using the visualization technique you are taping into the brain’s strength.
- So when I was a cheerleader {yes, don’t laugh at me} one of our strongest tools before a competition was visualizing our routine. We would practice, obviously, but right before the competition we would sit as a team and go through the entire routine visually. I can’t begin to tell you how helpful this can be.
- Have you every heard “go to your happy place”? That’s what visualizing is all about. It’s where you can visually allow your mind to control your emotions, your thoughts, your mood. When you control your mind to visualize something, you gain power back. That often helps reduce your stress and you begin to feel calm again.
- Meditation: Quiet the mind and focus on a word or thought
- There are different levels of meditation. You can be still and quietly focus on a thought, or you can meditate for hours.
- HERE is a great meditation guide for beginners
- Yoga: Combines breathing, stretching and balance
- Oh I totally love this one. Yoga is a series of slow-motion relaxation poses.
- It does take longer than some of the other stress management techniques.
- I’ve even seen moms using yoga to help kids relax. Here is a fun video for that
- I like this morning yoga sequence. I have tried it a few times, and have really noticed a difference in my day.
- Tai Chi: Slow fluid movements that promote relaxation
- I have never actually tried tai chi, but here is a great description of tai chi
- Here is a how to start for beginners tutorial
- Listening to music: music influences pulse, blood pressure and brain activity
- You know when you are super pumped you like listening to upbeat, awesome music?!
- Your body responds the same with calm, peaceful music.
- Even if you aren’t feeling calm, you can still create a calm environment. This will usually help you get calm.
- Montra: focus explicitly on one word or phrase and repeat it over and over until you feel your heart rate returning
- This is one of my personal favorites. It doesn’t have to be for any particular time, it doesn’t have to be any particular place.
- I feel like this stress management technique is empowering
- close your eyes and focus on one positive phrase and repeat it.
- Possible phrases include: I am beautiful, I am smart, I am happy, etc.
- Talk to someone
- Sometimes in a stressful situation (this could be a continual, longterm stress, or just a moment of stress) in order to reduce your stress, talking it out can be super helpful. Why?
- It allows the brain to process the situation.
Story Time!
When I met my husband, we were actually both giving talks. Was I stressed? Yes, you could say that. I was definitely nervous, and apparently it showed.
Before the meeting began, my husband {I had never met him before this} leaned over to me and said “Take a deep breath. It will help increase the serotonin in your brain which will decrease your heart rate. That will help you not be so nervous.”
I looked at him funny and laughed, “Oh, I’m a health major. I know that.” {I really didn’t}
He smiled and said, “Let’s do it together.” So we took a few deep breaths together. Slow, deep breaths.
I’ll be honest, I felt much better after that. I didn’t to admit that, I don’t know why, maybe because I’m prideful.
Now, over 4 years later, we still joke from time to time about “taking a deep breath” in stressful moments. I love it! Because it actually works. And you can do it anywhere anytime for as long as you need.
Random thing I’ve heard, I’m not sure if it is actual fact, but I’ve tried it and it works for me.
A professor of mine once told me that your brain actually doesn’t know the difference between a real smile or laugh vs a fake smile or laugh. Cool huh!
What does this mean? Look in the mirror and smile at yourself until YOU actually start smiling. Can’t look in the mirror? Then start laughing! Your brain will start to think that you’re actually happy. It will calm you down and reduce your stress!
Sometimes when I am stressed I like to remember this quote by Marjory Pay Hinkley:
Have you had success with any of these stress management techniques? Share in the comments below!!
