How To Reduce Your Stress
- December 11, 2007
- 18,301 Views
Writer
Katie Libby
Voice-Over Artist
Liv Rooth
Music
Edison Music Corp
Take a scientific approach to soothing your frazzled nerves with these proven methods.
You Will Need
- Athletic sneakers
- Meditation tape or book
- Comfortable bed
- Good instructional book
- Soft music
- Professional masseuse (optional)
Step 1: Start exercising
Start exercising. Pick an activity you like, such as swimming, dancing, or riding a bike.
Step 2: Meditate
Learn to meditate. Consult a book or CD for techniques on meditation and relaxation, or check your local yellow pages for a class near you.
In one study, more than half the people who meditated two and a half hours a week for eight weeks reported a whopping 54% reduction in stress.
Step 3: Get sleep
Get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. The National Sleep Foundation says that anything less could negatively affect both decision-making and interactions with others, leading to anxiety.
Step 4: Go to bed early
Go to bed 30 minutes to an hour before your normal bedtime and do something relaxing like read a book or listen to soft music
Get a professional massage a few times a month. It’s pricey, but people who get regular massages have lower levels of anxiety and fewer headaches.
Step 5: Reduce caffeine
Reduce your caffeine intake, which can make you jittery all day. Instead of coffee, try herbal tea.
Reduce your caffeine intake gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms like headaches.
Step 6: Book vacation
Book a vacation. Research shows that frequent vacationers are eight times less likely to die of a heart attack than those who rarely go on holiday.
Step 7: Consider root of stress
Consider whether your stress has a root problem that should be dealt with. Maybe you need to cut back on your activities for a while, or stick up for yourself more, or try therapy to see if there’s something in particular that’s stressing you out.
The American Institute of Stress estimates that stress costs U.S. businesses $300 billion a year in absenteeism, burnout, and mental health problems.
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Comments (5)
people who get regular massages have lower stress because they have nothing more pressing to do, not because they overpay for a back rub.
over 4 years ago by padma
That's actually a very good point. It's like ";wealthier people tend to be smarter"; perhaps means ";wealthier people can afford to grow up in an environment and situations that make them smarter.";
over 4 years ago by norgon
AWESOME! The acting was amazing and the information priceless! I will watch over and over again!
over 3 years ago by slp3455
Hmm... sticking up for yourself can induce even more stress. I've been facing corporate hostility from a workplace which prides itself in fair-treatment/equality policies, because after months of bullying &; harassment I dared to raise a grievance case against my manager. Lot's of stress-inducing retaliation and closing of ranks was the backlash.
So I'm not so sure about the 'standing up for yourself' advice. Sounds good tho ;-)
over 2 years ago by karenf6968
I read your whole article and I loved your article. Yoga today is very important in people’s life. There is work load and stress at work place so for reducing this stress yoga has become necessary. It keeps the people fit and fine away from all the health problems. And I have some good yoga tips at http://www.jiyohealthy.com/category/stress/
over 2 years ago by Niyati_Shah
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