In today’s society we place so many demands on ourselves it’s understandable why the need to seek Stress Relief is increasing.  Consider how much our lives have changed from over a century ago – what sort of lifestyle do you think your average person would have and do you think they were under more or less stress than we are today? 

By developing a balanced lifestyle of work and play you can become even more effective at what you do and gain new life skills. 

If you are working exceptionally long hours or your main focus is just your job that it’s even more understandable that will experience stress at work.  When we take on a role we like to take ownership of that role, warts and all.  We like to develop it and grow with it.  As a result the overall instances of work related stress are on the increase.  I think we’re just taking our jobs too seriously.  Have you ever seen the type of person (perhaps your one) that always frowns and looks upset?  Or the person that seems to freak out at the smallest things like they’re experiencing an anxiety panic attack?

It is important to want to grow with a new position or you career, yet the old saying ‘everything in moderation’ definitely applies to your job.  Any great career involves a balance of work and relaxation.  It is important in any job to have time for yourself.  Take up a hobby, go dancing, do some gardening.  Any of these are good examples of Stress Relaxation Techniques. The key here is to occupy your mind with something totally different than your job.  This will give you a fresh perspective on your job and will help you to be more focused.

There are also several stress management skills that would be of benefit to experience: Breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery. 

These Stress Relief Exercises can be developed over a period of time to prevent you from experiencing any long term stress damage and are available as a part of many Relaxation Programs.  Find some balance in your lifestyle.  If you’re working too many hours, cut back.  If you don’t have a hobby, get one.  Take the time for yourself, you deserve it.  These are the keys to less stress in your life and will help you to gain new life experience.

If you’ve ever experienced an Anxiety Attack or Stress Attack you’ll understand how down and out they can make you feel.  Although Anxiety Attack symptoms vary from person to person the end result is still the same.  It’s important to find some method of relaxation techniques for anxiety  to overcome any long term effect your anxiety attacks may cause. 

But at times it can all seem too much. I mean you want to fix the issue, yet the goal posts can seem so far away from where you are right now.  This is where the baby steps principle comes in handy.  When you step back and you look at where you would like to be then you can break it down into smaller, easier to achieve tasks.  Rather than focussing on the huge task of making it to the end, you only need to focus on the next step, which makes it less daunting. 

For example – If you had a fear of flying and you wanted to feel calm instead of experiencing an anxiety attack every time you even visited an airport you could begin by practicing relaxation breathing techniques and visualization techniques for relaxation for 10 mins everyday.  During this time you would meditate on the thought of flying and use other stress management techniques to address the issue of flying.  Then after 1 week, visit an airport and watch the planes.  Note: you are not going there to fly; you are simply watching the majestic planes flying overhead.  Once you master the first small step then move onto the next step and so on.

Remember: To overcome the fear, break the fear down into smaller pieces, handle each smaller piece and complete the overall task by putting all the pieces back together again.

I am a solid supporter of many great relaxation techniques and stress relief techniques.  A good Relaxation Technique can go a long way to repair any damage caused by long term stress.  But you can imagine how amazed I was when I discovered of all things Chocolate actually helps in lowering stress in the body.

Further more, chocolate has received some bum reviews in the past about its effects on things like acne and tooth decay.  But scientists are now discovering although Chocolate does contain sugar it also contains properties that work against the sugars tendency to produce tooth decay.  It has also been proven that chocolate neither causes or worsens acne.

But wait there’s more! Why does chocolate taste so good?  There are a lot of chemical reactions going on in your brain every time you pop some choc in your gob.  Chocolate contains endorphins and polypeptides, which bind the neuro-receptors in the brain to give relief from pain. Chocolate also contains several vitamins – B1, B2, D, E and is high in magnesium and potassium. 

Just like anything you eat that tastes damn good there are a few conditions.  Although Chocolate is a form of Natural Stress Relief the benefits are more noticeable in dark chocolate, and you must enjoy chocolate in moderation.  In other words, don’t go to the shop and buy a 1kg block of chocolate, go home and devour it all expecting to feel complete stress relief.  If anything, it will have a negative impact on your waistline.

Ok, here comes the party pooper!  Why not try combining some chocolate with a well balanced exercise program, a few stress management techniques or even a few relaxation breathing techniques. 

I can imagine some of you visualizing your relaxation breathing technique combined with chocolate … breath in gently and hold 1,2,3 … breath out slowly 1,2,3 … take a piece of chocolate 1,2,3 and EAT!  Remember, Moderation.

So for all you fans out there who feel the need for a little Stress Relief, crack open a bar of chocolate (dark chocolate preferably) and celebrate with me in a toast to, Chocolate.

The weekend is a time of recovery and relaxation. It is the time where you should rebuild your energy in waiting for what the next week will bring.  With that in mind here are 7 quick Stress Relief techniques to ensure you have a great weekend.  All of these techniques are forms of natural stress relief and can be used and time and any where.  So here they are:

1.      Use breathing exercises – When you’re feeling stressed it’s important to stop for a minute and take a breath.  Effective Relaxation Breathing Techniques have proven to promote relaxation and stress relief.

2.                  Physical Exercise – What better way to release built up tension than to sweat it out.  This Natural Stress Relief technique is a great way to use physical activity to express any frustration you may have experienced during the week. 

3.                  Yoga – A controlled meditative method, Yoga and Stress Relief have always been closely linked.  Yoga is also a really good way of improving your general health with other valuable benefits.

4.                  Stress Management Articles – You can always learn new valuable information from articles, e-zines and magazines specifically related to stress relief.  Always keep an open mind and understand you only need to learn one new tip for the whole article to be beneficial.

5.                  Socialize with Friends – It is very important to have friends and people you can relax with and just talk.  There is no better way to relief stress than to sit and chat about your week and listen to your friends talk about their week.

6.                  Learn new Relaxation Techniques – New stress relaxation techniques are an excellent way to discover new methods to experience Stress Relief.  There are always new methods bought to light and the discovery of old proven methods.  Always keep an eye out for a new technique that could make the world of difference.

7.                  Stress Relief CD / Relaxation CD – Experiencing a guided relaxation can help to release built up tension and repair any previous damage done by stressful situations in the past.

Whatever relaxation technique you use make sure you invest the time to relax over your weekend.  If you haven’t taken a break in a while, then do it this weekend.  I have always found I am more focussed after I take a break.

By now most people are aware that men and women handle stress in different ways and they both seek different Stress Relaxation Techniques to deal with stress. To understand the reasons why men and women handle stress differently we need to pull out the scientific hat for a moment to look at the physiological differences between men and women.

One of the differences is in hormones. There are 3 hormones that men and women produce when under pressure or stress called – cortisol, epinephrine and oxytocin. When we are stressed the cortisol and epinephrine together raise a person’s blood pressure. The amount of cortisol and epinephrine produced by both men and women are about the same. It’s the 3^rd hormone oxytocin that plays the big part. When women are stressed they produce a greater quantity of oxytocin that counteracts the effects of the cortisol and epinephrine and promotes nurturing and relaxing emotions. Men do not produce as much of the hormone oxytocin and as a result they handle their stress differently.

A method women use to find stress relief is open talking and communication. Women just want to talk about their stress, examine their stress and cry about it (if they need to) to release the stress. Men on the other hand will either fight back or bottle it up. Relaxation Techniques for men are usually some form of sport of physical method to release the stress.

This puts a whole different slant on work related stress and methods you may offer both men and women as effective Stress Relief Techniques. Even though work related stress affects men and women differently it can be harder for a woman working in an all man environment and vice-versa for them to truly experience Stress Relief. This is an area where it is important for an employer to offer different methods of support and stress relief techniques to ensure a happy, healthy and productive workplace.

It is always very interesting to watch a couple go through a relaxation program together. There are certain relaxation breathing techniques that will work for women that aren’t as effective for men, and there are visualization techniques for relaxation that won’t work as well for women. Whichever program a couple chooses it is always important to ensure the program is structured for stress management activities for both men and women.

There are many wives tails and few of them generally show a grain of truth.  So, is the wives tail true about an apple a day, and can an apple a day reduce stress? 

Well, an apple a day is an indirect stress relief technique.  A fresh apple actually contains phenolic phytochemicals which reduced the affects of stress in the body.  But realistically you need to do more than just eat an apple a day to experience true relaxation. A really good stress management technique is in your daily eating habits.  You see, when it comes to a healthy, happy stress free body, 5 serves of fruit or veg everyday is a right up there with exercise.

But what are the benefits?  When it comes to controlling your stress relief it’s important to have as many factors on your side as possible.  After all if you don’t feed your body the right way it can’t perform to its best.  Athletes are aware of this, and this is why diet plays such a big part in relaxation techniques for athletes.

If you are stressed and you’re thinking of the best relaxation techniques, maybe the first step should be to look at you’re eating.  Are you making it easy for your body to relax?  One of the greatest stress management skills I learned was to feed the right stuff into my body from the very beginning.  Feed yourself the right stuff, combined with effective stress management activities and will permanently eliminate your Stress Monster.

The society we live in today is all about the quick fix, and there are always many different quick fixes available for many different illnesses, especially Stress Relief.  Which is better; Natural Stress Relief or the Medical Treatment?  I would never say one is better than the other (even though I have a strong opinion on the subject) as that would suggest this post is favouring one side, and that’s not the point of it. 

You see, one of the best ways you can gain an understanding of the best Stress Relief Techniques is by discovery through knowledge.  Using this method you’ll normally learn the best method for you. 

Also, keep an open mind when seeking Stress Relaxation Techniques.  There may a technique or method you may be unfamiliar with and you may shut your mind off to it.  By keeping and open mind you will be presented with a greater number of choices and you will understand why one method is more effective than the other.  As a supporter of Stress Relief, Relaxation Techniques and Stress Management I believe finding the right method will be the difference to experiencing true Relaxation or loosing hope after trying something that wasn’t right for you in the first place.  This will give you a solid foundation to understanding the best Stress Management Techniques and will help you to answer if Natural Stress Relief is really a better option for you.

There are so many benefits to using Stress Relaxation Techniques as a part of your daily lifestyle.  A Recent study released by Georgetown University found that repeated long term stress can play a factor in body size.  What that means is unless you find some sort of effective Stress Relief Technique it will be harder to maintain a healthy body size, even if you exercise and eat the right foods.

Here’s how it works – Repeated stress triggers the release of a hormone called neuropeptide, which is a hormones that promotes the growth of abdominal fat, or in simpler terms; it make your waistline get bigger.

So how do you counteract the stress and feel thinner happier and healthier at the same time.  Well the most obvious answer is to relax, and look for a effective method of Natural Stress Relief.  A lot of Stress Relief Techniques available are exactly the same method as used by people that look for relaxation techniques for anxiety.  Whatever method you decide to use, remember to maintain a healthy weight then it is important to use a good relaxation technique combined with exercise, and a healthy eating plan to gain the maximum benefits.

An article published by The Gold Coast Bulletin showed some really disturbing facts about Japanese workers.  These statistics showed that 355 workers in the year to the end of March became so sick from over working that they dropped dead.  When I read this I thought these guys seriously need to learn some good solid Relaxation Techniques or they’re going to keep dropping like flies. To add more salt to the wound the number of workers in their 30s dropping dead on the job has shot up by 30 percent.

If this isn’t a real indication that stress at work is on the increase.  So why are we all experiencing work stress nowadays where very few instances of stress were recorded before?  Well, think of all the factors that contribute to work stress; longer hours working, competition to keep a good job, longer drives on more congested roads, and the pressure this places on home life,  and this is compounding.  Imagine all the people you work with all experiencing the same thing as you day in, day out.  This all adds up to a more stressful workplace.

So what can one do to experience some form of Stress Relief?  One of the highest recommended Stress Relief Techniques is to avoid over working.  How many hours do you work in a week?  Are you paid for those hours and are you neglecting anyone around you by working this many hours.  So, take a break if you’re working too many hours.  Secondly find a structured Stress Management program that contains heaps of really useful Stress Management Tips and activities.  This will ensure what ever damage was done before will be fixed and will help you and others to work in a happier workplace.  If you to take one thing away from this it should be … we work to live, we don’t live to work.  Remember that when you’re feeling so stressed at work that you start to feel the symptoms of an anxiety attack kicking in, and do something about it before you work so hard that you drop dead too!

With so many Stress Relief Techniques it’s time we breathe a breath of fresh air into them … literally.  There’s a simple, cheap and effective Natural Stress Relief technique that takes you only seconds to do and will break the cycle of stress instantly.

What is it Donny I hear you all asking?  This Simple Stress Relief Exercise is … Deep Breathing. 

Before you think ‘What a Rip’ and close me down just read what I have to say.  Deep breathing not only relaxes your entire body it also increases the flow of oxygen to the brain which improves your ability to think.  When you breathe deeply you also stretch the muscles in your back, arms, legs and abdomen.  This is also one of many excellent relaxation techniques for anxiety to be used when suffering an anxiety panic attack. 

How does it work? Well, Begin by breathing in through your nose for the count of 5 (don’t count out load) hold it for 5, and breath out for 5.  As you feel that relaxation kicking in increase it to 7 or even 10.  If you’ve ever wondered how to avoid stress at work then here’s an example of good stress management tips to use. 

By doing this for only one or two minutes at a time (yes that’s less than 1% of your day) will give your mind and body a massive time out to allow you to recover, refocus and get back into the task at hand.