A great new trend is beginning to form in forward thinking companies in an effort to tackle stress at work head on.  Several independent studies showed when people followed another passion other than work that they were more focused, handled work pressure better, were more balanced and had less time off sick.  This was first targeted by several H.R. Departments looking for strategies to reduce stress related illnesses in the workplace. They discovered by encouraging people to have a secondary focus other than work not only improved productivity but also gave their workers a way of venting stress.

It’s understandable when you understand the concept of a hobby as a relaxation technique.  With so much pressure everyday to perform and with work related stress on the rise it can be really hard to switch off at the end of each day. A hobby helps you to take your mind elsewhere, where you can focus on something different for a while.  There are many different hobbies you can try from dancing to writing in a journal.  The key is in finding one that you feel passion for.  Combined with other strategies like stress relief CD’s, relaxation breathing techniques and stress relaxation techniques will ensure you will have a happy less stressful lifestyle.

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 Journal (or Stress Diary) is a great Stress Relaxation Technique that many people had amazing success with.  It is a set method to record the thoughts and situations that stress you and is a way of putting your stress into perspective. 

It is used to identify, record and resolve any parts of your life that you feel stress. 

More about that in a moment.

Here are a few reasons a journal is a great Relaxation Technique:

—> It helps you to put your thoughts into perspective

—> You may see the things that were worrying you aren’t as big as what you thought

—> It can be used in the future for you to look back on

—> It transfers the stress from your mind to another place for you to reflect on

—> You can use it as a way to identify solutions to your problems

—> It is major step to stop your stress controlling you.

As a big fan of Natural Stress Relief keeping a journal is designed for you to record the areas of your life that stress you and to establish a plan going forward. 

A few of the points you should record in your journal include: 

—> A list of situations where you feel stress in your life (eg. Moving home, person you work with, driving home in the afternoon, high demand in one area of your life, etc.).  Be as specific as possible.

—> List how you handle the stressful situation/s

—> Evaluate whether these responses are healthy, unhealthy, appropriate or inappropriate.

—> List plan of resolution.  You would normally find this by exploring different Stress Management Techniques or Relaxation Techniques.

Used in combination with a Stress Relief CD and other Stress Relief Techniques  can give great results.  For instance after you listen to the Stress Relief CD or learn a new Stress Relief Technique you can record your thoughts in your journal.  Remember, it’s your own personal space so keep it in a safe place.  Finally, be honest with yourself and it can become useful to overcoming the different areas of your life you experience stress.

Control.  We all like to feel we have it in certain parts of our lives.  But is there such a thing as control.  Does it really exist? 

After all … when we begin to loose control we react in many different ways, most of which are linked directly to stress. Consider for one moment the symptoms of an anxiety attack.  Sure there’s the sweaty palms, increased heart rate, dizziness, short rapid breaths, and many other symptoms.  But what would be the cause?  It is loss of control.

If you’re a sufferer of anxiety panic attacks you know they begin when you feel like you’re loosing control.  This is understandable.  We all like to feel comfort or certainty over the outcome of certain situations.

Even 9 out of 10 cases of work related stress are from people feeling like they’ve lost control of their desired result.    

But in reality, control is just perception.  The world is spinning out of control, there’s no certainty you will wake up in the morning and you never really know what’s around the next corner.  So what am I saying?  Well one things for sure, I’m not trying to freak you out!  What I’m saying is when you try to control your life and things don’t go well the best way to handle it to relax. 

A good relaxation technique to use when things aren’t going the way you expected is to take a few quick breaths, count to ten and think of the best way to fix it.  Things do happen and it’s up to you how you react.  A level head and a level mind will achieve great things. 

One of the greatest stress management tips someone told me was to just let go every once in a while, especially when the pressure is building.  If you feel like it’s all building up try some stress relief techniques like listening to a stress relief CD or stress relief exercises.  This will make sure you releasing the tension and will prevent any long term build-up. 

Not getting enough sleep is not only annoying it can have a massive impact on your health, relationships and overall well-being. From mood swings to depression, making mistakes to loss of productivity, sleep deprivation is definitely not fun.   

9 Stress Relaxation Techniques to Enjoy a Good Nights Sleep!

1. Go to bed and get up at the same times each day.

If you find that your sleep patterns are not consistent, then set a time each day that you can consistently get into the habit of going to bed and getting up. Of course there will be times that you don’t stick to this pattern but make sure that you only break it for exceptions, rather than as a rule.
 

2. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, beer, wine and alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime.

In fact, avoid any chemicals that may act as a stimulant a few hour prior to bedtime.

3. Don’t exercise within two hours of bedtime.

Unless of course you are doing some activity like yoga or tai-chi that is going to slow down your mind and body. Ideally exercise in the morning after awakening or in the evening after work.

4. Don’t eat large meals within two hours of bedtime.

It’s hard to fall asleep when your body feels bloated or uncomfortable from eating too much. Stick to light snacks before bed such as fruit or salad.

5. Don’t take a nap later than 3pm.

Taking an afternoon nap is okay as long as it’s only for about an hour and that you take it before 3pm. The later you nap, the harder it will be to go to sleep at night.

6. Sleep in a dark, quiet room that isn’t too hot or cold for you.

Unless you have issues with sleeping in the dark, make your room as dark and quiet as you can handle. The less light or sounds you have to distract you or annoy you, the easier it will be to fall asleep.

7. If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet or read a dull book.

There’s nothing worse than laying in bed at night listen to the sound of your own thoughts rambling on or watching the same spot on the roof you’ve been looking at for what feel like forever. Instead, get up and do something boring or read a book that you’ve been putting off reading because it bores you. You’ll be surprised just how quick you get tired.

8. Enjoy a relaxing bath.

There’s nothing better than laying in a warm bath to slow down your mind and relax your body in preparation for sleep. Add in several drops of lavender oil and you’ll have the perfect recipe for a good nights sleep. The best time to do this is about 30 minutes before bedtime.

 9. Try a simple open eye meditation like gazing at a candle flame with your eyes open for a few minutes.

This is guaranteed to slow your mind down. Here’s something interesting I learnt in meditation – blinking means thinking. So the moment you stop blinking, you’re setting yourself up to turn off your thoughts so your mind and body can start to slow down and relax.  

Open eye meditations are a simple way to gaze at something for a few minutes before going to bed. This allows your brainwaves to start to slow down and send messages to your body to prepare for sleep. 

Natural Stress Relief Begins With You  To give yourself the best shot at changing your sleep patterns, start with a firm resolve to make it a priority. Your body wants to sleep, that’s what it’s designed to do. It’s not natural to stay awake longer than is required to perform your daily functions.  

Sleep will come when your body returns to its naturally balanced state. Find out what’s causing the disturbance and then do whatever it takes to change or remove it. Then sleep will descend upon you like leaves falling out of a tree in autumn. 

To your great life and health…

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.

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.

Stress Relaxation Techniques are a must for everyone, everyday. Built up frustration, stress and anxiety can be a killer … literally. If unreleased all that tension will one day burst without warning.

Every single person from every walk of life is affected by stress. For instance there are different relaxation techniques for athletes than there would be Relaxation Techniques for Kids. But the one common denominator is the fact that Relaxation Techniques are important. Relaxation allows your body to rejuvenate. For example, imagine your body is like a rubber band. When you experience stress and anxiety that rubber band stretches. If you continue to place stress on that rubber band it will snap.

But what if you were to apply a constant pressure that doesn’t actually snap the rubber band but always keeps it stretched? If left long enough it will permanently change the rubber band and it will decrease its ability to stretch. This is the same as us. Unless you release the tension, you will either snap as we mentioned earlier, or it will change you in other ways. So whether yo use a Relaxation Breathing Technique, or any other Relaxation Technique is not important, what is important is you releasing the tension that can and will have a permanent impact on your mind and body.