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Effective Stress Relief

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Verywell / Joshua Seong https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-to-reduce-stress-3145195

From minor challenges to major crises, stress is part of life. And while you can’t always control your circumstances, you can control how you respond to them.

When stress becomes overwhelming, or it’s chronic, it can take a toll on your well-being. That’s why it’s important to have effective stress relieversthat can calm your mind and your body.

Highly Effective Tips for Relieving Stress

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to stress relief, however. What works for one person might not work for another.

And what works for you at home might not be an option when you’re at work or in the community (dancing around your living room might be helpful but dancing in the grocery store might not be). 

So it’s important to have a variety of stress relief tools at your disposal. Then, you’ll be able to pick a strategy that works best for your current circumstances. 

Short-Term Stress-Relief Strategies You Can Do Anywhere 

Whether you’re about to be interviewed for a job or you’re feeling overwhelmed by your child’s behavior at the playground, it’s important to have some stress reduction tools that can lower your stress right now.

The best short-term strategies:

  • Can be performed anywhere
  • Take very little practice to master
  • Are free
  • Provide immediate relief

Try Guided Imagery 

Guided imagery is like taking a short vacation in your mind.1 It can involve imaging yourself being in your “happy place”—maybe picturing yourself sitting on a beach, listening to the waves, smelling the ocean, and feeling the warm sand underneath you.

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’d engage in and allow yourself to feel as though you’re really there. After a few minutes, open your eyes and return to the present moment.

Meditate 

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.2

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.

Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation 

Progressive muscle relaxation involves relaxing all the muscles in your body, group by group.3 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. 

Focus on Breathing 

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.4

The best news is, no one around you will even 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.5 

While there are many different breathing exercises, like karate breathing, a few simple ones include:

  1. Breathe in through your nose and watch your belly fill with air. Count slowly to three as you inhale. Hold for one second and then slowly breathe out through your nose as you count to three again.
  2. Breathe in through your nose and imagine that you’re inhaling peaceful, calm air. Imagine that air spreading throughout your body. As you exhale, imagine that you’re breathing out stress and tension. 

Take a Walk 

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.6

Fast-Acting Stress-Relief Strategies That Work Well at Home 

In the privacy of your own home, there are many stress relief strategies that can help you relax fast. So whether you’ve had a tough day at work or you’re stressed about how much you have to do, these strategies can give you some immediate relief from your stress.

Get a Hug From a Loved One 

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.7 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.

Enjoy Aromatherapy 

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.8

So whether you enjoy candles, diffusers, or body products, consider incorporating some aromatherapy into your day. 

Create Artwork 

Getting in touch with your creative side may have been easy for you during childhood, but if you’ve lost touch with your penchant for artwork, it’s not too late to pick it up again.

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.9

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.

Long-Term Stress-Relief Strategies for Lasting Health 

Certain habits can promote resilience to stress, as well as increase overall wellness. For example, those who exercise or meditate regularly tend to become less stressed in the face of a difficult challenge.10

So it’s important to create a lifestyle that will help you ward off stress and deal with challenges in a healthy way. 

Eat a Balanced Diet 

A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress.11 Emotional eatingand 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. 

Make Time for Leisure Activities 

Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress.12 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.

Develop a Positive Self-Talk Habit 

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. 

Practice Yoga 

Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief.13

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.

Express Gratitude 

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. 

Prioritize Exercise 

Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health.14 And the best news is, there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your stress.

Join a gym, take a class, or exercise outside. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to get more physical activity in your day too.

Walking, strength training, kayaking, hiking, and spin class are just a few different examples of ways you can get stress relief.

Strategies That Engage in Problem-Focused Coping 

Most stress relievers focus on changing your emotions. But sometimes, you won’t necessarily get relief until you change the environment. 

This is referred to as problem-focused coping (as opposed to emotion-focused coping). Problem-focused coping involves taking steps to remove the stressor from your life (as opposed to changing how you feel about the stressor).

Reassess Your To-Do Lists 

If you’re trying to squeeze 20 hours worth of work into 16 hours, you’re going to feel stressed. Reducing your workload could be key to helping you get through the day feeling better.

Whether that means stepping away from a committee you joined or it involves hiring someone to complete some of your household chores for you, 

Honing your time management skills can allow you to minimize the stressors that you experience, and better manage the ones you can’t avoid.

When you are able to complete everything on your “to do” list without the stress of rushing or forgetting, your whole life feels easier.

Obtain Social Support 

Having supportive people in your life is the key to stress management. If you lack emotional support and friendship, it’s important to get it.

That may mean reaching out to your existing network. Perhaps confiding in a family member or distant friend can help you become closer and it may give you the social support you need.

You may also need to expand your network. Join an organization, attend a support group, or get professional help if you lack supportive people in your life. 

Cut out Things That Add to Your Stress 

Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life. Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more peace. 

Watching the news, being constantly connected to your digital devices, drinking alcohol, and consuming too much caffeine are just a few of the things that may add more stress to your life. Making some changes to your daily habits could be instrumental in helping you feel better.

A Word From Verywell 

Finding the best stress relief strategies may take some experimenting. Some strategies may take practice too.

But it’s important to keep looking for the tools that will help you manage life’s inevitable ups and downs in a healthy way. Keeping stress at a manageable level is important for your overall well-being.5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your LifeWas this page helpful?Article Sources


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Stress Relief!

HOW TO FEEL GOOD IN TEN MINUTES

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Helpful Website for Parents

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Sharing evidence-based strategies to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

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I help children and their families develop deeper, more positive relationships at home and at school. I do this by teaching complex education, psychology, and behavior principles in simple step-by-step ways. I help fellow parents (and teachers and caregivers) create happy, well-rounded relationships.

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Free Online Resources:

Here are two FREE online resources to support people’s emotional wellbeing during this time.

  • Headspace, https://www.headspace.com/mi, offers guided meditations, sleeping tools, and short exercises. 
  • Michigan Virtual launched Michigan Cares, https://michiganvirtual.org/sel/michigan-cares/, which provides lots of virtual lessons aimed at teaching social/emotional skills. You can make an account for free. I’ll likely be sending some of these out in the coming weeks.

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Helping Students Understand Coronavirus!

UseVisualStrategies.com

Autism and Coronavirus: Helping Students Understand

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What’s important about Autism and Coronavirus?

Why do we need to tell students with autism about the Coronavirus? Because most students with autism already know about it. It doesn’t matter if they are young or older. They may have a lot of language or demonstrate limited communication skills. But in some way they probably know something is different. That’s how it works.

Our students will notice something strange like a person wearing a face mask. They will pick up fragments of information from TV or people talking. Perhaps they sense your anxiety. Or they may even see pictures of people wearing hazmat suits.

It all creates anxiety. And student anxiety will rise when schools close and the student’s daily schedules and routines change unexpectedly. And that is exactly what may be happening.

Several states have already announced closing schools for several weeks. Probably more will follow.

How do you help?
Parents and teachers need to give information to their students. But here is what’s important to understand. Just telling them is not enough. This is a really important time to make it visual.

Create a conversation book
Creating written conversations is really one of my favorite visual techniques. I’ll describe the procedure here. Of course, you’ll modify it as needed for your child or your student, depending on age and level of understanding. But here it is.

Get a folder or binder or notebook
1. Label it. 
I think books need names.  You can call it The Coronavirus Book. Or call it “Emily’s Book.” Or you or your student may come up with something more creative.  That’s OK. Just give it a name.

2. Have a conversation with the student about the coronavirus. 
But here’s what is important.  Write down whatever you talk about.

  • Ask the student with autism what he/she already knows about the coronavirus. Write it down.
  • Explain the situation in a clear but simple way. Write it down.
  • You might also explain that what you hear on TV can be very confusing. But write it down.
  • Ask him what questions he has.  Write down the answers.
  • Tell her what questions you have. Write the answers.

You can ask things like:

  • What are you worried about?
  • Does something make you afraid?
  • What do you need to do to be safe?
  • Why do you need to wash your hands?

Be sure to affirm to students that they are safe. Parents and teachers will help them.

Remember this
Don’t get hung up on the writing part.  You can write it.  The student can write it. Type it on the computer. It doesn’t matter. Remember, this is not a lesson in handwriting. It’s a communication activity.

Add some pictures
Find them on the internet. Draw them. Take photos. Cut them out of a magazine. Use a computer picture program if you have one. They don’t all need to be the same style. But the pictures will add context. They will help the student remember the conversation. And they will add some entertainment to the activity.

Here’s a really important part
Sometimes people try to write all of the information in one big conversation or one big story. I prefer to do it in a different way. 

I like to cover the information in several smaller conversations on different but related topics. Write each one as a separate page or “chapter” in your book. For example, separate topics can include:

Why do I need to wash my hands.
What is a virus
Why do people wear masks.

Make sure it’s personalized
What kinds of topics do you need to have conversations about? Make sure you are including topics that are very important to this individual.

  • What surprised me?
  • Why Disneyland is closed.
  • Why I can’t watch March Madness on TV.
  • Why Louie is not going to work.
  • Why they didn’t have any toilet paper at the grocery store.
  • Why we won’t go on vacation during spring break.
  • When will I go back to school?
  • What is a virus and how does it work?
  • What does a virus look like?

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