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 When we lived in caves, going out and fighting off dinosaurs, or racing after those kicking screaming antelopes must have been a great stress reliever. The sheer terror of poking a tyrannosaurus with a pointy stick would have release most stress in anybody.
But since Mr. Tyrannosaurus and his friends mysteriously left us we've had to find other ways
to de-stress. Its not easy finding something that works. Everybody is unique. And what one finds great for de-stressing may be stress inducing in another.
The key is to find something you enjoy, that puts the source of the stress out of your mind and allows you to relax and focus on enjoying yourself. All de-stressing options will never cure the source of stress, so make sure you tackle that in parallel! But tackling stress can save great health benefits including reduced risk of heart attack, better sleeping, alleviating high blood pressure and a more patient and calm you.
When we stress we induce a reaction from our bodies akin to a mild adrenaline rush. Our heart speeds up, digestions slows or can stop and hormones flood our system making us ready for a fight or flight response. Handy when we had to face down Mr. Tyrannosaurus but do you really want an audit from the taxman to be responsible for your death? Is that the way you want to go down?
 Acupuncture
Practised in China for centuries, acupuncture is cantered on the belief that you can redirect energy flow around the body by inserting needles at key points. There is a huge inconclusive body of evidence on the merits or otherwise of acupuncture, but the consensus is that it may work for some.
Drinking
Not recommended by any health expert we know of. But as a short term relief its great. Great drunk and forget about your worries. Taking a longer term view, drinking to alienate stress is better known as Alcoholism. Seek help.
Chamomile Tea
One of the simplest ways to gently reduce stress levels. Chamomile is a relaxant and sedative. Its effects include calming of the digestive system and clams nervous irritability.
Friends
Friends are not just getting boozed up with. Friends can reduce our stress levels by making us laugh helping us to see that others may have the same types of problems we do. Talking about what stresses us is in itself a great stress reliever. Poking jokes at the source of the stress is even better.
Meditation / God
Not in the sense of appealing to them to get us out of the unholy mess we're in. But by praying and meditating, we focus our minds elsewhere rather than constantly reliving our stress inducing problems. This way also helps us to see the bigger picture of life, and to zone out from what may be a minor problem in the grand scale of things. Really, is that report due tomorrow at 10am going to change your life? Even if its 11 am when its submitted?
Hobbies reading, painting, movies, TV
When you're at work and racing around trying to accomplish 10 different tasks at once our minds often flash images of us curled up on the couch watching TV, or wrapped up in bed reading. Its our minds way of telling us how to relax and deal with the stress. That feeling of 'I wish I was at home watching Miami Vice' is not just an idle thought.We may actually be telling ourselves in plain sight how to deal with the stress! Music
Music is a mood changer. Stick on some of your favourite tracks for an immediate change of atmosphere. Some good banging tunes may also help you tackle the source of your stress.
Lazy about
We've forgotten what its like to do nothing. Remember mid-term in college when exams were far enough away that you didn't have to start studying? Where we had endless days of 2pm rises, aimlessly wandering about while partying hard into the night? Get that feeling back. Pack the wife and kids off to the beach for a day, take the phone off the hook and just bomb out and do nothing. Forget about cutting grass, fixing shelves, painting and visiting relatives on this, your day off. Revert to teen status and do nothing you don't feel like doing.
Massage
Massage has the power to relax, heal and help release emotions and tension. Even the act of booking some 'me time' where you get to ignore everything else can be stress busting. Sleep
Lack of sleep can make us more irritable and less able to cope with life stresses. Getting at least 7 hours a night is recommended.
Organise
Organizing what we need to do can be a great stress busting exercise. Stress is not caused by problems per se, but rather our inability to deal with those problems. Organizing what we must do gives us a handle on the situation and puts the power back in our hands.
Sex
Release endorphins and a feel good factor sex has been well documented as a source of stress relief. So if she's giving you the headache excuse complain loudly about stress and how it may actually cure her year long headache. 
Exercise
Exercise is a great stress reliever. Beating a punch bag to near death will alievate most stresses. The resulting fitter and healthier you will also be able to better cope with future stresses. |
