By Books Author Denise Turney
Even in today’s hectic world, it’s not necessary to live with prolonged stress. That’s right. There’s no good reason to carry stress around from experience to experience or day to day. But you might not accept that truth if living with stress has become a habit for you. Should that be the case, the way out might prove more beneficial if it’s laid out in short actions, small choices that have long-term effects. The small actions listed in this article, actions that highlight how you can de-stress in less than 5 minutes, may prove particularly rewarding for you.
Start to De-Stress
Whatever you choose to do, start to shift out of stress. Why? Stress is a culprit that has far reaching impact. It affects your heart, brain, sleep, mental health, mood and more. In fact, there isn’t a single part of the human body that it doesn’t affect, particularly once you enter prolonged stress. If you’re like me, you may have heard about the dangers of stress for years. Yet, it may not be until you have a firsthand encounter with a build-up of stress that you more clearly see the role that stress is playing in your life.
This is an experience that I recently had, an unwanted experience at that. For two years, my workload had been consistently high, at a point of overwhelm. Because I’m a “go-getter” it took a while for the heightened work level to start to produce symptoms. What happened?
One Saturday around 3pm I felt a surge of joy. Right away, I expressed appreciation for what I felt. Then, a few weeks later, it happened again. That second or third time it happened on a late Saturday afternoon I became curious, wondering what was causing the emotional surge.
Stress Working in the Body
It didn’t take long to realize that I had been carrying stress in my body all week and felt joy upon releasing the stress. Another thing I realized straightaway was that carrying stress for an entire week was not good, wasn’t healthy. So, I committed to meditating more and sitting in stillness.
That’s what I promised myself I would do. But that’s not how the next weeks went. What really happened was that I remained in states of overwhelm, constantly working, doing one thing after another. And when I wasn’t working, there seemed to be something related to a project or initiative that was on my mind.
Certainly not the way to rest and de-stress. A visit to the doctor several months later woke me up. Fortunately, my health is very good, but I did receive a wakeup call through my biometric numbers. Now, I incorporate activities into each day to ensure I de-stress. These activities often protect me from entering a state of prolonged stress to begin with which is a real win.
Fast Ways to De-Stress
So, what are these ways to de-stress in less than five minutes? Well, here they are:
- Raise your hands in appreciation upon rising or waking from sleep. Simply stand on the floor, raise your hands and let yourself feel appreciation. There’s no need to focus on a topic or event, but you certainly could. The goal is to feel appreciation and allow it to flow through your being. Ten seconds can do a good work.
- Sit on a chair or sofa for 5 minutes after you shower, wash up and do your hair. Just sit still in silence. If you want, you could read a passage from a poetry book, the Bible or another book that inspires, motivates or empowers you. I often read from A Course In Miracles before I sit still.
- Focus on your breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply 10 times.
- Enjoy a 3-minute walk outdoors.
- Listen to a song that you love, music that soothes you.
- Soak in a warm bubble bath for a few minutes.
- Send family and friends a funny joke or loving greeting. It’ll feel good when your family and friends start sending you back funny messages or messages that share how much they love and care for you.
- Drink a warm cup of tea, even a few sips could find you feeling less stressful.
- Write in a journal for 3 to 4 minutes, expressing your thoughts and feelings with honesty.
- Stand up and go to the bathroom – a tricky, amazing stress reducer.
- Play with your pet for two minutes.
- Do three minutes of chair yoga.
Love and Care for Yourself by Managing Stress
See how many other ways to de-stress you can come up with on your own. Spread these actions throughout your day and see if you don’t start to feel better.
Another thing you may find especially helpful is to pay attention to how you respond to stimuli. The world is busy, full of opportunities, activities, deadlines, projects and more. It’s up to you to learn how to respond to what you hear, see, perceive, and experience.
Respond in ways that are rooted in love instead of fear. See yourself succeeding and living a joyous, peaceful, balanced life. Should you start to feel stress building, try a de-stress activity. It’s a sweet way to love and care for yourself!
