17 ways to relieve stress

Stress - a state familiar to many of us - is perceived by us as something ordinary, not requiring much attention. Meanwhile, he is able to quietly destroy our life, our relationship, our health. How to deal with him?

The accumulated uncontrollable stress can lead to serious physical and mental illness: depression, overeating, excessive sleep, irritability. During stress in the body, the level of cortisol rises (a hormone that reduces immunity leading to obesity, heart problems, early aging, and also causing a lot of other unpleasant and dangerous complications).

An uncontrollable chronic stress is able to turn the most beautiful fairy into an evil and disgusting creature. And although we cannot completely avoid stress, we can learn how to cope with it.

Below - 17 proven ways to relieve stress.

1. Go to the massage

Massage reduces mental and physical stress. It helps to alleviate the causes of chronic diseases that inevitably exacerbate in the presence of stress. Even a 15-minute massage of the cervical spine is able to significantly reduce the level of psychological stress.

2. Find a new hobby

Find a hobby, and a new lesson will distract your mind from negative thoughts. Studies have shown that the occupation of any manual craft promotes relaxation, especially for children and the elderly. Western psychologists quite often recommend hobbies to patients as a therapeutic method of healing. In addition, things made by yourself will delight you much longer than stress lasts.

3. Talk to the animal

It is scientifically proven that communication with our smaller brothers helps reduce anxiety and stress. Numerous studies led to amazing results: those who have pets are usually more successful in training, experience problems, do not experience loneliness, are less susceptible to diseases and spleen. Even silent fish in the aquarium proved their effectiveness.

4. Drink a cup of tea

Green tea lowers blood pressure and is full of antioxidants, which have a beneficial effect on general health. Black tea will help reduce the level of cortisol. British scientists have proven that tea lovers are more subject to stress less than those who prefer coffee and weak alcohol. And if you relate to the preparation of tea responsibly, the process of the tea ceremony itself will help you distract from negative thoughts.

5. Walk on foot

Hiking help to clear the mind and give additional physical activity. Walking raises in the body the level of endorphin (hormone of happiness) and reduces the level of cortisol. It will give you an influx of energy, which is so lacking in stress. In addition, walks will allow you to notice what you can’t see in a car traffic - snowflakes on your glove, the first drops, brisk sparrows or a touching old woman. Look around and you will find so many reasons for a smile.

6. Go in for sports

It doesn't matter what you are doing. Any training will allow the body and mind to focus on something useful for overall well-being. And this distracts from the cause of stress. During training, the body intensively distinguishes endorphins (hormones that cause a sense of euphoria). The main thing is to correctly calculate the load, otherwise training will give the opposite effect. Even simple breathing gymnastics at home can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, and, as a result, reduce stress.

7. Use visualization

Visualization is a mental representation of objects and events that cause you a feeling of greatest pleasure. It doesn’t matter how real your dream seems to you, the main thing is to imagine it in all details, colors, smells, sounds, and get the maximum pleasure of what you imagined. In psychology and esotericics, visualization is considered one of the ways to achieve the goal.

8. Enjoy aromatherapy

Vegetable oils are often used in medical practice (especially eastern) to relieve nervous tension and anxiety. Passiflora, lavender, bergamot or mint are able to greatly facilitate stress and increase relaxation. The main thing is not to overdo it with a dosage. The concentration of the aroma in the room should not be overly strong, otherwise it will cause a headache rather than calm. Smells create the mood, cause pleasant memories, and also contribute to calm and deep sleep.

9. Turn off the phone

Of course, we do not think of our life without a mobile phone, often in our purse there are even several of them (for work, for home, for communication with the bank). Smartphone is our everything, it allows you to find out the level of traffic jams and weather for tomorrow, the exchange rate and news from social networks. And yet, try to distract from him at least for the evening. Spend more time with loved ones, pick up your favorite book. Believe me, this will give you much more mental warmth than the most fashionable gadget.

10. Meditating

In the East, meditation has been practiced for many thousands of years to gain mental peace and self -control. This is perhaps the most inexpensive way to relieve stress and clear the mind. In combination with breathing exercises, meditation can reduce the heart rhythm and blood pressure. It stimulates inner silence and clarity in thoughts. A fairly everyday 5-minute practice in the morning to set yourself up for a whole day.

11. Detail yoga

Yoga is another great way to avoid depression. Yoga helps to balance all the systems of the body, get away from the inner fuss and excessive load on the psyche. It is no coincidence that this practice is especially popular among residents of megacities. There are special complexes of exercises aimed at reducing stress. If desired, you can find many videos teaching this practice on the Internet. Yoga is especially suitable for those who do not love active physical exercises too much, because here you will do everything smoothly and very slowly.

12. Accept a hot bath

A hot bath will help relieve tension in the body, reduce physical pain, set up a calm sleep and put thoughts in order. It also stimulates blood circulation and calms the nervous system. To enhance the effect, you can add sea salt or aromatic foam to the water. The main thing is that the water is not too hot, overheating of the body can aggravate chronic diseases.

13. Listen to good music

Music is not just a hobby. It is proved that our body responds to the musical rhythm at the cellular level. Loud and chaotic music leads to an imbalance, positive and energetic gives strength, calm and pleasant allows you to relax. Try to make your own playlist that will help you relieve the tension. By the way, it is proved that people of different cultures prefer different types of music to relieve stress.

14. Add humor

Watching the movie comedy or just funny videos on YouTube will also help to cope with stress. Laughter raises the mood and relieves fatigue. It expands the vessels and promotes internal relaxation. The state of joy is much more natural for a person than a sense of sadness. Important: for the therapeutic effect of the jokes should be kind, and laughter is sincere.

15. Let yourself sleep

Healthy sleep is very important for good health. If you sleep less than 6 hours a day, this can already be the reason for stress, and in combination with other factors, serious problems in the body are provided in the near future. If your schedule does not allow you to find more time for sleeping, make sure that the dream was “right”: the clothes for sleep were free, the bed is not too soft, the sleeping room is well ventilated.

16. Get an anti-stress diary

Psychologists are sure that negative thoughts will leave you much faster if you begin to record them. Make a separate notebook and write down everything that has accumulated in a day. Let it be your personal book of complaints, tell her everything that has accumulated in your soul. Very soon you will find that there are less and less reasons for resentment, and the complaints are shorter. The process of formulating thoughts can help you look at the problem from a different angle.

17. Refuse caffeine

Do not use energy drinks and natural coffee. When taking any energy in the body, instant production of dopamine (the hormone of satisfaction) occurs, but this is a very short -term reaction, followed by the reverse process, and the feeling of anxiety returns with a vengeance.

Stress, unfortunately, is inevitable from time to time. Some scientists consider stress a prerequisite for evolution (“the strongest” survives). The main thing is to find the right way to control your emotions. Otherwise, emotions will begin to control us. Try all the ways, and at least one of them will certainly help you become stronger.

Video: Music for sleeping