Whether it’s a rare occurrence or a daily struggle, stress impacts us all. When your stress levels get too high, they can cause your muscles to tighten up, causing tension headaches, migraines, musculoskeletal aches and pains, and even digestive problems. Although there may not be a cure for stress since it’s a natural response derived from our nervous system, there are still ways to cope with it. Here are five time-tested relaxation techniques for stress management.
5 Relaxation Techniques For Stress
1. Visualization
This type of meditation requires individuals to imagine a peaceful scene to resolve their stress levels. The goal of visualization is to guide individuals to focus on a calming image to forget about their worries. When using visualization, you should move to a quiet location and close your eyes. Try picturing calming scenes such as a beach, sunset, or a cozy rainfall.
2. Full Body Relaxation
Often, stress causes physical tension to build up in our muscles. This leads many people to have knots in their neck, back, etc. Those who tend to tense up when stressed should attempt full-body relaxation.
There are two methods you can approach full-body relaxation as a stress-coping strategy.
Method #1: Try this stress coping strategy if you’re in a time crunch. It involves using isometrics to tense all the muscles in your body. Then after a few seconds, release the isometric hold. This approach is helpful if you are in a time crunch.
Method #2: The second full-body relaxation approach takes 5-10 minutes. It is known as progressive muscle relaxation. To do it, you need to tense up each body part individually, then let go, moving on to the next part. Start from your head and work your way down to your toes. This technique can become effective for those holding on to excess physical tension caused by stress.
3. Yoga
All you need to enjoy the many benefits of this 5,000 year ago exercise system is loose-fitting clothing and a mat. Choose a handful of the 84 yoga asanas to stretch and strengthen your muscles, and calm your overactive mind. If you don’t want to attend a live class, you can follow a guide at home.
There are thousands of free yoga videos on Youtube and other sites. Through focusing on balance, yoga participants can use their overwhelming feelings to fuel their effort.
4. Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing helps countless individuals resolve their stress, regardless of where they are. When we become stressed, our breathing is usually no longer in rhythm. Especially when in a state of panic, those who are stressed may be gasping for air.
Use the 4-7-8 technique to regulate your breathing pattern and slow down your stressed mind.
To do it, breathe in for 4 seconds, exhale for 7, and then hold your breath for 8. This can be repeated as many times as needed.
5. Music
Listening to your favorite songs or soothing tunes can quiet your mind and relax your muscles after a long day of stress. Music is a popular outlet for musicians and lovers to express their emotions. We all probably have a go-to song or album that helps us get back in a happy mood.
Having a playlist made for when you are stressed is a good idea. You can also listen to calming audios, podcasts, or videos to help you cope with stress. If you have a therapist, they may use music therapy to reduce stress.
Conclusion
So there you have it – the 5 time-tested relaxation techniques for stress management. I recommend you start by experimenting with at least one of these stress coping strategies and committing to it every day for one week. See which one works best for you. If you’re not getting the results you hoped for after a week, switch it out or couple it with another method.
Just don’t give up. As Margaret Thatcher once famously said, “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”
Health writer Madeline Miller writes at Pay For Essay. She covers a variety of fitness-related topics.
