Ten Relaxation Techniques Ten Relaxation Techniques to Zap Stress Fastto Zap Stress Fast

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99thth Grade Advisory Grade Advisory

1. Meditate1. Meditate

• A few minutes of practice per A few minutes of practice per day can help ease anxiety. day can help ease anxiety. Research suggests that Research suggests that daily meditation may alter daily meditation may alter the brain’s neural pathways, the brain’s neural pathways, making you more resilient to making you more resilient to stress. stress.

• It's simple. Sit up straight with It's simple. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Close both feet on the floor. Close your eyes. Focus your your eyes. Focus your attention on reciting -- out loud attention on reciting -- out loud or silently -- a positive or silently -- a positive statement such as “I feel at statement such as “I feel at peace” or “I love myself.” peace” or “I love myself.” Place one hand on your belly Place one hand on your belly to sync the statement with to sync the statement with your breaths. Let any your breaths. Let any distracting thoughts float by distracting thoughts float by like clouds.like clouds.

2. Breathe Deeply2. Breathe Deeply

• Take a 5-minute break and Take a 5-minute break and focus on your breathing. Sit focus on your breathing. Sit up straight, eyes closed, up straight, eyes closed, with a hand on your belly. with a hand on your belly. Slowly inhale through your Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath nose, feeling the breath start in your abdomen and start in your abdomen and work its way to the top of work its way to the top of your head. Reverse the your head. Reverse the process as you exhale process as you exhale through your mouth.through your mouth.

• Deep breathing counters Deep breathing counters the effects of stress by the effects of stress by slowing the heart rate and slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure.lowering blood pressure.

3. Be Present3. Be Present

• Slow down.Slow down.• Take 5 minutes and focus Take 5 minutes and focus

on only on only oneone behavior with behavior with awareness. awareness.

• Notice how the air feels on Notice how the air feels on your face when you’re your face when you’re walking and how your feet walking and how your feet feel hitting the ground. feel hitting the ground. Enjoy the texture and taste Enjoy the texture and taste of each bite of food.of each bite of food.

• When you spend time in When you spend time in the moment and focus on the moment and focus on your senses, you should your senses, you should feel less tense.feel less tense.

4. Reach Out to Others4. Reach Out to Others

• Your social network is Your social network is one of your best tools one of your best tools for handling stress. for handling stress. Talk to others -- Talk to others -- preferably face to preferably face to face, or at least on the face, or at least on the phone. Share what's phone. Share what's going on. You can get going on. You can get a fresh perspective a fresh perspective while keeping your while keeping your connection strong.connection strong.

5. Tune in to Your Body5. Tune in to Your Body

• Mentally scan your body to Mentally scan your body to get a sense of how stress get a sense of how stress affects it each day. Lie on affects it each day. Lie on your back, or sit with your your back, or sit with your feet on the floor. Start at your feet on the floor. Start at your toes and work your way up to toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing how your your scalp, noticing how your body feels.body feels.

• Simply be aware of places Simply be aware of places where you feel tight or loose where you feel tight or loose without trying to change. For without trying to change. For 1 to 2 minutes, imagine each 1 to 2 minutes, imagine each deep breath flowing to that deep breath flowing to that body part. Repeat this body part. Repeat this process as you move your process as you move your focus up your body, paying focus up your body, paying close attention to sensations close attention to sensations you feel in each body part.you feel in each body part.

6. Decompress6. Decompress

• Place a warm heat wrap Place a warm heat wrap around your neck and around your neck and shoulders for 10 minutes. shoulders for 10 minutes. Close your eyes and relax Close your eyes and relax your face, neck, upper your face, neck, upper chest, and back muscles. chest, and back muscles. Remove the wrap, and use Remove the wrap, and use a tennis ball or foam roller a tennis ball or foam roller to massage away tension.to massage away tension.

• Place the ball between Place the ball between your back and the wall. your back and the wall. Lean into the ball, and hold Lean into the ball, and hold gentle pressure for up to gentle pressure for up to 15 seconds. Then move 15 seconds. Then move the ball to another spot, the ball to another spot, and apply pressure.and apply pressure.

7. Laugh Out Loud – lol ;)7. Laugh Out Loud – lol ;)

• A good belly laugh doesn’t A good belly laugh doesn’t just lighten the load just lighten the load mentally. It lowers cortisol, mentally. It lowers cortisol, your body’s stress your body’s stress hormone, and hormone, and boosts brain chemicals boosts brain chemicals called endorphins, which called endorphins, which help your mood. help your mood.

• Lighten up by tuning in to Lighten up by tuning in to your favorite sitcom or your favorite sitcom or video, reading the comics, video, reading the comics, or chatting with someone or chatting with someone who makes you smile.who makes you smile.

8. Crank Up Those Tunes!8. Crank Up Those Tunes!

• Research shows that Research shows that listening to soothing music listening to soothing music can lower blood pressure, can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. heart rate, and anxiety.

• Create a playlist of songs or Create a playlist of songs or nature sounds (the ocean, a nature sounds (the ocean, a bubbling brook, birds bubbling brook, birds chirping), and allow your chirping), and allow your mind to focus on the mind to focus on the different melodies, different melodies, instruments, or singers in instruments, or singers in the piece. the piece.

• You also can blow off steam You also can blow off steam by rocking out to more by rocking out to more upbeat tunes -- or singing upbeat tunes -- or singing at the top of your lungs!at the top of your lungs!

9. Get Moving9. Get Moving

• You don’t have to run in You don’t have to run in order to get a runner’s high. order to get a runner’s high. All forms of exercise, All forms of exercise, including yoga and walking, including yoga and walking, can ease depression and can ease depression and anxiety by helping anxiety by helping the brain release feel-good the brain release feel-good chemicals and by giving chemicals and by giving your body a chance to your body a chance to practice dealing with stress.practice dealing with stress.

• You can go for a quick walk You can go for a quick walk around the block, take the around the block, take the stairs up and down a few stairs up and down a few flights, or do some flights, or do some stretching exercises like stretching exercises like head rolls head rolls and shoulder shrugs.and shoulder shrugs.

10. Be Grateful10. Be Grateful

• Keep a gratitude journal or Keep a gratitude journal or several to help you remember several to help you remember all the things that are good in all the things that are good in your life.your life.

• Use these journals to Use these journals to remember good experiences remember good experiences like a birthday party, a like a birthday party, a sunshine-filled day, and good sunshine-filled day, and good health. Don’t forget to health. Don’t forget to celebrate accomplishments celebrate accomplishments like mastering a new skill at like mastering a new skill at school or a hobby like music school or a hobby like music or skating.or skating.

• When you start feeling When you start feeling stressed, spend a few minutes stressed, spend a few minutes looking through your notes to looking through your notes to remind yourself what really remind yourself what really matters.matters.

Source:Source:

• Jeannette MoningerJeannette MoningerWebMD FeatureWebMD Feature

• Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MDReviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD