For most people, relaxation means flopping on the couch and zoning out before the television after a stressful day. But this hardly reduces the damaging effects of stress. Instead, you must activate your body’s natural relaxation response, a state of deep rest that reduces stress, slows breathing and heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and balances your mind and body.
You get a good massage from massage places near me and release your body stress. However, there are many other techniques available. The right one resonates with you, fits your lifestyle, and lets you focus your mind on eliciting the relaxation response. Let us discuss them:
Deep Breathing
It is a simple and powerful relaxation method focusing on full, cleansing breaths. Deep breathing is easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere, and provides a quick way to get your stress levels in check. It is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices combined with relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and music.
Meditation
Meditations that develop mindfulness have been famous since ages to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. Some of these practices at a meditation center near me bring you to the present by focusing your attention on a single repetitive action, such as breathing or a few repeated words. Mindfulness can also be applied to walking, exercising, or eating.
Visualization
Also called guided imagery, it is a variation of traditional meditation involving imagining a scene where you feel at peace, free to let go of tension and anxiety. Choose the most calming setting, such as a tropical beach, a favorite childhood spot, or a quiet wooded glen.
Yoga
It involves a series of moving and stationary poses combined with deep breathing. Besides reducing anxiety and stress, yoga improves flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. It is best to learn by attending group yoga classes near me, hiring a private teacher, or at least following video instructions.
Counselling
When stress leads to drug abuse, chronic illness or pain, lack of pleasure or relaxation, or negatively affects well-being, meeting a counselor online helps. They work with you to treat your stress symptoms and the issues causing them. Therapy addresses stress occurring due to life events and resolve them.
Healthy Diet
Your diet affects every aspect of your health, including the mind. Being chronically stressed leads to overeating and reaching for highly palatable foods that harm your health and mood. Discussing these issues with a nutritionist near me is helpful. Minimize your highly processed foods and beverages intake and replace them with vegetables, nuts, fish, fruits, beans, etc., to improve stress resilience.
Conclusion
Being chronically stressed takes a toll on your physical and mental health. Exercise, mindfulness, spending time with a pet, minimizing screen time, and roaming outdoors are effective.
