Body Stress Relief Techniques
There are scientific reasons why stress can cause problems in your body, particularly due to the release of cortisol. This chemical is what is released into your body in times of stress to kick your fight or flight responses into gear and get your adrenaline to where it needs to be in order to cope with the stress that you are feeling in that moment. Heightened stress for prolonged periods of time can result in an excess of cortisol in your body, which can cause long-term damage which are basically the physical impacts of traumatic experiences. Rather than allowing stress to fester, there are ways that you can help your body lower the amount of cortisol being released in high-stress circumstances and avoid those negative impacts of long-term stress. Here you will learn about highly effective body stress-relief techniques to lower your cortisol levels quickly.
How to lower cortisol production
- The first and most obvious method is exercise. When you work out your body, you release endorphins which is a chemical that causes happiness and can counteract the effects of cortisol in your body. It also helps your body flush the cortisol out faster, so the impacts are not so severe. Exercise can also improve your sleeping patterns and immune system which will also lower the impact of stress. When you are sick less often and less severely as well as able to sleep soundly, you will see a significant reduction in stress and anxiety. Exercise can also provide a healthy outlet for you to focus your mind on in order to distract from the stress that you are dealing with in your life. That distraction is also important for heart health and other forms of wellness, so it will generally improve the status of your body even in times of stress.
- There are many herbs, supplements and essential oils that can also impact your stress levels significantly. There are scientific studies that have shown the positive results of aromatherapy in stressful situations. The way that lavender or chamomile interact with the chemicals in your brain can change the way that you deal with stress and provide relief to the rest of your body.
- There are also herbal supplements or loose-leaf products that can be ingested or used to make tea and calm your body down. The FDA does not always cover supplements or essential oils, so be careful to choose a brand that is credible and trustworthy before going down this particular route. You can also try using the science of these products in a different way by lighting a scented candle instead of something more invasive.
- There are things in our daily lives that can also have an impact on our stress levels, such as caffeine. As much as we all may love a cup of coffee in the morning, try switching to green tea or something a little less strong. The reduction in caffeine can help your body relax in times of stress.
- Additionally, try chewing gum when you feel stressed out during the day. It may sound silly, but most people tense their jawline while they are dealing with stress and sometimes cannot tell that they are doing it. Chewing gum will allow your body to release the tension in your jaw and that can make a huge difference in how capable the rest of your body is to release stress-related tensions as well.
Non-medical coping mechanisms that have been proven to reduce stress
- Writing things down that you feel anxiety over has been proven to help your brain release the thoughts that are creating tension and get a sense of release. This is particularly effective in the office since most people are unable to voice every thought that stresses them out in a professional setting. Instead of biting your tongue and adding to your sense of frustration, write it down and get it out of your head!
- Listening to music can also help rewire the brain with soothing soundwaves, but you have to select music that will calm and relax you in order for it to be effective.
- Laughing is also important in reducing stress, so try to take time out of every day to watch a funny video clip or read a daily joke, or anything that will put a smile on your face!
- Many people use yoga as a stress release technique, and it is highly effective in that regard. Yoga forces the practitioner to quiet their mind enough to listen to their body, otherwise their body will fail them during their yoga routine. One aspect of the practice that is often overlooked is the practice of deep breathing. Most yoga teachers can tell you that making sure you breathe deeply enough to feel an expansion in your belly is the best way to practice yoga. It ensures that you are getting enough oxygen to circulate throughout your body and it also gives you something other than the sore and tired muscles in your body to focus your mind on. Yoga has been proven to lower the chances of heart disease, high blood pressure and many other ailments that can be directly related to stress so it is a nearly certain way to avoid the negative impacts of stress on the body. Plus, it’s a great strength-building workout!
Social support for body stress relief
The human body was meant to deal with stress but it was also designed to prefer joy to anxiety. Giving in to stress will only cause your body to deteriorate, and one of the best things that any human can do to avoid stress and feel prepared to replace anxiety with joy is connection to other humans. Feeling a sense of belonging, feeling loved and secure are all things that come with being connected to other people. Even those who are shy and reclusive need human contact from time to time to be at their best, so make sure that you spend time with loved ones as often as you can.
From birth, the physical consequences to our bodies from a lack of human contact can be severe so be sure that you are hugging and kissing and cuddling every friend or relative that you can in order to feel the effects of that community on your stress levels.
In addition to human contact with loved ones, doing kind things for others will support that human connection and release your stress as well. Strangers in need will often have a story far worse than the stress that you are feeling, and helping them will accomplish stress relief in many ways.
Firstly, it will put your stress into perspective and that can lower how much it affects your body and mind. Secondly, it will bring you joy and those endorphins are better than any workout could ever give you! So do something nice for someone and see how much better you feel.