Stress relief tips and exercises - How to relieve stress

Traveling is a Good Method to Release Stress

Take a vacation to lower your stress

     You're tired, you drag yourself out of bed in the morning, and you're losing your enthusiasm for your job, your hobbies and your social life. You've got some vacation time banked, but cash flow is low and you're wondering if it's worth the effort to plan to go away.

      Between budgets and busy schedules, it's not easy to set aside time and plan a getaway. But getting away, even for a short period, can do wonders for your well-being. You really cannot afford not to travel.

      Traveling is a good method to release stress because it gets you away from your problems. Just planning a vacation keeps your mind off things that can stress you out. Dreaming about where you're going to go and what you will do when you get there can take your mind off pressing issues that cause sleeplessness, high blood pressure, and tension.

Why Traveling is a Good Method to Release Stress

   

     For many people, vacations or simple weekend getaways are part of their plans each year. Vacations are a great way to get families and couples to spend time together away from the everyday pressures of their lives. They are also good for people who like to travel solo. The simple act of "getting away from it all" helps people reduce stress, whether it is for a day or a week.

     Travel can help you relieve stress in the following ways:

•             Fresh air and sunshine are good for our health. Fresh air increases oxygen in our blood and in turn, gives us more energy. Sunshine is a mood elevator and can help people ward off depression.

•            Play and relaxation are perfect ways to decrease tension. Whether you spend your time mountain climbing, riding roller coasters, or just sitting on the beach, doing the things you enjoy most will relieve stress.

•            Freedom. When you're on vacation, throw any schedules away. Sleep in, stay up late, do things when you want to. The whole point of a vacation is to get away from a daily schedule. Put those cell phones and lap tops away if you want to experience total freedom from your everyday life.

The Health Benefits Of Travelling

     Stress is like vertically climbing a mountain with boulders strapped on your back. Ultimately, when you unwind, you free yourself of the load on your back. With your mind off the obstacles, your attention gets focused on reaching your objectives. When you look at it in a scientific perspective, the scenario is even scarier. Being physically, mentally, and emotionally drained may trigger ailments such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, pneumonia, and many more. Considering this, it is indeed a necessity to give yourself some pampering every once in a while. In other words, getting a timely break from the daily grind will help you rejuvenate your senses and recharge your mind and body.

     One of the tried and tested recreational activities that can help relieve stress is travelling. Involving your body physically enhances your circulation. If you are stuck in the office seat, on the hand, there is the tendency that blood flow is constricted (especially on your legs) and this gives you a lot of discomfort. When you go to places and you walk a lot or do a number of activities, the body functions are healthily stimulated, promoting good oxygen distribution throughout the body. In fact, a vacation can feel like you just had a fun workout down the gym, although it is definitely better!

     When on getaway, however, try your best to forget about deadlines and paper works. Focus on the new things that you are able to encounter and experience-the foreign culture, the scenery, the party life, and the like.

Making The Most Of Your Trip

Do not miss the business trips

     If you're offered the chance to go on a business trip, take it. It will build your experience and exposure, and offer an opportunity to temporarily change your work environment.

      If you're setting out on a pleasure trip, make sure you choose the right travel companion. If you're stuck with a nagging girlfriend or a needy buddy, it might become a stressful experience, negating the potential health benefits.

      Sometimes going alone is the thing to do. Doing so will force you to meet and make connections with others, while giving you the freedom to do whatever you choose. Of course, the kind of trip you take makes a huge difference -- be sure to tailor it to your preferences. If you get a kick out of sightseeing and know that you would go crazy lounging on a beach all day, then head for a city.

      On the other hand, if all you want is soak up some rays while sipping on a beer, then an all-inclusive resort is more likely your thing.

      Whether for business or pleasure, travel can offer great gains for your body and mind. Here are some of the health benefits of travel.

1- You'll Reduce Your Stress

     Travel gives you an opportunity to relax and de-stress. It decreases burnout. Even if it's a business trip that forces you to put in longer hours at a conference, focus on the fact that you're in another country or city. Traveling can be stressful, especially if your trip consists of a lot of sightseeing, your meetings involve a variety of languages or your destination is a bustling metropolis. But travel stress is positive stress, not the kind of anxiety caused by work or tension related to home life. Stress reduction, however you accomplish it, is always healthy.

2- You'll Avoid Monotony

     As the saying goes, "A change is as good as a rest." A trip of any kind provides you with a break from the norm, and that alone can inject you with energy. It's therapeutic to make a change from your daily routine -- doing so prevents your mind and body from stagnating.

3- You'll Get Outdoors

     When you're traveling, you're more likely to be outside instead of trapped inside an office. This means you'll be out in the fresh air, enjoying the outdoors. Even if you're not hiking in the mountains or lazing on a hammock on the beach, you'll be breathing more deeply, re-oxygenating your blood. You'll also gain benefits from the exposure to sunlight, provided you take necessary precautions to avoid sunburn.

4- You'll Be More Active

     Travel can involve additional activities. Maybe your plans will include whitewater rafting, sightseeing or playing beach volleyball. Unless you want to rest at all times during your vacation, you'll likely do more walking than you would at home, and generally be much more active than you are in your normal routine.

5- You'll Enjoy Your Food

     Unless you're on a cruise or at an all-inclusive resort, you'll likely snack less than you do at home. Eating in restaurants sure beats picking up fast food or microwaving leftovers. You'll probably try different foods abroad, like sushi, moussaka or couscous. You won't necessarily watch your portions, carbs or calorie count, but you will enjoy indulging in diverse types of gastronomic delicacies.

6- You'll Have An Attitude Adjustment

     Planning is part of the fun. Having a trip to look forward to can break up the monotony of your 9 to 5 grind, and anticipating the break time ahead will help you to better deal with your current work problems. Once you've set out on your trip, it won't be long before you begin to gain new perspectives. Traveling gives you a whole new appreciation for different cultures and lifestyles, which broadens your horizons and can help you enjoy life that much more. And, depending on your destination, traveling can give you a whole new perspective on your own city.

7- You'll Meet People

     Traveling enables you to meet people from all over the world. Socializing is great therapy and helps you learn about other cultures.

8- You'll Create Memorable Experiences

     If you're able to visit all the destinations of your choice, you won't have to regret not having done so later in life. You will feel more fulfilled in the long run. 

9- You'll Reconnect With Your Partner

     Travel gives you an opportunity to spend quality time with the lady in your life, without the intrusion of day to day responsibilities. It offers restorative qualities. Relaxing in a hot tub together sure beats fighting about whose turn it is to clean the bathroom.

Get Packing

     Traveling is one of those activities that should never be taken for granted. If you travel a lot, make an effort to focus on the benefits and you'll enjoy your trips more. When you're preparing for your vacation, plan it well and then enjoy the ride.

      Take advantage of the opportunity to travel and welcome what it does to your body and mind. A trip can be very beneficial to your health, so pack your bags and go. Bon voyage!

What is stress actually means?

Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance. It refers to the consequence of the failure of an organism – human or animal – to respond adequately to mental, emotional or physical demands, whether actual or imagined.

Alarm is the first stage. When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body's stress response is a state of alarm. During this stage adrenaline will be produced in order to bring about the fight-or-flight response. There is also some activation of the HPA axis, producing cortisol.

Resistance is the second stage. If the stressor persists, it becomes necessary to attempt some means of coping with the stress. Although the body begins to try to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, the body cannot keep this up indefinitely, so its resources are gradually depleted.

Exhaustion is the third and final stage in the GAS model. At this point, all of the body's resources are eventually depleted and the body is unable to maintain normal function. The initial autonomic nervous system symptoms may reappear (sweating, raised heart rate etc.). If stage three is extended, long term damage may result as the body, and the immune system is exhausted and function is impaired resulting in decompensation.

The result can manifest itself in obvious illnesses such as ulcers, depression, diabetes, trouble with the digestive system or even cardiovascular problems, along with other mental illnesses.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_(biology)

How harmful is stress?

Stress isn’t just a catchall complaint; it’s being linked to heart disease, immune deficiency and memory loss. We’re learning that men and women process stress differently and that childhood stress can lead to adult health problems. The worst part is, we inflict it on ourselves.

Granted, stress can be deadly and none of us escapes it, but that doesn’t mean we’re all doomed. Living a stress-free life is not a reasonable goal. A more realistic goal is to deal with it proactively and effectively. Though that’s easier for some people than others, studies suggest that anyone can learn to cope better. When stress occurs, it is important to recognize and deal with it directly.

The best strategy for avoiding stress is actually learning how to effectively relax. Unfortunately, many people try to relax at the same pace that they lead the rest of their lives. For a while, tune out your worries about time, productivity, and “always doing it right.” You will find satisfaction in “just being”, without striving. Reengage with activities that have given you pleasure in the past or challenge yourself to try some totally new experiences that are good for your mental and physical well-being. Forget about always winning. Focus on relaxation, enjoyment, health, and your connection to others. If the stress in your life continues to seem insurmountable, you may find it beneficial to see a psychotherapist for help in developing a comprehensive strategy for your specific situation.

Are you feeling unable to cope with everyday stressors and challenges?

A technique known as “Positive Self Talk” is one of the ways that you can make a difference. Positive self talk is a way of countering the insulting, demeaning, paranoid or hateful things we tell ourselves about ourselves. Positive self talk is complementing ourselves when we've done our best, using our own personal progress as the yardstick by which to measure our success (not someone else's). It is also a “serendipity” technique; that is, for each negative message you aim at yourself, (such as “I'm worthless, I never do anything right”), remind yourself of things you do pretty well. For example, this might be your talent for doing crosswords, and your ability to hold up your end of a conversation, your organizational skills, or even your punctually. Whatever your abilities, use realistic positive self talk to remind yourself daily that you are a worthwhile person

My Music Media Box

Indo Music Code Generator by musik-live.net

Relieve stress and keep a clean place

Keeping a simple, organized home can really help to cut down on your stress level, but cleaning itself is a chore that many busy people don’t have the energy to face after a long day. However, if you throw on some energetic music, hip-hop or pop, for example, you can raise your energy level and have fun as you clean. If you tell yourself that you only need to clean for a certain amount of songs and then you can be done, you may work more efficiently, and even come to look forward to doing the job.

THE POWER OF MUSIC TO REDUCE STRESS

                                         

The soothing power of music is well-established. It has a unique link to our emotions, so can be an extremely effective stress management tool.

Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones.

As music can absorb our attention, it acts as a distraction at the same time it helps to explore emotions. This means it can be a great aid to meditation, helping to prevent the mind wandering.

Musical preference varies widely between individuals, so only you can decide what you like and what is suitable for each mood. But even if you don’t usually listen to classical music it may be worth giving it a try when selecting the most calming music.

When people are very stressed, there is a tendency to avoid actively listening to music. Perhaps it feels like a waste of time, not helping to achieve anything. But as we know, productivity increases when stress is reduced, so this is another area where you can gain vast rewards. It just takes a small effort to begin with.

To incorporate music into a busy life, try playing CDs in the car, or put the radio on when in the bath or shower. Take portable music with you when walking the dog, or put the stereo on instead of the TV.

Singing (or shouting) along can also be a great release of tension, and karaoke is very enjoyable for some extroverts! Calming music before bedtime promotes peace and relaxation and helps to induce sleep.
Research on Music



Music has been used for hundreds of years to treat illnesses and restore harmony between mind and body. But recently, scientific studies have attempted to measure the potential benefits of music. They have found:
Music’s form and structure can bring order and security to disabled and distressed children. It encourages coordination and communication, so improves their quality of life.
Listening to music on headphones reduces stress and anxite in hospital patients before and after surgery.
Music can help reduce both the sensation and distress of both chronic pain and postoperative pain.
Listening to music can relieve depression and increase self-esteem ratings in elderly people.
Making music can reduce burnout and improve mood among nursing students.
Music theraphy significantly reduces emotional distress and boosts quality of life among adult cancer patients.

Music is Powerful and Stress Reducing

It’s a universal language that has been noted by many as having healing, relaxing, soothing, calming and de-stressing effects.  Music is everywhere from listening to the birds outside our windows, as background in movies, to being plugged into our IPods, radios, CD’s and, of course, playing a musical instrument or singing.

Music helps them release their emotional creativity.  When we think of music we typically think of a source of entertainment, but the more popular notion these days is using music as a means of therapy.  For example, the use of percussion instruments has an almost immediate benefit to children dealing with anxiety issues.  The bang-away is an almost immediate release of emotions while the musical process helps to develop the left/right brain functions. 




By exposing subjects to loud music such as the various genres of rock, neuroscientists found decreased concentration, memory and even intelligence.One of the reasons is perhaps of the irregular rhythm of such music. Neuroscientists theorized that irregular rhythms that do not correlates with the brain’s rhytms is essentially noise of the brain. Background noise (such as those of refrigerator, air-conditioner and even computers), has been shown to have the same effect on the developing minds of toddlers.

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The background will be a soothing colour preferably light pink. The gadgets will be things that reduce stress or about how to reduce stress.

Self-Massage Techniques

Scalp Soother	Place your thumbs behind your ears while spreading your fingers on top of your head. Move your scalp back and forth slightly by making circles with your fingertips for 15-20 seconds.
Easy on the Eyes	Close your eyes and place your ring fingers directly under your eyebrows, near the bridge of your nose. Slowly increase the pressure for 5-10 seconds, then gently release. Repeat 2-3 times.
Sinus Pressure Relief	Place your fingertips at the bridge of your nose. Slowly slide your fingers down your nose and across the top of your cheekbones to the outside of your eyes.
Shoulder Tension Relief	Reach one arm across the front of your body to your opposite shoulder. Using a circular motion, press firmly on the muscle above your shoulder blade. Repeat on the other side.

Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University

Games to Relieve Stress??

You can find many reasons to laugh. Either you can watch some funny movie or show or you can talk to your friends and discuss some funny incident. Another way to make your self enjoy a good laugh is by funny games. We all have played in our childhood and we can continue to do this as a funny stress buster.  There are a number of games that you can play with friends and family and have a lot of fun. In today’s world almost all have easy access to the internet. Internet too provides the opportunity to play many games online. You can play these games all by yourself too.

Certain games are simple but funny while some require great mental efforts. Numerous websites offer different types of funny games that you can play and relieve yourself of all the stress. Such games gives you a much needed mental challenge, this keeps your mental strength alive. Certain games that you can play online are very simple but really funny. You enjoy them and this takes your mind off from all your tensions. If you can get other people to play with you, then nothing can be better than that.  Or you can also play games that require some physical work. This helps to keep you active physically.

Playing such funny games to relieve stress is one of the ideas. When you are playing, you enter a completely different world leaving all your worries and problems that you face in your everyday life behind.

   

Feeling stressed out?  Stress is an emotional and
physical response to pressures from the outside world.
Today, stress seems more pervasive and persistent.    
Numerous studies show between 75 - 95% of all visits
to primary care physicians are due to stress related
issues.  Most of us are coping with a great deal of
stress and need to learn how to relieve stress.  Check
these signs of stress against your symptoms of stress,
and see if you need more tranquility in your life.  You
can also try these stress relief tips to help discover
more ways to relieve stress.

Stress Quiz

Play the stress quiz

http://www.bam.gov/sub_yourlife/yourlife_stressometer_game.html

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