Stress is that normal part of life that either will help us learn and grow or will cause us significant problems. Finding the right outlets and perfecting the right techniques goes a long way in reducing our overall health and work and life aspects in general. The following are a couple of great methods to help relieve stress.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing for stress relief focuses on a full cleansing breath. In its simplicity it’s still a very powerful technique for relaxation. You can pick it up quickly and use it virtually anywhere for a quick outlet to keep your stress level in check. Deep breathing is also a foundation for many other techniques as well. All you’ll need is a few minutes and a good quality place to stretch out.

How to Practice

Take a breath, deep from your abdomen while taking in as much fresh air as you possibly can into your lungs. A deep breath from the abdomen rather than short/shallow breaths allows you to intake more oxygen. Oxygen plays a key role as the more you get the less anxious and tense you feel as well as lessening your shortness of breath.

Practicing –

• Sit comfortably but make sure your back stays straight. Take your hands and place one on your chest and the other on your stomach
• Take a breath through your nose which should make the hand on your stomach rise and the hand that is on your chest should move a little as well
• Exhale the breath through your mouth and contract your abdominal muscles while you push as much air out as possible. The hand that is on your stomach should move as well as your other hand a little as well
• Continue to do this, through the nose and out the mouth. You should try to make sure you inhale enough that your lower abdomen will raise and fall. Count slowly as you are exhaling

Try doing this while lying on the ground should you have troubles doing this while sitting up. Do this by placing a small book on your abdomen which should go up as you inhale and go down as you exhale.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

The progressive muscle technique is a widely used strategy for relieving stress. By having an awareness it will allow you to both spot and counteract the first signs of muscle tension which is accompanied by stress. This technique requires a two-step process which will have you methodically tensing or relaxing different muscle groups throughout the body. With practice you’ll be able to gain an intimate familiarity with not only what tension itself is but also with what complete relaxation truly is and feels like through all of the different parts of your body. When your body relaxes your mind does as well. First we’ll go through the muscle sequence then how to perform it. You can vary in your method; however, the following is the way most of the practitioners do it.

The Relaxation Sequence

• Right foot to
• Left foot to
• Right calf to
• Left calf to
• Right thigh to
• Left thigh to
• Hips and buttocks to
• Stomach to
• Chest to
• Back to
• Right arm & hand to
• Left arm & hand to
• Neck & shoulders to
• Face

The Process

• Loosen up your clothing, take your shoes off and then get comfortable
• Take 2-3 minutes to relax taking slow deep breaths, in and out, in and out
• Once relaxed and ready to start shift attention to the right foot taking a few moments and focusing on how it feels
• Tense the muscles slowly while squeezing as tightly as possible, hold for a 10 count
• Relax it and focus your mind on the tension flowing away and the feeling of your foot as it becomes limp and loosens
• Stay in this state for a minute with some slow deep breathing
• When ready shift attention to the other foot and follow the same procedure
• Move slowly up and through the body, your legs, the abdomen, the back and neck and face contracting then relaxing the muscles as you go