You know the feeling. After an argument with your spouse, you’re caught in traffic and are late for an important meeting. Either this or a zillion other life scenarios can make your stress level spike. You need help, and you need it fast. Well, help is on the way. Try these stress reducers that work immediately.
Our modern world is filled with stressors of every conceivable kind. Yet experiencing frequent tension can take a toll on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Healthinista nutritionist Charlotte Web shared with Daily Mail 10 unexpected but effective ways to relax when you feel you’re at the breaking point. Here are our six favorite ideas, but be sure to click through to read the rest!
1. Hum a Tune
Happy people tend to hum; however, does their happiness lead to humming, or does humming lead to happiness? Undoubtedly, the former is true; but the latter could be true as well. Research indicates that the combination of vocalization and vibration lowers blood pressure, which increases in response to stress. Add singing or humming to your arsenal of tools for dealing with a sudden stressful situation.
2. Make Faces
Common symptoms of stress include headaches, tense jaw and teeth grinding. You can loosen this lock-down effect by doing face and jaw releases. Gumming is an alternative method to use, as the facial distortion it produces acts as an inner massage that relaxes tense muscles.
3. Chew Celery
The act of chewing reduces levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress-response hormone. Celery not only provides a fibrous food on which to chew but it also contains a calming chemical called apigenin. The vegetable has traditionally been used as a remedy for insomnia and anxiety.
4. Doodle
Stress creates a conflict between the regions of the brain involved in logic and the regions that deal with emotions — a battle that can stifle creativity. When you doodle, the creative area of the brain is stimulated, a benefit that can enable you to acquire a fresh perspective. You don’t need to be artistic for this to work because any kind of drawing will help you shift gears.
5. Eat a Salad
Stress can lead to the consumption of sugar, junk food and refined carbohydrates. Aside from being a healthier option in general lettuce contains lactucarium, a substance with mild sedative properties. Add healthy protein and fat foods, such as nuts and goat cheese; and chew thoroughly. Salads stand to calm you, as opposed to junk food, which promotes inflammation hinders your body’s ability to cope with difficulties.
6. Hug Yourself
Many people, especially those who are single, don’t receive enough human touch and the associated comfort it brings. If you give yourself a massaging hug, kneading parts of your body that feel tight, it will enable your body to release the soothing chemical oxytocin. Your body pumps out this hormone when someone hugs you, a biological response that makes you feel all is right in your world.
Next time you feel your inner tension rising, try one of these stress-busting techniques. Relief is only moments away.
See more stress relieving tricks over at DailyMail.
Source:
Mary West is a natural health enthusiast, as she believes this area can profoundly enhance wellness. She is the creator of a natural healing website where she focuses on solutions to health problems that work without side effects. You can visit her site and learn more at http://www.alternativemedicinetruth.com. Ms. West is also the author of Fight Cancer Through Powerful Natural Strategies.