Trying to find the time to implement stress relief techniques can be stressful itself, so I wanted to share with you some quick stress releasing ideas. It really doesn’t take long to shift your energy and calm your nervous system and access a sense of relaxation and peacefulness. Here are a few of my favorite, very quick stress releasing tricks.
#1 – EXHALE… A few focused, deep breaths can shift your mood in a moment. Exhaling slowly stimulates the Parasympathetic part of the nervous system, the part that calms and nourishes our system. Inhaling stimulates the Sympathetic part, the part that controls the Fight or Flight response. Think about the difference between a quick gasp and adrenalin surge when you are startled, vs. a long, slow sigh of relief…
Try taking a few long slow breaths, concentrating on exhaling for longer than you inhale. Feel your system slowing down and relaxing…
#2 – GUIDED IMAGERY – here’s my favorite really quick guided imagery technique for releasing stress. Close your eyes, and imagine a mountain, any mountain. It could be somewhere you’ve been or something you’ve seen a picture of. Now take a deep breath and imagine that you are drawing that breath from the top of the mountain, inhaling that cool clear mountain air… Exhale, and imagine that you are sending your breath back to the top of the mountain… Repeat 3 times. You will find that your energy, your mood, (and your brain wave frequency!) has shifted.
#3 – MEDITATE… Meditation has long been known to not only help release stress, but also to make you more resilient to stress, less rattled by it and quicker to come back into balance. As I discussed in my blog, How Do I Fit Meditation Into My Busy Life? it doesn’t take hours of meditation or fancy meditation techniques to start calming your stress response. A few minutes of going inward, feeling gratitude, being in Nature are also valid forms of meditation. A 15 minute guided meditation break, like my Releasing Stress, Finding Peace or a daily meditation like Opening and Completing Your Day is much easier to fit into a busy day and great for beginner meditators as well as experienced folks. Sometimes letting someone else guide you can be a great relief!
I invite you to try these quick stress relievers whenever you want to relax and refresh your system.
Have a peaceful day,
Carol
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