| |
Three Ways To Relieve Stress
Steve Gillman
Of all the ways to relieve stress, meditation may be one of
the best, but what if you don't have the time? What if you
are having trouble with your meditation? Try one of the following
three good techniques. They don't even require any practice.
Breathe To Relieve Stress
If you don't feel like meditating or just don't have the
time, you can at least stop for one minute to just breathe.
Just breathe deeply through your nose and let the tension
drain from your muscles as much as possible. Give special
attention to the tightness in your face and shoulders. Deep
breathing, even for a minute, can relax you significantly.
Resolve Your Stressors
As I was sitting here getting ready to write this, something
was bothering me. On reflection, I realized I've been putting
off making a phone call. I needed to tell an acquaintance
that I couldn't testify in court as I said I would. She was
disappointed, but as soon as I made the call I felt more relaxed.
Simply making decisions and taking action can be one of the
most immediate ways to relieve stress. Take a moment whenever
you feel stressed, identify the things in your mind that are
contributing to your state, and then do something about them.
That's all there is to this simple technique.
Almost. Naturally, you can't resolve everything that is bothering
you at any given moment. Still, what you can do is take some
action. Indecisiveness, waiting, wondering and worrying cause
stress. Even if you just make a list of what you need to do,
your mind will often let these things go. Start a list, talk
to someone, make a decision - just do something to let the
stressor go.
Do Things You Enjoy
On Friday nights, when I play chess at the coffee house,
I don't think about anything else for four hours. When you
are totally engaged in an activity, there isn't room for stressful
thoughts. Fully engaged, though, usually means that it's something
we enjoy doing.
While physical activity has some advantages, you can try doing
anything that you can put your whole mind into. That could
be reading a good book, cooking, or playing with the dog.
Notice which activities really engage you and let you drop
your worries, and keep that mental list handy for whenever
you are stressed. When your passionate activity is also your
job or business, this can be one of the best ways to relieve
stress.
Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation
for over twenty years. You can find a good mindfulness
exercise and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at:
http://www.TheMeditationSite.com
Article Source: www.easyarticles.com
Return to Stress
Management Articles directory.
|
|
