Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

There are many different kinds of relaxation techniques for mental stress and anxiety and many people have their own way of dealing with the problem. Some listen to music, play sports, or even draw and paint just to relieve their anxiety and nervous tension and give themselves chance to relax for a little while. Then there are arts such as tai chi, reflexology, aromatherapy, massage therapy. Meditation is a popular and effective technique to try as is yoga.

Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce or eliminate stress and hence anxiety. Stress creates energy that needs to be used. Exercise is the way to use it.

The easiest place to start is with things like hot baths and deep breathing and then progress from there. Controlling your breathing is an easy effective technique. Deep slow breathing has a calming influence on your physiology and has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety.

Sit quietly in a comfortable position preferably without noise or distraction, and focus on your breathing, Then turn your attention to relaxing all your muscles.

Avoid over breathing - over breathing is known to cause anxiety and can leave you feeling light-headed, anxious and depressed - if you breathe with the upper part of the chest rather than the diaphragm it may still cause anxiety. The key is the conscious breathing which through abdomen, rather than using your chest.

Some exercises might include focusing, visualization and affirmations. Some like hydrotherapy, and alkaline baths, or simply listening to relaxing sounds or music. You could try massage of the scalp, eyes, sinuses or shoulders to help relieve nervous tension.

An odd-sounding idea is to treat yourself to a controlled temper tantrum which can one of the most fun relaxation techniques for stress. You might wish to channel your anxiety into writing, or simply enjoy eating some raw green vegetables  for their oxygen.

Meditation is one of the most relaxing activities you can do to put your mind and body at is ease and be in the moment. Meditation involves breathing exercises that help flush out the toxins from the body.

To get the most out of your relaxation practice you should set aside time in your daily schedule, don’t practice when you’re sleepy and choose a technique that appeals to you.

  Read more on → Relaxation Techniques and other Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress

See also:

        1. 10 Ways to Cope with Stress: Stress Relief & Stress Management Techniques  

        2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

        3. Meditation Techniques for Anxiety and Stress Relief

        4. Foods that Help with Stress

        5. 11 Must Know Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are one of the best things to do in order to help calm your anxiety. The following breathing exercises/techniques are some that may do the trick for you when you get that sudden rush of anxiety.

Measured Breathing

First, make sure to relax your entire body. Your hands should be in a relaxed state, and you should attempt to release the tension within your muscles prior to doing measured breathing. 

Release your shoulders from their tense position and loosen up your jaw a bit to get the feeling of ultimate relaxation. 

Breathe in once you are loosened up through the nose for about four seconds and let your stomach grow as you do so.

Hold it. Hold it. You can do it!

Now release your breath slowly counting to seven seconds.

Repeat this formula until you feel as if it has done the job!

Abdominal Breathing Technique

Place on hand on the chest and the other on the belly.

Take a VERY deep breath in through the nose until you feel your diaphragm inflates.

Do these deep breathes to a point where you do 6-10 of them a minute for roughly ten minutes.

Do this daily for optimal relaxation as it will reduce your stress levels and blood pressure.

Progressive Relaxation

This one is my personal favorite as it gets all my body parts involved. It goes as followed:

Close your eyes.

Focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for about 3 seconds each starting with the toes and feet.

Move all the way up from your legs, to your arms, to your neck, etc.

Do all of this while maintaining slow, DEEP breaths.

It is recommended that you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth while performing this exercise.

   See also: Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMR) in detail

These are just three of the many simple breathing exercises you can do to relax themselves and help fend off some of your anxiety. I’ll be sure to update this post with some more breathing exercises as I come across them for you!

  Read more on Relaxation Techniques and other Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress

4 Simple Ways to Manage Anxiety on the Go

Most of the time we need a way to manage anxiety on the go and in the spotlight. It strikes us at the worst moments, and we need to find a way to combat this feeling that puts our emotions at war. Here are a few things you can do to help manage anxiety and possibly kill all together if it hits you unexpectedly.

Do something that will distract you

This is very helpful to the folks who suffers from health anxiety. Instead of Googling symptoms, read today’s news from an online magazine or newspaper. Instead of locking yourself up in between four walls, go outside for a light jog or walk. To me, exercise seems to hit the spot in terms of anxiety. The point here is that you should be doing something you love or more productive than worrying about something that is an over-exaggeration.

Eat something you enjoy

Who doesn’t love eating their favorite foods? Eating something that brings joy to your taste buds is another good way to manage your anxiety. This doesn’t mean you should eat fifteen hamburgers from you favorite fast food joint though. Eat something healthy and on the safe side. You can even eat your favorite candy as long as it’s a reasonable amount of servings.

Do a quick breathing exercise

Doing breathing exercises tends to calm your body and can put you in a feel good mood. Just close your eyes and begin to count your breaths. There are many other techniques you can look up that works great for many people. Don’t let anxiety make you feel like you have an oxygen shortage!

Read quotes or short stories

Reading inspirational quotes is one of the tricks that may help you focus on things other than your anxiety.

Stress Management Techniques in the Workplace

Work-related stress takes its toll on business productivity, family life and health. Fortunately, there are stress management techniques that people can learn to reduce the impact stress has on their lives. Many of these can be practiced in a few minutes on breaks or at lunch time in the office, and they can also be practiced at home at the end of the day to de-stress, reduce anxiety and prepare for a restful night’s sleep.

Mental alternate nostril breathing

Mindfulness of the breath is one of the most powerful relaxation tools available. It is always with us and it is always free. For alternate nostril breathing, we use the mind to direct the breath from one nostril to the other.

Lie on your back in bed or on the floor, or in sit comfortably in your chair, with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight.

Relax your shoulders and unclench your jaw.

Feel space between upper and lower teeth

Take a breath or two before you start to be aware of your body lying or sitting where it is, and watch your body breathe.

Take one full deep inhalation, and exhale completely.

Allow yourself to be still for a second or so with empty lungs before you feel the need for your next breath.

Take another full breath, and exhale long and slowly.

Then take a third full deep natural breath, and be ready to start alternate nostril breathing.

Exhale and empty your lungs.

As you inhale, picture the breath entering through the left nostril; as you exhale, picture the breath leaving through the right nostril.

On your next inhalation, picture the breath entering through the right nostril and leaving through the left nostril.

Each time you exhale, picture the breath switching nostrils.

Each time the breath leaves through the left nostril, that completes one round.

Do five rounds, then inhale through both nostrils and exhale through both nostrils.

Each time you lose count, or lose track of the breath, or notice the mind has drifted away to think about something else, re-focus on the breath and start again at the beginning.

The point of this practice is not to get anywhere, but to simply watch your breath and watch your mind as it jumps around. This is a form of meditation and quiets the mind, but it also has a powerful effect on balancing the body’s energy field through the two main channels or nadis that move up the spine.

Wave breath

Lie on your back for this, on the floor or in bed.

If you have an office, lock the door and turn out the lights for five minutes.

If you are comfortable with putting your legs up the wall or on a chair, do this to increase the effect of the relaxation.

Exhale completely and empty your lungs.

Take a few full deep breaths and feel your body completely relax against the floor.

Exhale fully, taking twice as long to empty your lungs as you take to fill them.

Now picture your breath like a wave at the beach, as if you are lying at the shore where the water meets the land.

As you inhale, picture the breath like a wave of light moving into your body through the soles of your feet, up through the long bones of your shins, past your knees, up the long bones of your thighs, past your hips and into your spine.

Picture your spine a hollow column of light, and as you continue the in-breath, imagine the breath like golden light moving up past your organs, your heart, your throat, past your ears and eyes and out the top of your head.

Picture your whole body open to the wave of golden light that moves up your spine and out the top of your head with each in-breath.

As you exhale, picture the wave of breath moving in through the top of your head, down your spine, down the long bones of your legs, and out your feet.

Picture the wave of the out-breath dissolving and carrying with it all the stress, worry, discomfort and anxiety from your life, and giving it back to the ocean. It belongs to the past, to yesterday, to the morning, to the moment before this one. You do not need to carry it with you now. Let it go with the breath.

Continue with this imagery picturing the breath like a new wave, and imagining your body filling with golden energetic light from the breath as you become more and more empty and cleansed from the mental and emotional burdens that are causing you stress.

When you feel ready, let go of the breath as a wave, and simply lie on your back in stillness watching your body breathe.

Then roll up to sitting and continue with your day.

Mindfulness of the breath is a perfect technique for relaxation because it needs no equipment and it has no cost. When we don’t structure activities for de-stressing into our day, we weaken our relationships and damage our health. If adrenal hormones released by stress stay in our bloodstream, they can lead to lowered immunity, auto-immune disorders, stress rashes, and potentially life-threatening conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Practice simple relaxation techniques like these ones and teach them to your colleagues, friends, and children.

Before going for a doctor, we are able to relieve some or even all of our own stress and anxiety. As you can see on the above several anxiety relaxation techniques, they are not that exhaustive. Many other techniques are out there which you can make use of to handle your anxiety problem. Don’t hesitate to visit and consult your physician for assistance.

How to Stop Worrying

When confused with worry, any person may experience plenty of scary thoughts coming at all of them simultaneously. As opposed to getting upset, remember that these thoughts are exaggerated and therefore are not necessarily according to reality. From my interviews with some other specialists, I’ve discovered that typically it is the fear behind the thoughts which gets us upset. Disregard the fear behind these feelings, along with your worry should lower.

Keep in mind that our terrified thoughts are overstated and may make the problem worse. A great way to handle your own worry would be to challenge your own damaging thinking along with good statements as well as practical thinking. Whenever experiencing ideas which make you afraid or even restless, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions which will preserve objectivity as well as good sense.

Here's a video which will show you how to stop worrying about the future and things that you cannot control by changing your perspective and taking action:

Whenever experiencing nervous, cease what you’re performing and then try to do something which will unwind you. You must breathe deeply and then try to locate one thing to perform for some minutes to have their thoughts from the issue. One could acquire some clean air, listen to a bit of music, or even carry out an action which will provide them with an innovative point of view about points.

As a normal individual, I realize it is sometimes complicated to cope with our fears. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to relax and then get the facts of the circumstance. The bottom line is to take your time. All you are able do is to do your very best every day, hope all went well, and when a thing does happen, take it in stride. Take things one step at any given time, and things will work out.

  Read also: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living