Stress Prevention Techniques

Coping with stress is an unavoidable fact of life. Extended work schedules, demanding careers and lack of healthy eating and regular exercise all contribute to feeling frazzled. Reducing stress begins by identifying causes and then making small changes to your life. Stress management can give you the tools to cope and help you regain a life that's easier to handle. Without managing our stress, our bodies are in constant alarm mode, which can cause serious damage to our health.

There are myriad indicators that you are suffering from stress, including trouble concentrating, irritation, negative thoughts, muscle pain, fatigue and anxiety.
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

   1.    Identify stressful situations in your life, then work on ways to lessen them. While it may be impossible to remove all the things in your life that make you keyed up, you can certainly lighten the load. Saying no to additional work when your plate is already full is one way to help minimize stress. Take a break from television, especially the news. It may also help to talk it out with a trusted friend or make a daily journal.
 
 2. Exercise. Walking even for 15 minutes at a comfortable pace can relieve mental and physical stress. It's better to walk in nature if possible, as it promotes relaxation. Any exercise that gets your blood pumping, such as aerobics or swimming, will help the endorphins in your brain to flow, thereby enhancing your mood.



      Follow up your exercise routine with a warm Epsom salt bath. Magnesium-rich Epsom salts flush toxins, regulate electrolytes and improve heart health. Magnesium is readily absorbed through the skin.
 
 3.     Meditate. It can be as easy as sitting in a quiet place for five minutes and taking a few deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on a candle, or close your eyes and try to clear your mind. There are many CDs available if you need instruction on how to meditate. Add earphones to block out external noise, and you have instant stress relief.



      Studies at San Francisco State University have shown that a yoga master's electrical brain activity was similar to that of a person taking drugs for pain when he was in deep meditation.
 
4.    Alter your diet. Complex carbohydrates make the brain produce more of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, as well as to aid in stabilizing blood sugars. Breakfast cereals, oatmeal and breads are great options.