Stress can be a confusing creature and affects many different people in a variety of ways.  Many people consider stress as negative yet in reality stress is a positive or negative change that creates mental, physical or emotional strain.  It can be as simple as something we do outside the norm to constant pressure that affects our health and wellbeing.

To simplify, stress is separated into 3 different areas and methods of stress relief can be applied to one and sometimes all.

Here are the different categories of stress we experience:

—> Acute Stress – This is the most common form of stress and is short lived stress that can be either positive or negative.  An example of positive acute stress would be riding on a roller coaster or doing something that feels exhilarating.  An example of negative acute stress would be meeting a deadline, loosing an important deal or having a small accident in your car.  Although acute stress is short lived if you experience several types of acute stress in one day it is important to find successful stress relief techniques to release any tension.  There are many natural stress relief techniques you can use to release tension like; socializing with friends, reading a book, taking a hot bath or relaxing in front of the T.V. 

—> Episodic Acute Stress – Episodic acute stress comes from a constant series of negative stress, constant worry, poor time management, excessive competitiveness, general impatience and from over committing.  Episodic stress is brought on by the individual as a reaction to their environment and situations placed upon them.  A person that experiences episodic acute stress may always worry about the worst case scenario (and usually attract it). They may think they have to be the best at whatever they do and experience tension when they aren’t or they may simply be the person that finds it hard to say no and over commits themselves.  It is important to find a way to identify the cause of the stress and find methods to break the cycle of stress.  Stress relief techniques range from listening to meditation/ stress relief CD’s, Stress Relief Programs that can help identify the cause and offer solutions and seeking professional advice.   Working with a person that experiences episodic acute stress takes time and patience as it is more intense than acute stress.

—> Chronic Stress – Chronic stress is the type of stress that wears people out, day after day, year after year.  It is the type of stress that destroys lives, families and causes permanent damage.  It is the stress people face when they are in job or career they hate (but feel they cannot leave), a marriage where they are unhappy, a violent long term relationship and a lifestyle that crushes their individuality and independence.  Chronic stress can create major change to an individual’s personality, outlook or deep seated beliefs. Chronic Stress is responsible for suicide, violence, and other terminal illnesses. One of the worst aspects of Chronic Stress is people simply get used to it or give up and it becomes an everyday reality. Chronic stress is often difficult to treat and definitely cannot be changed overnight.  Within certain families it may take generations to break the cycle of chronic stress and may require long term consultation, combined with specific stress relief techniques to overcome the long term issues.

The light at the end of the tunnel

On a positive front most people experience the first 2 types of stress that can be easily overcome.  By using a variety of stress management techniques you can develop skills to help you to release your unwanted tension and stress at will.  A good stress relief program will show you specific methods to overcome and deal with stress in the future.  Even something simple as relaxation breathing techniques or visualization techniques can have massive short term and long term benefits.

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.

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. 

Ok, I’m going to try to stay off my soap box over this one.  I understand as a reformed smoker it’s important to keep an open mind on the subject.  So does smoking actually help with Stress Relief?  When I think back I remember when I felt stressed and wanted to calm down my first thought was generally to light up a cigarette. 

The right answer on getting rid of stress may be some type of Natural Stress Relief, but for a smoker it isn’t always that easy, especially since smoking is an addiction.  So what actually happens to make you feel so good?  Nicotine is a type of stimulant and one of the main ingredients in Cigarettes.  It releases a chemical in the brain called Neurotransmitters that regulate your moods and help to make you feel better after every cigarette.  But the down side is after a period of time the good mood disappears and you must have another cigarette to replace that feeling.

So, smoking in affect causes stress, simply because you experience stress if you don’t have one, and places you in a position where you need to constantly top-up your nicotine levels to continue feeling good.  In other words, you become addicted.

Here are 3 reasons smoking causes stress:

—> Stress Relief is only temporary: You will need to smoke another cigarette after a while to stop your body from experiencing withdrawal stress,

—> Smoking doesn’t actually solve your problems: They’ll still be there until you deal with them,

—> Smoking actually causes stress on your body – Studies have shown once you give up smoking your level of stress actually decreases.

It also appears work related stress has an impact on smoking … A recent article release by ninemsn in Australia shows 70% of smokers start smoking when they start in the workforce.  Also, men working over 50 hours per week are twice as likely to smoke then other workers.  In this article Dr Tony LaMontagne found smoking rates were closely linked to Stress. 

What’s the answer?  There’s no simple answer.  Obviously governments, employers and unions need to find ways to offer stress relief techniques other than smoking for their employees. 

But if you’re an individual looking at giving up there are always a number of different options.  You can use patches or gum, or you could be a hero like me and just go cold turkey.  If you use the cold turkey approach you will need different natural stress relief techniques to help your body’s withdrawal symptoms and to control the existing stress in your lifestyle.  You could try a good stress relief CD, exercise, relaxation breathing techniques or many other different stress management techniques.  By making your environment smoke free you’ll reduce your stress at work and will over all feel better for it, I know I did.

With so many different methods of Natural Stress Relief available, why does meditation stand out from the crowd? 

Still incredibly underutilized, Meditation is an excellent stress management technique for centering your mind and body.  It helps reduce high blood pressure, anxiety attacks, Stress Levels, Hypertension and in some cases is an excellent source of preventative medicine.

So what is Meditation?  The short version of a potentially really long explanation would be to say – it is a mind body practice using breathing and focusing techniques to create a ‘Relaxation Response”. 

If used appropriately and frequently meditation is an excellent way of reducing your stress levels.  Using a guided meditation in the form of a Stress Relief CD can help improve the focus and benefits of the meditation.  Many Stress based meditations lead you through a series of relaxation breathing techniques and include some handy tips for relaxation techniques for anxiety. 

How often should you meditate?  There are a few factors that determine how often you should meditate; the level of pressure in your job, how often you use other methods to release built up tension, your level of health and the amount of time you have available.  If you feel as if your life is out of control, or you’re under massive amounts of pressure, I find taking out about 30mins a day for at least a month to assist in the refocusing of the mind.

There are many Stress Management Articles available to provide you with more information and benefits of meditation on the Internet.  I recommend using a type of relaxation program to guide you through a set process of Stress Relief.

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.

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.