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8 ways to relieve stress
1. Breathe deeply for 5 minutes.
 When feeling overwhelmed, telling yourself to
relax is only adding fuel to the fire. Instead,
take five and breathe. A daily practice of slow,
rhythmic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve-a
nerve that extends from your brain stem to your
diaphragm. When stimulated by deep
breathing-like that used in yoga or tai chi, the
vagus nerve decreases your heart rate and
pacifies organs i.e. your churning stomach.
Try this breathing exercise: Breathe through
your nose. Inhale to a count of 4. Hold your
breath for 2 seconds. Exhale to a count of 4.
2. Go to bed a ½ hr earlier.
Feeling cranky? You need a nap. And if you don’t
have time for a nap, try going to bed a ½ hour
earlier. More sleep means more patience, less
stress and increased learning, reaction time and
efficiency. Tired people are more likely to be
cranky, aggressive and to experience burnout.
3. Hang out with friends. Choose one person to
connect with from the past
“Friends are the essence of a long life,” says
Kathleen Hall PhD, author of A Life in Balance.
“We get endorphins and serotonin just by talking
to a friend, but be in her physical presence and
your brain produces the feel good hormone
ocytocin, which is very good for the body.”
Strong social networks also reduce stress,
promote longevity, improve sleep and prevent
depression. There is probably at least one
person in your life you need to talk to. You
know you need to talk to this person because the
guilt of NOT talking to them is nibbling at your
conscience. I can think of at least 3 people
right now: my best friend from childhood, a
former college roommate and a work friend who
quit months ago that I promised I’d call. So
choose one person you haven’t talked to in
weeks, months or years and give them a call or
write them a letter.
4, Try meditation. You know you wanna. You
know you wanna. You know you wanna.
Meditation creates instant calm by lowering
blood pressure and decreasing heart rate. Even a
minute of meditation will help.
“Your brain only know what you tell it, so as
soon as you feel stress, repeat a mantra (You
know you wanna. You know you wanna.), or
visualize a place where you feel loved and
calm,” says Hall.
Tips to getting started:
1. Start slowly. A minute a day. You can do it
at your desk at work, in a parked car, on the
toilet-wherever you can get some peace and
quiet. Try to work your way up to 20 minutes in
a day over time. Add on a minute every week-or
whatever you feel comfortable with.
2. Find a quiet place without distraction.
3. Take long slow breaths. Match your inhale
count to your exhale count. 1, 2, 3, 4 on the
inhale. 1, 2, 3, 4 on the exhale. Once you are
breathing rhythmically, begin to count your
breath on the exhale.
4. Accept the fact that your mind will wander.
That’s just what it does. Gradually with
practice you will be able to focus longer and
longer on your count. I think the first few
times I could only count to 3 breaths before my
mind proceeded to wander.
5. Banish crap food.
Wait! Don’t leave. Hear me out. I am suggesting
that you gradually banish junk food. Slowly
decrease your intake of junk food to 5% or less
of your diet, and plan your splurges. The sugar
and trans fatty acids found in processed foods
like cookies and crackers actually reduce
circulation and raise blood pressure. The best
way to curb desire for crap food is to eat 3
high fiber, low sugar meals a day. On a full
stomach, you’re much less likely to grab a candy
bar or cruise through McDonalds drive-thru for a
snack off the 99 cent menu.
6. Banish Caffeine and Alcohol
 Caffeine boosts the production of adrenalin-a
stress hormone. “With caffeine, you’re basically
putting a stimulant that makes people feel
jittery and wired into a body that’s already
tending toward feeling jittery and wired,” says
Victoria Maizes, MD, executive director of the
Program in Integrative Medicine at the
University of Arizona. Caffeine also interferes
for sleep. So if you must have it, have it prior
to noon and with a full meal.
Like caffeine, alcohol also interferes with
sleep by upsetting metabolism and blood sugar
levels. And sleep (see number 2) is an
important, if not the most important way to
reduce stress.
7. Walk-but don’t overdo it.
Devote at least 15 minutes to a nice, leisurely
stroll and try to walk somewhere quiet and calm,
like a park or a lake. Even moderate exercise
releases endorphins and regulates blood sugar,
but try to take it easy—the purpose is to relax
and unwind not beat a personal mile marker.
8. Use Lavender:
Research suggests lavender may improve sleep
quality, ease mild depression, soothe jitters
and promote relaxation by slowing nervous system
activity. A massage with lavender oils may
result in better sleep, more stable mood and
reduced anxiety. In fact, the ever calm,
collected Germans put lavender in tea to treat
insomnia, restlessness, and nervous stomach
irritations.
Blackwood, Alisa. “Food and Stress.” p.64-69.
Body and Soul. Jan2008.
Arnold, Katie. “Quell Stress.” p26-32. Delicious
Living. Annual Guide 07. “Quell Stress.”
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