Ahhh, stress, such a fun thing to deal with... NOT! We all face stress in our everyday lives, so why not find a way to help reduce the harmful effects of stress? We hold a lot of our stress in our muscles. You may not realize it, but you probably are holding a lot of tension in at least one part of your body right now. A lot of the following relaxation techniques are focused on relaxing the tension in your muscles and letting your mind be at ease. Here are 10 relaxation techniques you should try to combat stress:
1. Yoga
Doing yoga can be very beneficial while dealing with stress. A slow pace yoga session relaxes your muscles and stretches them out leading to overall stress reduction.
2. Tai Chi
Tai Chi is "an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training, its health benefits, and meditation." When you first start Tai chi you might find some poses to be a bit "funny", but the moves have proven to decrease stress and anxiety.
3. Meditation
Meditation is not an easy task but can be super beneficial to decreasing your daily stress. It takes a commitment every day (usually once in the morning and once in the evening) to master this relaxation technique. Check out the video above to see an example of beginner meditation.
4. Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is a great way to dive into the meditation world but without all of the work of regular meditation. Someone guides you through a meditation which could be imagery or just a relaxation session. These are easy to find on several platforms, such as youtube and Spotify, and can be used to help you fall asleep.
5. Deep breathing
Has anyone ever told you to take a deep breath when you are stressed out? Turns out there is actual science behind it! Breathing deeply can, in fact, reduce stress... check out the video above to see more!
6. Biofeedback
"Biofeedback helps people control their stress response, by realizing when it's underway and employing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, visualizations, and meditation to calm their physiological arousal", according to VeryWellMind. This technique may be hard to master, but is worth looking into.
7. Aromatherapy
More recently we have seen more and more people stumble across essential oils and diffusers for the oils. Many people claim that inhaling the scents of oils can change your mood, reduce stress, and help you fall asleep faster! This technique is definitely worth a try.
8. Progressive muscle relaxation
This guided progressive muscle relaxation technique will help you release tension, relieve anxiety, manage panic attacks, or fall asleep. This technique involves tensing up a muscle group and then slowly relaxing it afterward. This shows how much tension you are holding in your body even at rest and can help lower your stress levels.
9. Hydrotherapy
"Hydrotherapy (also called balneotherapy) involves the use of water in any form or at any temperature (steam, liquid, ice) for the purpose of healing." This technique allows for the relaxation of muscles and so much more. Watch the video above to find out more.
10. Halotherapy
Have you seen a Himalayan salt lamp before? Just like salt lamps, sitting in a room with salt on the floor and in the air can not only reduce stress but also change your mood and clear your "foggy brain". Some people swear by this method, however, it may not work for everyone.
