Don’t Let Stress Ruin Your Life: Learn How to Relax Today

Do you wake up and feel a certain amount of dread about your day? If so, you’re not in the minority. Millions of people all over the world wake up and just want to pull the covers back over their heads to ignore the day ahead. Unfortunately, stress has become a huge part of our lives, but a little of it does no harm. However, when stress is no longer helpful and becomes a problem, it’s important to slow down and find ways to relax. Feeling stressed on a regular basis can lead to anxiety, muscle pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, and a weakened immune system. These can then lead to serious illnesses, both physically and mentally.

Luckily, if you’re feeling that your stress levels are getting out of hand, here are some ways to relax your mind and body.

1. Deep Breathing

Did you realise that when you get stressed, you probably hold your breath? If you don’t hold your breath, then you probably breath shallower than you should. To counteract this, deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain, helping you to relax. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes calmness. Abdominal breathing for 20 to 30 minutes each day will reduce anxiety and stress. 

2. Relax Your Jaw

There is another physical symptom of stress and anxiety you might not realise you’re doing: clenching your jaw. Also known as the tight jaw, it is thought that it relates to stress and until you think about it and correct what you’re doing, you won’t realise the benefit. Take time out during the day to think about what you’re doing and relax your face. One way to do this is to open your mouth for 30 seconds and continue breathing naturally through your nose. 

3. Spend Time Attending to You

Looking after yourself is essential to ensure stress doesn’t beat you. One stress-relieving technique you must try is massage therapy. This ancient method of relaxation has been incredibly popular for centuries, and it’s not hard to see why! When you take the time to unwind while a professional relaxes your muscles, it will work wonders to calm your mind. If you live in Hertfordshire, turn to Heaven and Earth Massage to help you today.


4. Bring Nature Inside

Another way to look after yourself is to improve your living conditions. With this in mind, coming home after a long day at the office to a home that’s filled with plants is an uplifting experience. Studies have found that it calms you down. One study undertaken at a Washington State University found that stressed people who entered a room filled with plants experienced a four-point drop in their blood pressure. Those who didn’t see the plants only experienced a drop of two points.

Removing stress from your life is virtually impossible. However, it is possible to change the way you deal with it. Pay attention to what your body is telling you: when stress levels are getting too high to handle, take some time out and relax. You should also analyse what is making you stressed because getting to the root cause of the problem and dealing with it first is bound to lower your stress levels. 

*Photo via Pexels 

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