Laughter is one of the best medicines for Sickness, depression, anxiety, relaxation, respiration and stress.   It is a great way to release tension, and to improve the outlook of your day.  Let’s face it, even after a really bad day having a good laugh can help put everything into perspective. 

But wait there’s more… The benefits of laughter actually go deeper than we realize.  There are several reactions within your body that occur when you laugh and they all directly help with Stress Relief and the release of tension.

Laughter is more than a Stress Relief Technique

Dr. Lee Burk has been researching the effects of laughter on the body.  To this moment their published research has shown that laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts the immune system. Even more interesting is that Laughter creates a state opposite to stress in your body … in other words … laughter creates healthy or positive emotions and is a great method of Natural Stress Relief

Other benefits of laughter include:

·        Increased aerobic activity which gives your diaphragm a work-out and increases your body’s ability to circulate oxygen.

·        An increase in positive emotions that can assist in the fight of disease.

·        Reduction of stress hormones including epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.

·        Improved and strengthened immune system.

·        Improved blood pressure.  This seems to have a more noticeable effect in women.

·        The cleansing of your lungs and respiratory system.  When you laugh you empty your lungs and breathe fresh air into your respiratory system.

Turn that Frown Upside Down

In 1931 a team of scientists discovered that it takes 50 Muscles to frown and only 13 Muscles to smile.  After reading this I came to realize 3 solid conclusions; Scientists really do have far too much time on their hands, it is far easier to be cheerful than to be grumpy and you will use less energy if you view your day from a happy perspective.

Unless your name is Bruce Willis there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be called out to save the world.  But you and Bruce do have something in common.  You both know what it’s like to experience overwhelming stress and you both need to have a good stress relief escape plan to deal with it.

You see, stress (especially chronic stress) can be so draining on your life and lifestyle.  If left unattended it can slowly affect your mind, body and eventually your spirit.  With this in mind it is important to understand and acknowledge when you’re under stress, and as mentioned earlier have a really good stress relief plan.

Listen to your body’s Stress

The first step is to pay attention to your body and its messages.  Here are some of the tell tale signs of stress:

—> You find yourself getting angry easily and acting short at others,

—> You feel tension building up around your shoulders and temple,

—> It’s becoming hard to sleep at night or you need drugs or medication to sleep

—> You’re grinding your teeth when you’re sleeping

—> You constantly feel tired

—> You’ve had a cold or flu for ages and can’t seem to shake it.

All of these may be signs you’re stressed and need relaxation techniques to experience relief.

Have a Game Plan for Stress Relief

Let’s face it, we all experience stress in our lives, but the key is to manage it before it builds up too much and causes damage. Here are some of the natural stress relief techniques you can include in your stress relief plan:

—> Avoid negative stress – If you know that you’re going to place yourself in a stressful situation in the first place you can just say ‘No’.  Many people do this in their work environment by over committing themselves.

—> Relaxation breathing techniques – This is a good way of eliminating your stress instantly.  Check out this technique here.

—> Stress relief CD / Meditation CD – A Relaxation / Meditation CD will guide you through a set process for relaxation.  This should be used regularly for maximum benefits.

—> Regular Exercise – This is great at dealing with stress (especially for men).  If you haven’t exercised for a while it’s important to start with low intensity and build up over time.  For maximum benefits you should also change your diet to eat heaps of healthy food.

—> Visualization techniques for relaxation – If you find it difficult to sleep at night then visualization techniques could be just the thing.  You may learn how to do this or be lead through a process by using a stress relief program or meditation CD.

—> Stress relief program – A good stress relief program will include a process for meditation, stress relief techniques and a journal to record your thoughts and progress.

—> Other stress management skills – This includes spending time with friends, time saving solutions, taking a hot bath, reading a book and watching a movie/ your favorite show.

Set aside time for stress relief today … you never know when you might have to go out and save the world after all

Stress Relief Techniques … If you don’t do them will you get fat? When doing a little research on the subject I have come to believe there is a solid link between the 2.

You see, our body contains a system called the neuroendocrine system which activates a series of hormones whenever we feel threatened or stressed.  Many years ago this system was useful to assist us in fleeing when there was danger near. 

The Hormones released include adrenalin (for the burst of energy), corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and Cortisol (helps us to replenish our bodies after the stress has passed).  The downside is Cortisol can hang around in our system for a while after the stress and cause your appetite to increase.

This system is great when you’re under physical danger but isn’t so good on the everyday stress that we all face like paying the bills, work pressure and family pressures.  In other words your neuro-endocrine system can’t tell the difference between non-physical stresses and still responds with the need to replenish your system – or eat.

By listening to the messages from the neuro-endocrine system can not only lead to weight gain, but also leads to visceral fat which is fat that lies around the stomach area of the body and increases the rate of heart disease and diabetes.

What does that all mean?  Put simply, if you experience stress you are more likely to gain weight.  This is interesting when you consider more people are under stress today than 30 years ago and we currently have a record obesity rate.  Interesting.

It all comes back to Stress Relief Techniques and playing a part in learning how to

a) Release built up Stress

b) Developing new methods for handling Stress

There are many forms of Natural Stress Relief available to show you how to handle stress more effectively and release built up stress.  There options available include: Stress Relief CD’s, Relaxation Programs, Stress Management Activities and Relaxation Breathing Techniques.  Whether you like it or not stress is in everyone’s life. It’s more a question of how you handle it.

No matter how you look at it Men and Women are different.  Sure their different in certain obvious ways but they are also different in how they handle stress and anxiety.  This is to do with psychological and hormonal differences in men and women and makes sense to approach their stress relaxation techniques from different angles. For instance man’s natural response when under stress leans towards fight or flight, where women’s natural response is to nurture or befriend.

With this in mind here are two separate bags of tricks for men and women to find natural stress relief and relaxation techniques to suit them specifically.

Relaxation Techniques for Women

—> Pamper yourself – When your feeling stressed take a long hot bath, go for a walk, go shopping with a good friend or read a book.  Do anything that is about you and no-body else. 

—> Say no – Women tend to put on the superwomen cape and try to do too much for too many people forgetting about themselves.  When you’re feeling really stressed it’s important to consider yourself and how the stress is affecting your own wellbeing.

—> Make sure you have an effective support system – Surround yourself with friends and family that help you to balance yourself.  Look for someone who can be your ‘Rock’ in times of stress or anxiety that can help you to relax and feel balanced.

—> Find a friend who can keep a secret – Find a friend you can confide in and trust to talk things through.  It’s important this person respects your privacy.

—> Talk about it – Tell people your story and let them know why you are so stressed.  Women love to get things out into the open.

Relaxation Techniques for Men

—> Exercise – Men can release stress and anxiety by doing something physical like running, going to the gym, playing some tennis or any sport that gets the blood pumping and releases tension and adrenaline.

—> Spend time alone – Men like to ‘go it alone’ sometimes to have some time by themselves.  This can be an activity like hiking, fishing or other solo activities.

—> Go out with the boys – Go out and play some sport, or any team activity that lets a guy escape their stress and is a good way to unwind.  Men will also use this as a method of companionship.

—> Find a good support system – Even though relationships are very important to women doesn’t mean men shouldn’t have friends they can confide in.  It is important to have someone there that they can trust.

A Relaxation Technique for Men and Women

A good relaxation program can prove to be a useful Natural Stress Relief technique for both men and women.  Relaxation Programs give you structured methods to release built up stress and anxiety to experience true stress relief.  An effective relaxation program should contain stress management techniques, guided meditations and a way of recording your thoughts.

You are what you eat, and if you’re feel like you need some sort of stress relief or you experience anxiety attacks it may have something to do with your diet. 

Let me explain … there are several factors that determine the level of stress and anxiety you experience daily.  They include: your environment, your psychological status, your methods for releasing stress and your diet. Diet has shown to impact how we handle stress at work, our level of concentration and the ability for our bodies to function normally.

There are several parts of your diet you may believe help to relieve stress, but few people are aware that these are the same things that actually cause stress.  Take for instance, smoking.  Many people believe that smoking helps to relieve stress.  But if you read this article you’ll understand smoking is one of the main causes of stress.

Here are some of the foods and drinks you should take in moderation to reduce your stress and experience natural stress relief:

—> Foods that contain caffeine – This is found in coffee, non-herbal tea, chocolate, coke, etc.  Caffeine causes the release of adrenalin which increases the level of stress.  Too much caffeine has the same effect as long term stress on the body. 

—> Alcohol – Excessive consumption of Alcohol stimulates the secretion of adrenaline and is shown to result in nervous tension, insomnia and irritability.  Excess alcohol will deposit fat around the heart and in excess limits the liver from removing toxins from the body.  During stress your body produces several hormones that are normally filtered by your liver.  If your liver isn’t functioning properly, then your body can’t remove the toxins resulting in serious damage

—> Sugar – Sugar has NO essential nutritional benefits what so ever. Sugar provides short burst of false energy that can not sustain the body.  These short bursts of false energy result in irritability, poor concentration and depression.  High consumption of sugar can also result in diabetes.

—> Fat – Avoid foods rich in saturated fats as they place unnecessary stress on the cardiovascular system.  These include: deep fried foods, bacon, sausages, cakes and pies. 

—> Salt – Foods high in salt increase the blood pressure affect the adrenal glands and cause emotional instability.  Look for salt substitutes that contain potassium to still enjoy the flavor of salt without all the nasty side-effects.

These foods mentioned are all Ok in moderation, but should never be used solely as a method of stress relief as they will result negative side affects.

Of course diet is essential in stress relief, but nothing can beat well chosen stress relief techniques like exercise, yoga, a stress relief CD, meditation, relaxation breathing techniques or other beneficial stress management activities.

I remember when I was a child.  Days seemed to go on forever, there was always something to do and I was always getting up to some sort of mischief.

As I grew up, things definitely change.  I took on extra responsibilities, got a job, strived for direction in life and more of my life became about time, money and relationships. Everything starts to speed up and I seemed to have less time than before.

The stress monster can easily creep up on you and you can begin to feel the pressure of everyday life with deadlines, responsibilities, family pressures and stress at work. 

You know stress is always there though, in everyone’s life, but it’s a question of how you handle it.  Some of us deal with it by becoming aggressive and snappy at those around them or other negative responses.  If you handle it this way then your stress will continue to build up with really bad side effects.

There is another way.  By investing just 20 minutes a day using Natural stress relief techniques like Meditation, stress relief CD’s, relaxation breathing techniques, Yoga and Relaxation Programs will offer natural relief from any stress that builds up in your day.  The benefits of using different natural stress relief techniques are countless.  Some of the immediate benefits include:

—> Feeling happier

—> Improvement in Immune system

—> Lowering of blood pressure

—> Release of built up stress

—> Improved concentration

—> Feeling calmer and more energetic

—> Enjoying a more restful sleep

Natural Stress Relief has no negative side effects and makes you feel good.  Remember, there are different stressors in everybody’s life (in other words, things that push your buttons) but by using natural stress relief for 20 minutes a day they won’t affect you the same way and you’ll be able to tackle them head on.

The person that created the saying – “There’s only a few things to be sure of in life; death and taxes” needs to add traffic to it.   With roads filling up more and more, traveling to and from work can be really stressful. Many of us need some sort of stress relief just to cope.

Being late, feeling claustrophobic, or simply frustrated being stuck in traffic means some of us aren’t the most polite people to be around.  Have you ever been guilty of cursing at another person, cutting someone off or making impolite gestures? From impolite behavior right up to physical aggression, road rage works at several different levels which result in stress, anxiety and often poses a significant threat to the health and safety of everyone on the road. 

If you’re driving to work in the morning and you experience road rage on your way it can have an impact on your work and cause unnecessary stress at work.  If you experience road rage on the way home you may end up taking it out on your family and create a stressful environment in your home.

It may surprise many people but if you use effective relaxation techniques you can overcome the road rage associated with stress and anxiety which will help you to become a more polite and defensive driver.

Here are a few relaxation techniques to help make that drive bearable:

—> Listen to a Stress Relief CD – Listening to a good stress relief CD everyday will help you to stay calm and focused when you would normally feel quite stressed.  It will help you to release your stress in a safe manner.

—> Listen to Music, audio books or talk back radio – This helps you to take your mind off the congestion and frustration of traffic and makes it a little more bearable

—> Relaxation Breathing Techniques – This will help you to become more focused and centered when you are experiencing stress or frustration in traffic.

—> Time Management – If you find one of the reasons you’re experiencing frustration in traffic is because you’re late then focus on methods to improve time management

It’s important to find stress management techniques that provide natural stress relief before, during and after your stressful drive in traffic. You can do this by investing about 20 minutes a day to release and de-stress. After all, with our ever increasing population, traffic is here to stay.  How you handle it is up to you. As I said in the beginning – “There’s only a few things to be sure of in life; death, taxes and traffic.”

With strong focus on working, making money and taking care of your family there can be very little time left for you at the end of each day.

Let me ask …How often in your day do you stop to do something just for the fun of it? Unless you find fun in activities like; ‘changing the paper in the photocopier’ than you’re probably like most people that simply don’t take time out for fun. But fun is an important part of life. It’s an excellent stress relief technique, it helps you to relax, and it means taking time out for you. If your searching for fun you too can be like many other forward thinkers and take up a hobby.

But what makes a Hobby so appealing and why is it a great Relaxation Technique?

To answer that question I need to discuss a few different hobbies and their benefits.

—> Gardening – Gardening is a great relaxation technique for many reasons. Your under natural light, your surrounded by fresh air, you can reflect quietly while weeding, planting or maintaining your garden and at the end you’re rewarded with a beautiful result you can admire.

—> Scrap booking – Scrap booking is a great hobby that combines artistry and writing to create a unique way of recording memories to pass on. Scrap booking is also very social (classes and gatherings) which is a great way to take a break from the usual daily grind.

—> Buy an aquarium – Aquariums do require a little bit of regular attention, but it has been found scientifically that people experience stress relief when watching fish swimming in a tank. This type of hobby can also be very social.

—> Keep a Journal – Write your thoughts, reflect on your day and record life goals you would like to accomplish. It is always interesting how thoughts can change by simply recording and reflecting on them in a journal.

—> Learn a musical instrument – People that have learnt to play a musical instrument may disagree and say it’s really stressful when you first begin learning. But in reality a musical instrument is the ultimate way to express yourself artistically and is an excellent relaxation technique.

—> Collect something – Stamps, coins, rocks, collecting can be a great way of taking a break. There are many different things you can collect and many different ways you can collect them.

They key focus is for you to take a break from your usual daily routine to socialize with others, or sit quietly reflecting on your day while you’re keeping yourself occupied. In other words … Your own time.

All of the hobbies mentioned are excellent natural stress relief techniques and just a few of the many available.

There are even some forward thinking workplaces around today that encourage their employees to take up a hobby to deal with stress at work and to help their people become more focused on the job.

Work related stress is constantly on the rise.  Our big planet is not so big anymore and the amount of pressure to perform is always going up.  Although we have had so many technological advances to make our life easier, in actual fact some of them are the root cause for Stress and Anxiety.

Take for instance E-mail.  Email is a great way of staying in touch with people anywhere around the world, yet at the same time it means you can work from home late at night, on weekends, literally anywhere.

With another weekend coming up, I think it’s time to de-stress and take a break.  What can you do to take a break? 

Well I’ve prepared my ten tips you use to relax, rejuvenate and have a good weekend.  Please note, these are all natural stress relief exercises and have been approved by the Great Life and Health Foundation, in other words, US.

Here they are: 

1.      Read a good book – Sit, relax in bed and find yourself a good book to read.  This is a great relaxation technique as it gives your mind a break and helps it to focus on something different for a while.

2.      Take a long, hot bath – The benefits of a hot bath are endless.  It’s great for your body and your mind.  Try combining this tip with some music and relaxation breathing techniques to gain the maximum benefits.

3.      Visit friends – Social Interaction is a great way to relieve stress.  Talking with others about your week can help you to get it off your chest rather than letting it build up.

4.      Listen to a good Stress Relief CD – This Stress Relief Technique will help you to address and get rid of your stress instantly rather than letting it build up.  If you combine it with a hot bath you can sit and let you troubles float away.

5.      Do some stress relief exercises – Similar to a Stress Relief CD, Stress relief exercises will help you to get rid of any built up stress.  This is a great way to ensure you keep your stress levels down.

6.      Pamper yourself – Try a massage, a pedicure, manicure or some aromatherapy.  Take some time for you to do what you want.

7.      Go for a long walk – Walking is great for the body and it’s great for your health.  It can help you manage your weight, lower your cholesterol, lengthen your life, strengthen muscles and of course, it lowers stress.

8.      Do Some Relaxation breathing techniques – Take out a few minutes to do some simple relaxation breathing exercises. It’s a great way to release that tension from your week and help you to start your weekend fresh and relaxed.

9.      Start a hobby or put aside time for your hobby – Hobbies help us to express ourselves in ways we normally can’t.  They are a great way to release tension and do something we really enjoy.

10. Play some sport – Team sports are very social and are an excellent method of stress relief.  Choose a sport you are passionate about.  Join a club or form a team.  The good thing about sport is you’re being social and getting fit.  Just stay away from the after game drinks

So that concludes the list.  Remember the weekend is a time away from work where you can relax and take time for you before you get back into it next week.

A recent article by CBS News shows the better you cope with stress and more often you use stress relief techniques, the better your cholesterol level is likely to be.

The Study was released at the 115^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association and discussed the 716 men that took part in the Normative Aging Study.  The average age of most participants were 65 and were evenly spilt between white collar and blue collar workers.

The study asked them to rate 26 different coping strategies they used as stress relief techniques.  Some were unhealthy like blaming themselves for stress or isolating themselves from others.  But there were also other positive stress relief strategies like planning how to overcome it and seeking help.

It has been known for years that stress affects your cholesterol levels and the more you experience stress the worse bad cholesterol (LDL) is present.  Stress basically raises total cholesterol and also raises LDL Levels. 

What does LDL have to do with Cholesterol and Stress Relief? To give you the really short version of a long story there are two different types of Cholesterol, HDL (High-density lipoproteins) and LDL (Low-density lipoproteins).  HDL is composed mainly of proteins and only a small amount of cholesterol and is known as good protein .  LDL is mainly composed of cholesterol, has very little protein and is known as bad cholesterol. LDL is primarily responsible for depositing cholesterol within arteries that can cause heart disease.

So you now understand the importance of reducing your LDL levels but how does that stop stress?

We all experience stress everyday, and it’s about eliminating stress but more important it’s about is your ability to handle stress.  If you use effective stress relaxation techniques like a stress relief CD, stress relief program or other stress relief exercises you can change how you’re body handles the stress.  Interesting the strategies that show the greatest result are generally forms of natural stress relief The key is to find positive ways to reduce and handle your stress at work, with your family and other areas of your life.  If left unattended you may suffer a heart attack or even worse.