Stress Reduction Techniques
1. Laughing! (No kidding!)
2. Change of environment
3. Understanding your biochemical reactions to stress
4. Exercise (either mild or intensive)
Laughing
Modification of one’s facial expression can force the body to respond in like manner. As said earlier, the body can teach the brain. Smiling and laughing also relieves the tension others are feeling and may actually bring about the esteem of others. “He’s always smiling,” people say. Everyone is drawn to someone who appears to be happy, because they can share in a bit of that happiness too. Comedies on TV or on stage always draw crowds. Humor is good for one’s mental health.
Change of Environment
It’s not easy to walk through a beautiful bird-filled park and feel angry. The mere curiosity of enjoying new sights and sounds awakens within one the innate desire to be a part of nature. It’s the deep-set longing for peace of mind and heart that’s stirred.
Another change of environment can also help, if and only if it’s essential for your well-being. That’s making a change in your employment. This is drastic, of course, and must be well planned. In many cases, people have nearly transformed themselves by virtue of a job change. Some occupational environments are negative by nature of the job demands or the presence of negative co-workers.
Understanding your biochemical reactions to stress
In this chapter and in prior chapters, you have read bout the deleterious effects of hormone buildup in your system due to stress alone. That knowledge alone will help you realize that your discomfort is caused by automatic reactions within your body. Those reactions often misdirect you into assigning a deeper meaning to an imagined threat.
A lot people have reported that this recognition alone reduced their fears and apprehension. When the body tries to control and rule you, you can put a stop to that by some conscious intervention. You tell yourself, in essence, “Oh, that’s just my adrenaline kicking up again. It has not relation to a real threat to my self-worth.” Once you do this, it WILL subside. “Mind over body” as the saying goes.
Exercise
Because your hormones and nerves are in an uproar, the excess energy created craves release. Otherwise, that pent-up energy will backfire on your body and manifest in abnormal and unhealthy ways.
Here are some suggested techniques for installing your own little program, without having to invest in a gym membership:
• Take brisk walks. These walks should be powerful enough to raise your heartbeat just a little. Pause when needed.
• Walk up and down stairs a number of times without stopping.
• Rope –skipping, jumping jacks, and push-ups are excellent.
• Squats and lunges (squat and stand…squat and stand)
• Bicycle riding
You might also find some useful low-impact exercises on https://www. Youtube.com.
The effects of exercise in reducing anxiety and stress will be felt immediately. You might find it helpful to repeat some of your exercising at different times of the day. On the other hand, do not expect that you will lose weight! It has been proven over and over again that exercise will only result in weight loss over an extended period of time, and must be accompanied by dietary adjustments.