10 Seconds Stress Buster

Whether we're fretting over that pile of monthly bills or anticipating an exciting change like the birth of a new baby, the million things we've got going on can leave us all feeling like big balls of stress—and that can wreak serious havoc on our health. But you don't need to turn your life inside out to beat the effects of stress.
These quick and easy natural solutions can help you stay mellow in a crazy world.

DRINK TEA
Black tea has been shown to have an effect on stress hormone levels in the body. Researchers have found that people who drink black tea de-stress more quickly than those drinking a fake tea substitute. Tea contains catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids that affect your brain's neurotransmitters and ultimately reduce blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

GO NUTS

Next time you feel a bit cracked up, forgo the junk food and snack on some nuts instead. Nuts are typically high in tryptophan and magnesium, two key nutrients that support serotonin production. And almonds are especially high in stress-busting B vitamins, zinc, vitamin E and antioxidants.

RUB YOUR EARS

"According to Ayurveda, India's 5,000-year-old 'science of life,' there are marma points—like acupuncture points—in the ears that correspond to the various parts of the body," says Lissa Coffey, author/producer of the Dosha Yoga DVD. Simply rub the circumference of each ear—right hand on right ear and left hand on left ear—to instantly ease tension.

TAKE A WHIFF
Aromatherapy has calming effects that can tame the tension in no time. Proven stress-reducing aromas include lavender, lemon balm, chamomile and geranium.

POP A VITAMIN C PILL

Researchers says that vitamin C reduces the levels of stress hormones in the blood, which may alleviate the body's response to stress. Studies suggest that 1,000 mg of vitamin C is most helpful.

PUT ON THE PRESSURE

"Self-administer acupressure" - Put your left finger at the base of your skull, then move it down the width of one finger, and then move it to the left the width of one finger. Position your right finger in the same place on the right side. Press both points for one to three minutes. According to Dr. Lark, a second stress-busting point is located four finger-widths below your kneecap and one finger-width to the outside of your shin. (You should feel a slight indentation.)

EAT BERRIES
Blueberries, blackberries and other berries contain some of nature's most powerful antioxidants and are jam-packed with vitamin C, making them potent stress-busters. Stress causes the body to release free radicals—highly unstable oxygen molecules that can damage normal cells—and antioxidants help to neutralize those harmful molecules.

STRIKE A YOGA POSE
When we get stressed, we tend to tense up and cave our chest in. Folding your hands as if in prayer behind your back, then pulling your shoulders back, tilt your head back and breath deeply.

STRETCH FOR BALANCE
Sit in a chair with your left foot on the floor. Put your right ankle on your left knee and lean forward with a stretch. Hold it as far as you can go, then bend forward a bit more. Repeat on the other side. This opens up your hips and balances that tensed up muscle feeling.

REFRAME YOUR THOUGHTS
"Reframing simply means putting a different context around the situation," says Jay Winner, M.D., author of Take the Stress Out of Your Life. For example, Winner suggests thinking of time spent in a long line as a break from a busy day—a chance to relax your mind or meet someone new like the person standing next to you. A positive spin can counteract the stress-induced physiological changes that wreak havoc on your body.

CRAVE COMPLEX CARBS
Complex carbohydrates boost serotonin levels and keep a heightened sense of calm and relaxation for a longer period of time. Target carbs include whole-grain foods and cereals—such as whole-grain breads, oats and brown rice—as well as legumes such as peas, beans and lentils.

TAKE 10
Brian Jump, multi-day tour sales manager for Arizona Outback Adventures, breaks the tension of his long days by doing 10 jumping jacks, push-ups or anything that gets the blood flowing through the body. "This helps to release endorphins, which are a natural stress reliever," he says.

LAUGH OUT LOUD
According to a University of California, Irvine study, even the expectation of a laugh boosts stress-busting hormones and increases hormones that induce relaxation—an effect that can last for up to 24 hours. Read a comic strip, check out the joke of the day or make funny faces in the mirror until you bust out with a belly laugh.

EAT "GOOD MOOD" FOODS
Certain foods contain compounds that may help the body produce mood-boosting neurochemicals. Dr. Lark, who's also author of Dr. Susan Lark's Hormone Revolution, says the following foods have been shown to produce a noticeable calming effect: turkey (high in tryptophan, taurine and B6); pumpkin seeds, spinach and black beans (all high in magnesium); papaya (high in vitamin C); and bananas (high in potassium).

BE IN THE MOMENT
Focus on what's right in front of you, using your senses to connect with the environment. Dr. Winner suggests, for example, taking 10 seconds to smell the aroma of the food you're eating and savor its taste. "Take a few steps and let go of thoughts, feeling the ground massaging your feet with each step," he adds.

Source: Yahoo Trivia

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How Well Can You Handle Frustrations?

Being healthy is one of the things that I am trying to be good at. To me, it is not just about having a well-shaped and toned body but having a good attitude and a sense of importance towards one’s self as well.

However, staying happy doesn’t always come as easy as we know it. When we feel something is not going right or whenever we fail to make things happen, it is but usual to get emotionally bothered. But how well can you handle frustrations? That could mean packs of honey cigars to some or perhaps a bunch of beer bottles. While we know those aren’t smart ways to address disappointment, we can’t blame people for doing so as we don’t share the same mind.

I personally don’t do well with drinking myself to death when in a frustrating situation. I, however, can weep my emotions out and it should make me feel better after.

They say, life is what and how we make it. Therefore, to live a healthy, happy life is a choice.

What about you? How well can you handle frustrations? Let us know at the comment section. :)

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How Well Can You Handle Frustrations?

Being healthy is one of the things that I am trying to be good at. To me, it is not just about having a well-shaped and toned body but having a good attitude and a sense of importance towards one’s self as well.

However, staying happy doesn’t always come as easy as we know it. When we feel something is not going right or whenever we fail to make things happen, it is but usual to get emotionally bothered. But how well can you handle frustrations? That could mean packs of honey cigars to some or perhaps a bunch of beer bottles. While we know those aren’t smart ways to address disappointment, we can’t blame people for doing so as we don’t share the same mind.

I personally don’t do well with drinking myself to death when in a frustrating situation. I, however, can weep my emotions out and it should make me feel better after.

They say, life is what and how we make it. Therefore, to live a healthy, happy life is a choice.

What about you? How well can you handle frustrations? Let us know at the comment section. :)

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Easy Ways and Techniques to Cope Up with Stress

Often we use the word ‘stress’ when we feel that everything seems to have become too much. Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Some people find their easy way out while others need some serious input on how to cope up with stress before it cripples their mental and physical health.

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Here are seven quick and easy techniques that may work for you according to Ann Peaslee – a tutoring company owner who also went through some nerve-racking events of her life just like any other.

1. Count your breath. Taking deep breaths and lengthening your exhale relative to your inhale will calm your sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for triggering your fight or flight response, says Timothy McCall, author of Yoga As Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing (Bantam, 2007). Counting the length of your inhale and exhale and gradually lengthening how long you take to exhale will help counter this stress response. If you take four seconds to inhale, for example, work to lengthen your exhale so that it lasts eight seconds. While every person's breath count will be different, taking 10 breaths like this can help calm your mind and body.

2. Sing it out. If sitting quietly and counting your breaths sounds impossible or unappealing, you can sing or hum to achieve a similar effect. When you sing or hum, you are naturally lengthening your exhale, which will slow your breathing and help calm you, McCall says. Be sure to breathe in and out of your nose as you do this. If the idea of singing or humming in the office seems silly, do it in your car on the way to work.

3. Drink more water. When your hydration level drops by even 2 percent, your ability to do simple math and make decisions is disrupted, says Mike Collins, founder of the Perfect Workday, a Raleigh, N.C., company that focuses on workplace effectiveness. "The more hydrated you stay, the better you think." Try keeping a pint-sized container of water by your desk that you refill three or four times a day.

4. Do a body scan. Redirecting your focus away from your worries and toward your physical body for a minute or two can help alleviate stress, says Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk and co-founder of Headspace, a U.K.-based company that teaches meditation and mindfulness techniques to business professionals. Close your eyes and take half a minute to do a mental scan of your body starting at the top of the head. Notice the sensation of your feet on the floor, your body in your chair and your hands on the desk. Repeat this scan two or three times. Rather than being stuck in your loop of worries, you're turning your attention to the sensations of your body. "By shifting the focus to physical senses, you are stepping out of the thinking mind and bringing the mind into the body, which immediately has a calming effect," Puddicombe says.

5. Keep vacation photos handy. Another way to escape from stressful thoughts is to keep vacation photos or postcards nearby. When you feel stressed, look at an image for a moment, close your eyes and try to imagine all the sensations you were feeling in that place--what you saw, smelled, felt, heard and tasted. This technique will calm you by focusing your attention on the physical sensations of your body as you visualize a particularly relaxing place. "Try to activate each of the five senses," says Margaret Wehrenberg, author of The 10 Best Ever Anxiety Management Techniques (WW Norton 2009). "It's literally the antithesis of stress for a minute."

6. Create a ritual. Instead of rushing to grab a cup of coffee or scarfing a snack, make a ritual of it, says Puddicombe. Take the time to notice the sounds, feel and smells of what you're preparing--whether it's a cup of tea or fresh fruit. Such a daily ritual can be soothing, helping you focus on something other than your thoughts, Puddicombe says. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it's something you have positive associations with.

7. Laugh out loud. Humor is the opposite of stress, according to John Morreall, president of Williamsburg, Va.-based Humorworks, which focuses on using humor in team-building exercises and other workplace activities. "In a stressful situation, you are emotionally engaged with some problem," he says. "When you laugh at a situation, you are distanced from the problem." To find relief in humor, Collins watches a YouTube video of a flash mob in Moscow dancing to "Puttin' on the Ritz." That never fails to make him laugh.

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Exhaling the Stress Away

When busy moms only have few minutes to spare to de-stress, breathing techniques can work magic.A stress reliever is not just an expensive getaway or a very long holiday. While these may work, there is a more accessible and easily doable way to follow every day. Different holistic practices like Yoga and Thai Chi bank on breathing techniques. Scientific studies even prove that correct breathing can help manage stress and stress-related conditions such as chest tightness, palpitations, muscle aches and twitches, as proper breathing signals “relax” the nervous system.

Breathe correctly.
As you breathe, the diaphragm contracts and then relaxes. This then signals the rest of the body to relax. To flex the diaphragm, you should let your lower abdominal participate in the process. Take note of your abdomen and check that it gently moves in and out as you breathe. If you see the pattern and ensure that your shoulders do not move up as you breathe, you are breathing correctly. Repeat as many times as you can until abdominal breathing feels almost normal.

Breathe some more and imagine.
Deep breathing is like imagining your navel reaching your spine. This is the peak of breathing relaxation and it takes practice of regular proper breathing to achieve this. Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably in a proper posture. Imagine every tension slip away as you breathe gently through your nose. As you close your eyes to focus on your breathing, put your hand by your abdomen and feel the movement of your diaphragm. The key is to shift consciously from doing upper chest breathing to abdominal breathing. Imagine heaviness exhaled as air that makes you feel light enters your system. Say goodbye to stress in no time.

Source: Good Housekeeping Mag (March Edition)

Continue Reading

Exhaling the Stress Away

When busy moms only have few minutes to spare to de-stress, breathing techniques can work magic. A stress reliever is not just an expensive getaway or a very long holiday. While these may work, there is a more accessible and easily doable way to follow every day. Different holistic practices like Yoga and Thai Chi bank on breathing techniques. Scientific studies even prove that correct breathing can help manage stress and stress-related conditions such as chest tightness, palpitations, muscle aches and twitches, as proper breathing signals “relax” the nervous system.

Breathe correctly.
As you breathe, the diaphragm contracts and then relaxes. This then signals the rest of the body to relax. To flex the diaphragm, you should let your lower abdominal participate in the process. Take note of your abdomen and check that it gently moves in and out as you breathe. If you see the pattern and ensure that your shoulders do not move up as you breathe, you are breathing correctly. Repeat as many times as you can until abdominal breathing feels almost normal.

Breathe some more and imagine.
Deep breathing is like imagining your navel reaching your spine. This is the peak of breathing relaxation and it takes practice of regular proper breathing to achieve this. Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably in a proper posture. Imagine every tension slip away as you breathe gently through your nose. As you close your eyes to focus on your breathing, put your hand by your abdomen and feel the movement of your diaphragm. The key is to shift consciously from doing upper chest breathing to abdominal breathing. Imagine heaviness exhaled as air that makes you feel light enters your system. Say goodbye to stress in no time.

Source: Good Housekeeping Mag (March Edition)

Continue Reading