Stress is something that all of us deal with, as of late it seems almost daily. Depending on the individual the stressor can be big like the loss of a job or small like misplacing your keys. Studies show, however, that it’s the small stressors that cause us the most harm due to the frequency and cumulative effect.
I recently read an article by Dr. Barbara Larvviee in Mantra Magazine that provided the following stress busters and the science behind why they work.
Take 3-4 deep breaths – This is the most immediate way to reduce stress because it shuts down your body’s stress response in just 6-10 seconds.
Place your hand on your heart and breathe deeply – Remember a time when you felt completely accepted by someone. Just the thought is enough to send the good feeling hormones through your body to return you to calm state.
Apply pressure between your thumb and forefinger and hold for 30 seconds – This spot is close to bundles of nerves and pressing on them relaxes the nervous system, which operate when you’re stressed.
Take some action, no matter how small where you can exercise some control – Taking action on your own behalf shifts you out of a sense of helplessness to regain a sense of control, which reduces stress.
Rub your hands together to open the blood vessels – Because stress pulls the blood out of your toes and fingers and sends it to your internal organs, this will jar your brain out of its stress response.
I can honestly say, these all work. Give them a try if you don’t believe me! The only thing you have to lose is stress.
Teresa