Meditation and mindfulness is something I have practiced my entire adult life and is a key factor to keeping my stress levels down and my mind clear. So start by just taking a few minutes a couple times a day to pay attention to your breathing — taking deep breaths breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, letting go of any negative thoughts or feelings — just noticing them and letting them go.

You can also take a mindful walk outside and breathe in your surroundings , listen to soothing music or a guided visualization. It is these little things, that create a huge difference in enjoying your success.

Take a mental health day, go on a weekend trip, catch a show, take a spa day, whatever you need to do to indulge in alone time often, do it. Making this change in your routine will do wonders to your well-being, but it needs to be scheduled just like you would schedule a meeting or a business trip.

Take time to make a list of all the things that are undone in your life. The things that wake you up at night or you catch yourself thinking about in the middle of the day, distracting you.

I literally go through my entire house and office quarterly and make a list room by room of undone stuff — I like to say these are the invisible monkeys on our backs, that over time create a level of stress that we unconsciously start to tolerate. Then I make that same list with the people and relationships that are incomplete or need attention in my life.

Once I have everything down on paper and out of my head, I can prioritize my list and in what order I am going to handle these stressors. The goal is to have an environment both mentally and physically that is clean, calm, and has space to support you. Accept things for what they are and being grateful for every piece of feedback, every amount of effort put in, every opportunity given, and even every opportunity missed.

And for the busy professional, having clear life goals means being productive with your precious time. Guided imagery can be done with a recording where you listen to someone walk you through a peaceful scene.

Or, once you know how to do it yourself, you can practice guided imagery on your own. Simply close your eyes for a minute and walk yourself through a peaceful scene. Think about all the sensory experiences you engage in and allow yourself to feel like you're really there.

After a few minutes, open your eyes and return to the present moment. Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management benefits.

There are many different forms of meditation to try—each one is unique and brings its own appeal. You might develop a mantra that you repeat in your mind as you take slow deep breaths.

Or, you might take a few minutes to practice mindfulness, which involves being in the moment. Simply pay attention to what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. When you're focused on the here-and-now, you won't be able to ruminate about something that already happened and you can't worry about something in the future.

Meditation and mindfulness take practice, but it can make a big difference in your overall stress level as it brings you back to the present. Progressive muscle relaxation involves relaxing all the muscles in your body, group by group.

To practice, you can start with a few deep breaths. Then, practice tightening and relaxing each muscle group, starting with your forehead and moving down to your toes.

With practice, you'll learn to recognize tension and tightness in your muscles and you'll be able to relax more easily. Each time you practice, however, you should experience a feeling of relaxation sweeping through your body.

Just focusing on your breath or changing the way you breathe can make a big difference to your overall stress level. Breathing techniques can calm your body and your brain in just a few minutes. The best news is that no one around you will know you're doing them.

So whether you're in a stressful meeting or you're sitting in a crowded theater, breathing exercises could be key to reducing your stress. While there are many different breathing exercises, like karate breathing , a few simple ones include:.

Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever that can work in minutes. Taking a walk allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and brings the benefits of exercise as well. So whether you just need to take a stroll around the office to get a break from a frustrating task or you decide to go for a long walk in the park after work, walking is a simple but effective way to rejuvenate your mind and body.

Physical touch can do a lot to relieve your stress. Hugging a loved one can be especially beneficial. When you hug someone, oxytocin also known as the "cuddle hormone" is released.

Oxytocin is associated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress. Oxytocin also causes a reduction in blood pressure. It reduces the stress hormone norepinephrine and can produce a sense of relaxation.

So don't be afraid to ask a loved one for a hug if you need it. It's good for both of you and it can be one of the simplest forms of stress relief available. Aromatherapy has real benefits for stress relief—it can help you to feel energized, more relaxed, or more present in the moment.

Emerging research suggests certain scents can alter brain wave activity and decrease stress hormones in the body. So whether you enjoy candles, diffusers, or body products, consider incorporating some aromatherapy into your day.

If you aren't into drawing or painting, consider coloring in a coloring book. Adult coloring books have risen in popularity, and for good reason—coloring can be a great stress reliever.

Research consistently shows that coloring can have a meditative effect. One study found that anxiety levels decline in people who were coloring complex geometric patterns, making it a perfect outlet for stress reduction.

What can you do to calm mental stress over the long term? Certain habits can promote resilience to stress and increase overall wellness. For example, those who exercise or meditate regularly tend to become less stressed in the face of a difficult challenge.

So it's important to create a lifestyle that will help you ward off stress and deal with challenges in a healthy way. A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress. Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress.

Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety. Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul.

Foods like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance. Some vitamins and supplements may have benefits for stress relief. What vitamins help with stress? A daily multivitamin may help address nutritional deficits and ensure you get the necessary vitamins and minerals to feel your best.

Other supplements that may help relieve stress include:. Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress. Yet, many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun. But building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best.

And when you feel better, you'll perform better, which means leisure time may make your work time more efficient. Whether you find joy in caring for a garden or you like making quilts, hobbies and leisure are key to living your best life.

The way you talk to yourself matters. Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and catastrophic predictions aren't helpful. If you're constantly thinking things like, "I don't have time for this," and "I can't stand this," you'll stress yourself out.

It's important to learn to talk to yourself in a more realistic, compassionate manner. When you call yourself names or doubt your ability to succeed, reply with a kinder inner dialogue. Positive self-talk can help you develop a healthier outlook.

And an optimistic and compassionate conversation can help you manage your emotions and take positive action. Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief. And while you're likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session, you're likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a consistent way.

Yoga offers a variety of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. To get started, you might take a class, enroll in an online program, or use an app to help you begin practicing.

Gratitude helps you recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether you're grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about all the good things you have in life.

Gratitude also reminds you of all of the resources you have to cope with stress, which can be quite empowering. Studies also show grateful people enjoy better mental health, lower stress, and a better quality of life. So whether you decide to make it a habit to identify what you're grateful for as you sit around the dinner table or you decide to write down three things you're grateful for in a gratitude journal every day, make gratitude a regular habit.

Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health. To finish things off, she does an Animal Flow , which includes movement patterns such as Beast, Crab, and Scorpion.

Ideally, she likes to do her workout outdoors in an open space. And the Animal Flow portion makes her feel calmer and gives her the proper headspace to reflect on things.

How you can try it: Try this minute total-body dumbbell HIIT routine , and then work on your own bear crawl with this HIIT-based lower-body and core workout. To help her destress, Andrea Speir , founder of Speir Pilates , turns to a minute Pilates reformer workout in her garage.

Using the Pilates reformer helps her stretch tight muscles and increase circulation while challenging her muscles to the point of fatigue. This leaves her body and mind refreshed and strong.

Trainer Rebekah Santiago turns to a full-body Pilates flow, using her bodyweight, ankle weights, resistance bands, or a combo of all three. Try this minute butt and core Pilates workout using just your bodyweight.

You can also focus on your breathing and challenge your muscles with any of these fun Pilates workout videos that take less than 25 minutes. How you can try it: Check out this total-body resistance band workout.

Nothing beats pounding pavement for Dogpound Los Angeles trainer Matt Tralli , who starts his day with a two- to four-mile run. After running, he will do a seven-minute abs routine , which consists of 14 different core exercises, 30 seconds each. How you can try it: Try this minute running workout which you can do on a treadmill or outdoors , and then finish off with a 5-minute ab routine.

How you can try it: Make your long runs feel easier with these training tips from the pros. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

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Eliminate all the factors that give rise to stress — Click the button below! There are a number of activities you can perform that will lower your stress levels. Our bodies were never meant to experience chronic stress. As a busy professional, it can be difficult to create a lifestyle that incorporates personal time for hobbies, meditation, or relaxation.

Click the button below to get mental health help. If you need help managing your stress or would like to talk with a counselor, please reach out to one of our trained professionals.

Our team of experts strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument. This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses 1, 2, 3 are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Book appointment. Sign In. RELATED: The United States of Stress. Like yoga, tai chi is a series of self-paced, flowing body movements and breathing techniques. Although the movements have their roots in martial arts, they are meant to calm the mind and condition the body — making tai chi an excellent choice for stress relief.

According to recent studies, this mind-body practice has many health benefits: Tai chi can help build bone density, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and even ease symptoms of conditions like heart failure , arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Another advantage is that once you learn the moves, you can practice them anywhere and at any time — making it an easy activity for people of all ages to incorporate into everyday life.

Pilates, a series of controlled movements and mat exercises named after their creator, Joseph Pilates, is designed to build your strength, flexibility, and endurance — all of which make practicing Pilates, an anaerobic as opposed to aerobic exercise, a great stress reliever. Pilates also tones your body, which in turn helps you look good and feel better, Plante says.

You can take classes at a Pilates studio or at a gym, or use DVDs and home equipment if you prefer to practice on your own. Another effective way to release energy, frustration, and tension is to learn and practice a martial art. There are many to choose from: Krav Maga, karate, judo, tae kwon do, and more.

In addition to keeping you active, martial arts have other benefits; they teach you self-discipline, and the self-defense techniques you learn can make you feel safer. Kickboxing is a powerful means of reducing stress. It involves controlled punching and kicking movements carried out with discipline.

Kickboxing regularly will help improve your balance, flexibility, and coordination. Breathe in slowly and deeply, pushing your stomach out so that your diaphragm is put to maximal use.

Repeat the entire sequence five to 10 times, concentrating on breathing deeply and slowly. Deep breathing is easy to learn. You can do it at any time, in any place.

You can use deep breathing to help dissipate stress as it occurs. Practice the routine in advance; then use it when you need it most. If you find it helpful, consider repeating the exercise four to six times a day — even on good days. Bodily exercise can help relax the mind, and mental maneuvers can, too.

Most often, that means talking out problems with a supportive listener, who can be a friend, a chaplain, or a trained counselor or psychotherapist. But you can also do it yourself, harnessing the power of your own mind to reduce stress.

Simply writing down your thoughts and feelings can be very beneficial, and formal meditation exercises have helped many people reduce stress and gain perspective.

Meditation is a prime example of the unity of mind and body. Mental stress can speed the heart and raise the blood pressure; meditation can actually reverse the physiological signs of stress.

Scientific studies of Indian yoga masters demonstrate that meditation can, in fact, slow the heart rate , lower the blood pressure, reduce the breathing rate, diminish the body's oxygen consumption, reduce blood adrenaline levels, and change skin temperature.

Although meditation is an ancient Eastern religious technique, you don't have to become a pilgrim or convert to put it to work for you. In fact, your best guide to meditation is not an Indian spiritualist but a Harvard physician, Dr.

Herbert Benson. Here's an outline of what Dr. Benson has termed as the relaxation response:. Select a time and place that will be free of distractions and interruption. A semi-darkened room is often best; it should be quiet and private. If possible, wait two hours after you eat before you meditate and empty your bladder before you get started.

Get comfortable. Find a body position that will allow your body to relax so that physical signals of discomfort will not intrude on your mental processes. Breathe slowly and deeply, allowing your mind to become aware of your rhythmic respirations.

Achieve a relaxed, passive mental attitude. Close your eyes to block out visual stimuli. Try to let your mind go blank, blocking out thoughts and worries.

Concentrate on a mental device. Most people use a mantra, a simple word or syllable that is repeated over and over again in a rhythmic, chant-like fashion. You can repeat your mantra silently or say it aloud. It's the act of repetition that counts, not the content of the phrase; even the word "one" will do nicely.

Some meditators prefer to stare at a fixed object instead of repeating a mantra. In either case, the goal is to focus your attention on a neutral object, thus blocking out ordinary thoughts and sensations. Meditation is the most demanding of the autoregulation techniques, but it's also the most beneficial and rewarding.

Once you've mastered meditation, you'll probably look forward to devoting 20 minutes to it once or twice a day.

Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles. By learning to relax your muscles, you will be able to use your body to dissipate stress. Muscle relaxation takes a bit longer to learn than deep breathing.

It also takes more time. But even if this form of relaxation takes a little effort, it can be a useful part of your stress control program. Here's how it works:. Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. You should be comfortably seated or stretched out on a firm mattress or mat.

Until you learn the routine, have a friend recite the directions or listen to them on a tape, which you can prerecord yourself. Progressive muscle relaxation focuses sequentially on the major muscle groups.

Tighten each muscle and maintain the contraction 20 seconds before slowly releasing it. As the muscle relaxes, concentrate on the release of tension and the sensation of relaxation.

Start with your facial muscles, then work down the body. The entire routine should take 12 to 15 minutes. Practice it twice daily, expecting to master the technique and experience some relief of stress in about two weeks.

Few things are more stressful than illness. Many forms of exercise reduce stress directly, and by preventing bodily illness, exercise has extra benefits for the mind.

Regular physical activity will lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, and reduce your blood sugar. Exercise cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis and fractures, obesity, depression, and even dementia memory loss.

Exercise slows the aging process, increases energy, and prolongs life. Except during illness, you should exercise nearly every day. That doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym or training for a marathon. But it does mean 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise such as walking or 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous exercise.

More is even better, but the first steps provide the most benefit. Aim to walk at least two miles a day, or do the equivalent amount of another activity.

You can do it all at once or in to minute chunks if that fits your schedule better. Add a little strength training and stretching two to three times a week, and you'll have an excellent, balanced program for health and stress reduction.

And if you need more help with stress, consider autoregulation exercises involving deep breathing or muscular relaxation. Remember, too, that mental exercises are the time-honored ways to cut stress see box.

Avoid overcommitting and learn to say no when necessary. Healthy Eating Habits A well-balanced diet can help stabilize your mood and energy levels. Opt for whole foods, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and reduce the consumption of processed or sugary foods.

Stay hydrated, as dehydration can exacerbate stress. Sleep Hygiene Aim for quality sleep by establishing a consistent sleep routine. Create a comfortable sleep environment, limit screen time before bed, and avoid caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime.

Practice Mindfulness and Meditation Mindfulness techniques and meditation can cultivate awareness and reduce stress. Allocate a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness or guided meditation. Sharing your feelings and concerns can provide emotional support and help you gain perspective on your situation.

Set Realistic Goals Set achievable goals and expectations for yourself. Unrealistic or perfectionist standards can lead to unnecessary stress. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps and celebrate your achievements along the way. Designate tech-free zones or times during the day to reduce information overload and promote relaxation.

By implementing these ten effective stress management techniques, you can regain a sense of balance and calm in your daily routine. Prioritizing self-care and seeking support when needed are key steps toward a happier, healthier, and more resilient you.

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NEW TO THERAPY? February 13, Self-esteem is a topic that comes up a lot in therapy, especially around dates that may trigger social comparison and loneliness. February 6, Our bodies are designed to respond to stress, but chronic and long-term stress can take its toll on physical and mental health.

January 30, For those trying to find a therapist, it is frustrating when you call around, only to find yourself put on a waitlist, with these often being 3-months or longer. January 23, If you are aware that some things need to change and are ready to do something about it but need some inspiration to get started, keep reading.

These profoundly simple ideas can make a huge difference! January 18, Did you know that in , CARE Counseling supported over 15, individuals and families and in therapists held , appointments? That is a lot of people helped!

Look around you and you will likely see places memorialized by Dr. As you see Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the calendar, take a moment to reflect on the significance of the 3rd Monday of January each year. Martin Luther King Jr.

is the only non-president who has a national holiday designated in his honor. January 9, If you have never created a vision board before, this is a fun and creative way to visualize what you want for yourself and help manifest your goals. This is normal. You may also experience feelings of heaviness in your limbs, muscle twitches, or yawning.

Again, these are normal responses. Listen to HelpGuide's guided imagery meditation. What you may not be aware of is that you can experience some of the same benefits at home or work by practicing self-massage, trading massages with a loved one, or using an adjustable bed with a built-in massage feature.

Try taking a few minutes to massage yourself at your desk between tasks, on the couch at the end of a hectic day, or in bed to help you unwind before sleep.

To enhance relaxation, you can use aromatic oil, scented lotion, or combine self-message with mindfulness or deep breathing techniques.

A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands or tapping with fingers or cupped palms. Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that falls easily within your reach.

For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head:. Mindfulness has become extremely popular in recent years, garnering headlines and endorsements from celebrities, business leaders, and psychologists alike. So, what is mindfulness?

Meditations that cultivate mindfulness have long been used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. Some of these practices bring you into the present by focusing your attention on a single repetitive action, such as your breathing or a few repeated words.

Other forms of mindfulness meditation encourage you to follow and then release internal thoughts or sensations. Mindfulness can also be applied to activities such as walking, exercising, or eating.

Using mindfulness to stay focused on the present might seem straightforward, but it takes practice to reap all the benefits.

But don't get disheartened. Using an app or audio download can also help focus your attention, especially when you're starting out. Listen to HelpGuide's mindful breathing meditation. The idea of exercising may not sound particularly soothing, but rhythmic exercise that gets you into a flow of repetitive movement can produce the relaxation response.

Examples include:. While simply engaging in rhythmic exercise will help you relieve stress , adding a mindfulness component can benefit you even more. As with meditation, mindful exercise requires being fully engaged in the present moment, paying attention to how your body feels right now, rather than your daily worries or concerns.

Instead of zoning out or staring at a TV as you exercise, focus on the sensations in your limbs and how your breathing complements your movement. And when your mind wanders to other thoughts, gently return your focus to your breathing and movement.

Yoga involves a series of both moving and stationary poses, combined with deep breathing. As well as reducing anxiety and stress, yoga can also improve flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. Since injuries can happen when yoga is practiced incorrectly, it's best to learn by attending group classes, hiring a private teacher, or at least following video instructions.

Once you've learned the basics, you can practice alone or with others, tailoring your practice as you see fit. Although almost all yoga classes end in a relaxation pose, classes that emphasize slow, steady movement, deep breathing, and gentle stretching are best for stress relief. Satyananda is a traditional form of yoga.

It features gentle poses, deep relaxation, and meditation, making it suitable for beginners as well as anyone aiming primarily for stress reduction. Hatha yoga is also a reasonably gentle way to relieve stress and is suitable for beginners.

Alternately, look for labels like gentle , for stress relief , or for beginners when selecting a yoga class. Power yoga , with its intense poses and focus on fitness, is better suited to those looking for stimulation as well as relaxation.

If you're unsure whether a specific yoga class is appropriate for stress relief, call the studio or ask the teacher. Tai chi is a self-paced series of slow, flowing body movements. By focusing your mind on the movements and your breathing, you keep your attention on the present, which clears the mind and leads to a relaxed state.

Tai chi is a safe, low-impact option for people of all ages and fitness levels, including older adults and those recovering from injuries. Try setting aside at least 10 to 20 minutes a day for your relaxation practice.

Set aside time in your daily schedule. If possible, schedule a set time once or twice a day for your practice. If your schedule is already packed, try meditating while commuting on the bus or train, taking a yoga or tai chi break at lunchtime, or practicing mindful walking while exercising your dog.

Make use of smartphone apps and other aids. Many people find that smartphone apps or audio downloads can be useful in guiding them through different relaxation practices, establishing a regular routine, and keeping track of progress. Expect ups and downs.

Sometimes it can take time and practice to start reaping the full rewards of relaxation techniques such as meditation. The more you stick with it, the sooner the results will come.

Just get started again and slowly build up to your old momentum. Using close relationships to manage stress and improve well-being. BetterHelp makes starting therapy easy.

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You can repeat your mantra silently or say it aloud. It's the act of repetition that counts, not the content of the phrase; even the word "one" will do nicely. Some meditators prefer to stare at a fixed object instead of repeating a mantra.

In either case, the goal is to focus your attention on a neutral object, thus blocking out ordinary thoughts and sensations. Meditation is the most demanding of the autoregulation techniques, but it's also the most beneficial and rewarding.

Once you've mastered meditation, you'll probably look forward to devoting 20 minutes to it once or twice a day. Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles. By learning to relax your muscles, you will be able to use your body to dissipate stress.

Muscle relaxation takes a bit longer to learn than deep breathing. It also takes more time. But even if this form of relaxation takes a little effort, it can be a useful part of your stress control program.

Here's how it works:. Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. You should be comfortably seated or stretched out on a firm mattress or mat. Until you learn the routine, have a friend recite the directions or listen to them on a tape, which you can prerecord yourself.

Progressive muscle relaxation focuses sequentially on the major muscle groups. Tighten each muscle and maintain the contraction 20 seconds before slowly releasing it.

As the muscle relaxes, concentrate on the release of tension and the sensation of relaxation. Start with your facial muscles, then work down the body. The entire routine should take 12 to 15 minutes. Practice it twice daily, expecting to master the technique and experience some relief of stress in about two weeks.

Few things are more stressful than illness. Many forms of exercise reduce stress directly, and by preventing bodily illness, exercise has extra benefits for the mind. Regular physical activity will lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, and reduce your blood sugar.

Exercise cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis and fractures, obesity, depression, and even dementia memory loss. Exercise slows the aging process, increases energy, and prolongs life.

Except during illness, you should exercise nearly every day. That doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym or training for a marathon. But it does mean 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise such as walking or 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous exercise.

More is even better, but the first steps provide the most benefit. Aim to walk at least two miles a day, or do the equivalent amount of another activity.

You can do it all at once or in to minute chunks if that fits your schedule better. Add a little strength training and stretching two to three times a week, and you'll have an excellent, balanced program for health and stress reduction.

And if you need more help with stress, consider autoregulation exercises involving deep breathing or muscular relaxation. Remember, too, that mental exercises are the time-honored ways to cut stress see box. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Beyond the usual suspects for healthy resolutions. July 7, How does exercise reduce stress? Surprising answers to this question and more.

How does exercise reduce stress, and can exercise really be relaxing? How exercise reduces stress Aerobic exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart. Autoregulation exercise and stress relief Regular physical activity keeps you healthy as it reduces stress.

Breathing exercise reduces stress Even without formal meditation and controlled breathing, the gentle muscle stretching of yoga can reduce stress. Here's how deep breathing exercises work: 1. Hold your breath briefly.

Exhale slowly, thinking "relax. Mental exercises reduce stress, too Bodily exercise can help relax the mind, and mental maneuvers can, too. Benson has termed as the relaxation response: 1. Progressive muscular relaxation Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles.

Here's how it works: Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. Forehead Wrinkle your forehead and arch your eyebrows. Hold; then relax.

Eyes Close your eyes tightly. Nose Wrinkle your nose and flare your nostrils. Tongue Push your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth. Face Grimace.

Jaws Clench your jaws tightly. Neck Tense your neck by pulling your chin down to your chest. Back Arch your back. Chest Breathe in as deeply as you can. Stomach Tense your stomach muscles.

Buttocks and thighs Tense your buttocks and thigh muscles. Arms Tense your biceps. Forearms and hands Tense your arms and clench your fists.

Calves Press your feet down. Ankles and feet Pull your toes up. Exercise, health, and stress Few things are more stressful than illness. Popular beliefs notwithstanding, exercise is relaxing. Image: © Rawpixel GettyImages.

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After all, your kids are in the backseat watching you. Team Sports One of the best ways to get a double dose of stress relief is by exercising with friends. Team sports give you an outlet for stress relief and social time. So grab some pals and hit the tennis court, soccer field, or basketball courts.

Outdoor activities Getting some fresh air while you sweat offers many benefits including an automatic mood boost. Feel your stress melt away as you go for a long walk, bike ride, cross country ski, or do a workout in the park.

Plus the change in scenery and fresh air will clear your mind, making you a pillar of peace. Even a five-minute stretch during those times can help relieve tension and relax your mind and body.

Focus on your body and how the stretches feel. Exercising, breathing deeply, and stretching regularly not only help reduce your stress in those moments, they can also help with future stressors. Sara M. is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and freelance writer living and working near Boston, MA.

As a former CrossFit gym owner and current fitness lover, Sara has a lot of personal and professional experience inside and outside the gym.

She loves to write about various topics related to health, wellness, nutrition, human behavior, and self-mastery. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hit enter to search or ESC to close. Fitness Knock Out Stress with these 5 Exercises for Busy Moms By Sara M January 21, September 1st, No Comments.

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