There are certain things that we cannot change in life regardless of how hard we try. When faced with the inevitable, the unknown, or a painful experience that is out of our control, it can be very stressful.
It is during these times that people often resort to drugs, drinking, or smoking just to be able to survive the intense pressure weighing them down.
No matter how hard the experience may be, there are life-affirming tools that one may use in order to handle things effectively.
1. Stretch
Lie down and stretch. Breathe during each stretch, consciously relaxing the muscles as they are being stretched. Often stress gets stored in our bodies, and we end up feeling tense. By opening up the tight areas, we are helping to release the pent-up stress or emotion. As we release the tension, we will walk away feeling much better. By training to relax through an intense stretch the body also gets trained to relax on demand.
2. Breathe Deeply
Slow and conscious breathing helps one to slow down the thought process and be aware of one’s breath. As we become more aware of our breath, we will be able to exhale more effectively. Many people hold their breath when they are anxious. Exhaling deeply provides a great sense of relief, as if a burden has been lifted.
In yoga, one is taught to breathe through the nose and back of the throat into the belly. This helps slow the breath down, thus bringing on a greater sense of calm.
3. Tense Then Release
Lift your eyebrows and open your mouth wide, engaging all the muscles in the face. Then release. This helps relax a clenched jaw or furrowed brows. It is so simple, but it has an amazing effect on the mind and the body.
Tense your whole body. Make tight fists, point your feet, shrug your shoulders, and tighten your legs and arms. Then release everything at once. Ideally, this is performed lying down. When you release the tension, lie there for a moment and noticed the sensation of relaxation run through your body.
4. Burst Training
Run as hard as you can. Get it all out. Here is your chance to push out that aggression for a minute or two. But then, walk. And walk slowly. Consciously calm down. Slow your whole system. Challenge yourself by willing your heartbeat to slow down. The action of extreme push and extreme ease will physiologically train your body to be able to recover from stress quickly. As you get better at burst training, the recovery time will lesson.
5. Heat Your System
Rub your hands together vigorously until they feel hot. Then place them over your face and enjoy the heat radiating off them. This will feel very comforting and help you to calm down.
Another great tool to help improve digestion is to sleep with a hot water bottle on your belly. This will help untie the knots that may have built up in your abdomen.
6. Schedule Worry Time
It is easy to obsess over the issues that are making us anxious and it is also common to simply ignore them. Both responses will end up increasing anxiety. A great tool to use when we are overwhelmed with an issue is to schedule a time to think about it, to journal about it, or to talk about it. Every time thoughts and feelings around the issue come up in an overwhelming fashion remind yourself that now is not the time to deal with the issue, and that you will face it when you have scheduled it.
7. Write It Down
Writing down the issues at hand will often help bring more clarity to what you must face. This is a great tool if you find yourself up in the middle of the night worrying about things that you may not have dealt with. Write those things down and schedule worry time or a time to handle them for the next day, so that you can get some rest. Remember that we are always more effective when we are well rested.
8. Be Rational
Write down your worries and the possible extreme outcomes. Then take an honest look at them and see if your expectations are rational. For example, often people think that they won’t be able to handle something if the outcome is what they dread. “I just can’t deal with that because it will kill me,” one may think. Is it a rational expectation that you will die if the worst outcome happens? If it is not a rational expectation, write down what a rational expectation would be.
9. Listen to Classical Music
Music is known to have a tremendous effect on us. Classical music or hymns generally have a very soothing effect. Listening to it when times are rough can be soothing.
10: Let Go
Often stress is high because there is a serious threat. It might be the literal threat of death (you may have cancer) or it may be the threat of loss of reputation, problems with authority, or loss of comfort. Whatever it may be, holding onto something we may be forced to lose will only make things more difficult. By accepting the outcomes, knowing that they may be difficult to handle, we may see more clearly that there is also hope at the end of the tunnel. One may find tremendous opportunities in the face of adversity.
It is during these times that people often resort to drugs, drinking, or smoking just to be able to survive the intense pressure weighing them down.
No matter how hard the experience may be, there are life-affirming tools that one may use in order to handle things effectively.
1. Stretch
Lie down and stretch. Breathe during each stretch, consciously relaxing the muscles as they are being stretched. Often stress gets stored in our bodies, and we end up feeling tense. By opening up the tight areas, we are helping to release the pent-up stress or emotion. As we release the tension, we will walk away feeling much better. By training to relax through an intense stretch the body also gets trained to relax on demand.
2. Breathe Deeply
Slow and conscious breathing helps one to slow down the thought process and be aware of one’s breath. As we become more aware of our breath, we will be able to exhale more effectively. Many people hold their breath when they are anxious. Exhaling deeply provides a great sense of relief, as if a burden has been lifted.
In yoga, one is taught to breathe through the nose and back of the throat into the belly. This helps slow the breath down, thus bringing on a greater sense of calm.
3. Tense Then Release
Lift your eyebrows and open your mouth wide, engaging all the muscles in the face. Then release. This helps relax a clenched jaw or furrowed brows. It is so simple, but it has an amazing effect on the mind and the body.
Tense your whole body. Make tight fists, point your feet, shrug your shoulders, and tighten your legs and arms. Then release everything at once. Ideally, this is performed lying down. When you release the tension, lie there for a moment and noticed the sensation of relaxation run through your body.
4. Burst Training
Run as hard as you can. Get it all out. Here is your chance to push out that aggression for a minute or two. But then, walk. And walk slowly. Consciously calm down. Slow your whole system. Challenge yourself by willing your heartbeat to slow down. The action of extreme push and extreme ease will physiologically train your body to be able to recover from stress quickly. As you get better at burst training, the recovery time will lesson.
5. Heat Your System
Rub your hands together vigorously until they feel hot. Then place them over your face and enjoy the heat radiating off them. This will feel very comforting and help you to calm down.
Another great tool to help improve digestion is to sleep with a hot water bottle on your belly. This will help untie the knots that may have built up in your abdomen.
6. Schedule Worry Time
It is easy to obsess over the issues that are making us anxious and it is also common to simply ignore them. Both responses will end up increasing anxiety. A great tool to use when we are overwhelmed with an issue is to schedule a time to think about it, to journal about it, or to talk about it. Every time thoughts and feelings around the issue come up in an overwhelming fashion remind yourself that now is not the time to deal with the issue, and that you will face it when you have scheduled it.
7. Write It Down
Writing down the issues at hand will often help bring more clarity to what you must face. This is a great tool if you find yourself up in the middle of the night worrying about things that you may not have dealt with. Write those things down and schedule worry time or a time to handle them for the next day, so that you can get some rest. Remember that we are always more effective when we are well rested.
8. Be Rational
Write down your worries and the possible extreme outcomes. Then take an honest look at them and see if your expectations are rational. For example, often people think that they won’t be able to handle something if the outcome is what they dread. “I just can’t deal with that because it will kill me,” one may think. Is it a rational expectation that you will die if the worst outcome happens? If it is not a rational expectation, write down what a rational expectation would be.
9. Listen to Classical Music
Music is known to have a tremendous effect on us. Classical music or hymns generally have a very soothing effect. Listening to it when times are rough can be soothing.
10: Let Go
Often stress is high because there is a serious threat. It might be the literal threat of death (you may have cancer) or it may be the threat of loss of reputation, problems with authority, or loss of comfort. Whatever it may be, holding onto something we may be forced to lose will only make things more difficult. By accepting the outcomes, knowing that they may be difficult to handle, we may see more clearly that there is also hope at the end of the tunnel. One may find tremendous opportunities in the face of adversity.
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