1. Give someone a hug
Give your
partner, or your kids, a big hug when you can home and that will help to calm
you down. When you hug someone that you care about, your body releases hormones
that counteract the stress hormones in your body. If you live alone, or you’ve
fallen out with the wife, then hug your pet, because that will have exactly the
same effect.
2. Talk about your problems
If you’ve
had a really bad day; then talk to someone about it and vent some of your anger
and frustration. Talking about problems lets you get it off your chest, it
helps you to get a better grip on things, and you might even get some useful
advice too.
3. Have a shower and brush your teeth
This one is
a way that you can psychologically trick your brain into thinking that you are
putting your day behind you and starting afresh. Doing what you would normally
do first thing in the morning, like showering, brushing your teeth, and putting
on a clean set of clothes, will make it feel like a new day again, so you will
find it easier to relax.
4. Hide from all the stress
Take an hour
to be totally by yourself if you need to. Shut the door, draw the curtains and
switch off your phone. Your world won’t come to an end if no one can get you
for an hour and it will give you a chance to unwind a bit and gather your
thoughts.
5. Focus on the present
You might
think that this sounds a bit too ‘new age’, but a lot of people use mediation
to relax and calm their minds. You don’t need to go the whole hog and start
chanting a mantra to do this, just focus on your breathing, take in what is
around you right now, and block out your thoughts of the past, or of the
future.
6. Enjoy some music therapy
There have
been loads of studies that have proven the positive effect that music can have
on the mind and that’s why dentists have taken to playing music in their
surgeries. Surprisingly, it doesn’t need to be gentle soothing music, it has
been shown that your favourites will be the best thing to take your mind off
things and calm you down.
7. Breathe deeply
When you are
feeling stressed, your pulse rate increases and you start to take shallower breaths.
I know it sounds a bit of a cliché, but, just like your mum taught you, taking
deep breaths and counting to ten really does work! Breathing deeply increases
the oxygen supply to your brain and that will help to calm you down.
8. Eat the foods that will relax you
Some foods
such as; nuts, cheese and chicken, contain an amino acid called tryptophan,
which the body metabolises into the mood boosting hormone, serotonin. There are
a number of ways that your diet can affect your mood, so check out this post, which
will give you the low-down on mood
boosting foods.
9. Make Lists
List making
can be very therapeutic too. Start by making a list of all your achievements
today and then make a second list, of what you will do tomorrow. If you write
down a to-do list for the next day, it will get everything off your mind, you will
feel more in control, and you will be able to relax and sleep better.
10. Have a laugh
It’s another
oldie, but laughter really can be the best medicine. Laughter relaxes you and
reduces your stress levels, so put on a DVD of your favourite comedy show and,
by the end of the first episode, things should a look a lot a hell of a lot better
and you will be able to settle down and relax.
You
may also be interested in:
No comments:
Post a Comment