..and relaaaaaax
6 easy tips to help reduce anxiety and stress.
1) Breathe
It might seem silly, but most of us don’t breathe very effectively. Breathing from your diaphragm oxygenates your blood, which helps you relax almost instantly. Shallow chest breathing by contrast can cause your heart to beat faster and your muscles to tense up, exacerbating feelings of stress. To breathe deeply, begin by putting your hand on your abdomen just below the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and watch your hand move out as your belly expands. Hold the breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times.
2) Smile 🙂
Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We do it when we’re relaxed and happy, but doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy. Smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional centre in the brain, tilting the neuro-chemical balance toward calm.
3) Just say no
Trying to do everything is a one-way ticket to serious stress. Be clear about your limits, and stop trying to please everyone all the time. If you can’t stop saying no and worry about hurting people if you do, consider booking yourself a homeopathic consultation to get to the bottom of it.
4) Get horizontal
If sex has been on the bottom of your to-do list for too long, move it to the top. Sex increases levels of endorphins, those mood-boosting chemicals in the brain, and it’s one of the best total-body relaxers around.
5) Say yes to pressure (acupressure!)
Acupressure stimulates the same points as acupuncture, but with fingers instead of needles. Try pressing on the following three points:
- The third eye, located between the eyebrows, in the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead.
- The heavenly pillar, on the back of the neck slightly below the base of the skull, about half an inch to the left or right of the spine.
- The heavenly rejuvenation, half an inch below the top of each shoulder, midway between the base of the neck and the outside of the shoulder blade.
Breathe deeply and apply firm, steady pressure on each point for two to three minutes. The pressure should cause a mild aching sensation, but not pain.
6) Write a gratitude list
We can often get so caught up in our lives that we forget to notice how lucky we really are. If you feel stuck in a negative place, then take 5 minutes out of your day to write 5 things down that you feel grateful for. These could be as trivial as saying “I’m glad there was enough milk for my coffee this morning” or “I’m really grateful I have nice comfortable shoes to wear”. As you gain momentum you might try to set yourself a target of 50. It’s amazing how much there is to be truly grateful for.
So, over to you. Do you have any quick tips that help you reduce stress and anxiety? If so, please comment below. I would love to hear from you!
Until next time, have a happy, healthy week.
Claire Zarb LCPH
t: +44 (0)7582 269569
e: claire@clairezarb.com
w: www.clairezarb.com
s: c.zarb
photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc
