Find A Balance With These Easy Stress-Reducing Techniques

Living in a modern world and life being what it is, it’s unrealistic to eliminate stress as it can be healthy in some situations and a potential motivator. 

However, you can learn to reduce and manage stress by identifying your stressors and adopting stress-reducing techniques that work for you to help find a balance between mind and body.

Identifying the cause of stress is the first step to reduce and manage the effects of stress. After you’ve figured out what your stressors are, you can take steps to reduce and manage them.

Learning to set time aside to unwind is vital if you don’t your mental and physical health can suffer, tilting the mind-body balance.

You can adopt healthy lifestyle habits to reduce and manage the effects of stress biologically: 

• Eat a well-balanced diet
• Regular exercise
• Get enough sleep
• Practise self-care

READ:

• 6 Ways To Stay Mentally Strong When Life Gets Busy where I explain in-depth the importance of getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly.

Stress-Reducing Techniques

Practicing relaxation techniques are incredibly effective tools to help reduce and manage stress mentally:

• Breathing techniques
• Guided imagery
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Meditation
• Yoga

Breathing techniques

It is no secret that focusing on your breathing is a great stress-reducing technique and can make a massive difference to your overall stress levels. Stopping and taking a few big breaths can relieve the pressure within seconds. 

Focusing on your breathing calms your mind and body, allowing you to gain control, reduce and manage your stress levels and the effects it plays on your wellness. 

The best part is, no one even needs to know you’re doing it, you can choose to breathe through your nose for 10 seconds until you feel the effects. 

Here is a simple method to get started:

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your hands in your lap and your feet on the floor. I like sitting against a wall on a pillow and crossing my legs with my hands on my knees. If you are out and about, you can perform step 3 and 4 without steps 1 and 2.
2. Take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth and close your eyes.
3. Slowly take deep breaths in and out. Focus on listening to your breath, where you feel your breath coming from – your lungs, your nose, your mouth? 
4. You can do this for 1, 5 to 10 minutes at a time, depending on the situation.

Guided imagery

Another effective stress-reducing technique is guided imagery. This technique is similar to breathing techniques, except it is more intentional in focusing on your happy place. 

Here is a simple method to get started:

1. Sit in a comfortable position; hands on your lap and your feet on the floor or against a wall with your legs crossed and hands on your knees.
2. Take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth and close your eyes.
3. Slowly take deep breaths in and out and imagine you’re in a place that makes your soul smile. It might be on the beach smelling the saltiness and feeling the sand under your feet, or the countryside smelling grass and feeling the breeze on your skin, anywhere that gives you a peaceful feeling. Imagine you’re there and succumb to the emotions, feelings and sensations that roll over you. 
4. You can do this for 1, 5 to 10 minutes at a time, depending on the situation.
5. Open your eyes to the present moment feeling calm, focused and energised.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is the process of relaxing all your muscles group by group.

The aim is to learn to recognise tension and tightness in your muscles, allowing you to relax more easily. 

Here is a simple method to get started:

1. Sit or lay down in a comfortable position, see guided imagery step 1 for sitting positions. If you choose to lay down, I highly suggest not to do this method while you’re tired, you will fall asleep, I speak from experience! 
2. Take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth and close your eyes.
3. Starting at your feet tighten for a few seconds, then relax each muscle group.
4. End with tightening and relaxing your face muscles.
5. Open your eyes to a feeling of relaxation sweeping over your body

Meditation

Meditation has been practised for thousands of years. It is a simple technique if practised for 10 minutes each day, can result in helping you control your stress levels, decrease feelings of anxiety and improve your ability to achieve relaxation.

Meditation is a relaxation technique that aids our bodies reaction to the fight or flight response stress realises throughout our body. 

The fight or flight response can cause high blood pressure, increase your breathing and increase the blood flow to your muscles. During meditation, these effects can decrease.

This technique usually consists of the repetition of a word, sound or phrase while sitting in a quiet and distraction-free place. 

Here is a simple method to get started:

1.  Sit or lay down in a comfortable position, see guided imagery step 1 for sitting positions.
2. Relax your muscles starting from your feet and ending with your face, ground your feet if sitting on a chair, drop your shoulders and relax your hands in a natural position. 
3. Take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth and close your eyes.
4. You can practice mindfulness – pay attention to what is happening around you; smell, sound and touch.
5. You can repeat a phrase – “I am worthy, I am happy, I am healthy” or something that has meaning to you.
6. Try to dismiss any worries or intruding thoughts. Dismissing thoughts can take time to learn, but once you do, you can use it in everyday situations when thoughts take over.
7. Once you have achieved the desired time frame you set for yourself, or you feel the effects of the meditation, slowly bring yourself back to the present moment, allowing your thoughts to return, and open your eyes. 

You should now feel relaxed, calm, energised, and focused.

There are many methods to meditate so experiment and find which way works for you to find a balance between your mind, body and soul.

I use the Headspace app for my sleep and morning meditations. 

Yoga

Yoga combines meditation, breathing techniques and exercise into one ultimate stress-reducing technique.

You can do it in the comfort of your own home or join a local class. You can find yoga classes via an app, a Youtube channel, enrol in an online course. There are many so do a bit of research and find one that fits your style, schedule and budget. 

Like meditation, yoga aids in the fight or flight stress response by lowering your blood pressure, and slowing your heart rate, while focusing on your breathing and calming your mind.

It is possible to reap the benefits of yoga in one session, so imagine the benefits if you continue long-term? 

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Everyone will experience stress at one point or another, it has it’s advantages, and it’s not something you can eliminate. Still, you can find stress-reducing techniques to help manage the effects and find a balance between your mind, body and soul. 

If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful please share or leave a comment on your main takeaways and which stress-reducing techniques work best for you. Knowledge is power, so let’s share the love. 

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