Stress is everywhere. What are ways to relieve stress and live a better life?

Ways to Relieve Stress, Man with stack of Papers

Ways to relieve stress. Stress is everywhere and more Americans are going into their doctors reporting pain, depression or illness, which many times is directly related to stress. Learn relaxation tips and the best ways to relax so you can prevent stress related illnesses from afflicting you and your family.
We are definitely in a new part of our lives, where stress is something that we need to keep in stress, similar to watching your cholesterol, weight or blood pressure. There has been a huge boom of relaxation tips, self help coaches, meditation retreats, spas, and yoga centers which can all offer the best ways to relax and let go of our daily stresses. There are also many ways to relieve stress that you can change in your day to day lifestyle that will also reduce your stress levels and prevent fatigue, pain, depression, and overwhelm.

Relaxation tips and ways to relieve stress:

AWARENESS:

Get to know yourself and what your personal signs of stress are.All of us have different sensitivities and margin for stress. Start to become aware when your body moves into a flight or fight mode. Where you become tense, get upset more easily, your heart rate increases, and your breathing becomes rapid. Many times we are so used to going into flight or fight mode that it becomes habit and we no longer realize that we are stressed out.
When you become more in touch with yourself you will begin to realize when you are getting stressed out and when you need to take a break. This is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Also if you are a highly sensitive person, don't be hard on yourself, realize that you need to be even more proactive with your boundaries to maintain your well being. If you feel like you get overwhelmed easily or that you are highly sensitive I recommend that you read The Highly Sensitive Person, by Elaine Aron. She offers great insights and tips to those that are highly sensitive. Take this quiz to find out: Click here to find out if you are a highly sensitive person

MOVEMENT:

Best ways to Relax woman doing a cartwheel

There is a myth behind exercise in our society that it has to be painful or unenjoyable. I want to change your perceptions around this.

When I speak about movement, I don't want you to join a gym, start lifting weights, and ride the stair master for 30 minutes. Unless, of course you enjoy this type of movement. Movement is doing something that you enjoy, whether it be dancing, roller blading, walking, golfing, swimming, yoga, whatever it may be. I just want you to move. Even if it is for a short 10-15 minute walk outside each day, this can be one of the best ways to relieve stress in your life. It is amazing what this will do for your overall well-being. When I walk I like to have a destination. So I try to plan meetings with friends and colleagues around my house so I can potentially walk or bike there. I also try to walk to the grocery store when I can. This gets me outside and active, while I also get to get things done. When you plan movement into your lifestyle you will be more successful. If you like dancing choose a dance studio that is either close to your work or home, so it will be easy to integrate into your daily life.

REST:

best ways to relax, woman getting a massage

Sleep and rest is something that is highly undervalued in our society and is another one of the best ways to relieve stress. Many of us are running on a sleep debt. Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. A large sleep debt may lead to mental and/or physical fatigue. Sleep debt is becoming a growing problem in the United States. It is estimated that the average person now sleeps 1.5 hours less per evening than the average person a century ago. Generally the average person needs 8 hours of sleep per night, but many Americans are only getting on average 6.9 hours of sleep per night. The structured American lifestyle and culture does not place value on sleep and rest. There is a myth that if we work harder and don't sleep that we will get ahead of others. Which this may be true if you are pushing your body for a deadline or project. But if done consistently day after day, year after year, can cause irreparable health issues such as:

sleep disorders
chronic pain or fatigue
fibromyalgia
hormonal imbalances
arthritis
heart disease

If you want to create more sleep and rest in your day to day lifestyle, you must go against mainstream cultural norms. Which means slowing your lifestyle down. Have a set time that you start getting ready for bed and allow yourself at least 8-9 hours before you have to awake the next morning. For example if you have to be up by 7am, plan on being in bed by 10pm. Hopefully your body will naturally awaken rather than having to be awoken by an alarm. Try to be consistent with this schedule and your body will adjust and know what to expect. Plan time in your day to nap or rest if you need it. I know this is hard if you work in a cubicle or with others. I had a high school teacher that every day at 3:00pm he would take a nap in his office chair, with other faculty there and students walking by. While it seemed funny in the beginning we all got used this and knew not to bother him.

SIMPLIFY:

Reduce your consumption try to run all your errands once or twice a week. Take time on the weekend to plan your meals, so you are more efficient when you shop and you are getting good nutrition throughout the week, without having to stop and buy fast food. Consider public transportation. If you have a long commute time, consider public transportation. If it is convenient, you will have suddenly freed up new time for you to read, relax or work while taking public transit. The average American spends $8 to $12,000 a year on maintaining and paying for a car, taking public transit may not only create more free time for you but will also create more financial margin for you and your family. If public transportation is not an option, use your commute time to your advantage. Listen to books on tape, relaxing music or use the time to catch up with friends and family.

Go through your house and start purging all those items that you don't use or do not provide some type of aesthetic value.
Systematically start eliminating paper in your life.
Move to online banking and bill paying.
Clean out your closets, kitchen and storage spaces.

QUIET TIME:

There are so many ways to relieve stress, having down time requires intention and commitment if you want to change your lifestyle. We live in a culture of vast technological advances which we can use to our advantage to make us more efficient. If you are not careful it can also control your life, if you don't create boundaries for yourself, you will be a slave to your work and technology. Plan down time. Have times during the week that you turn off all technology. Get a massage, journal, read, relax in quiet. Many people have a hard time with this one because it is hard to turn off their minds and the urge to constantly check their phones or e-mails. This is another form of addiction that I would challenge you to changing.

SUPPORT SYSTEM:

relaxation tips, friends hanging out together

With advent of the internet and affordable travel. We now have the ability to connect with people worldwide. Good friendships take time to foster and grow, and can be one of the best ways to relieve stress. It also takes time to find friends that are in alignment with your lifestyle and values. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to surround yourself with friends that will support you in this journey. Many times old friends resist change and will intentionally or unintentionally try to sabotage your goals. As you make a choice to live a stress free lifestyle you don't want friends that are constantly asking you to go out and drink with them until wee hours of the evening. Take time to align yourself with groups that may fit your new lifestyle. Take time to foster those relationships once you find friends that are on the same path or are already there.

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