Quick stress reducers

If I got a penny for how many times I was told, “If you would just relax you would feel better” I wouldn’t need to work for a year.  Yes I would love to relax, tell me how….

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/19/quick-stress-relief_n_5836426.html

Huffington Post shared an interesting article:

13 Ways To Beat Stress In 15 Minutes Or Less

Wake up earlier……well in my opinion if I could go to sleep this would be a piece of cake.  However, insomnia is part of PTSD.  I did learn that an extra 15 to 20 minutes in the morning gives me a ‘cushion time’ to adjust to being up.  I would put this one as somewhat helpful.

Create a soothing space.……..first I need to acknowledge that my space is mine to change.  This can be tough to recognize.  Learning what you believe is soothing takes time.  What may be soothing to one person is often jarring to someone else.  Believing you have control over your space is a huge step.  I think is very helpful if I can wrap my mind the possibility of changing my space.  This is a work in progress.

Clean out your junk drawers.……….my chuckle has an edge of hysteria to it.  I stash stuff in drunk drawers in the first place because I don’t know what to do with the junk.  This one is an epic fail for me.  However, I do know people that find cleaning out their junk drawers soothing as the organize.  Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.

Visualize your stressful thoughts.……visualization is used in a variety of ways.  I believe I could write several posts on this one subject.  One of my favorite visualizations is a “Trouble Tree.” http://www.inspirationpeak.com/cgi-bin/stories.cgi?record=113

Watch cat videos.……humor is a huge stress reliever…I read an entire book, Norman Cousins Anatomy of an Illness.  I still remember parts of this after reading it years ago.   http://playpen.icomtek.csir.co.za/~acdc/education/Dr_Anvind_Gupa/Learners_Library_7_March_2007/Resources/books/Anatomy.pdf 

Sing your heart out.…..music therapy works.  I was first introduced to this at the university where I worked.  There is a bachelors degree in music therapy.  I still like humming tunes when I work on computers.

Start a scrapbook.…..Yahoo scrapbook enthusiast documentation that this is therapeutic.  I use photography.  I suspect any creative endeavor has similar benefits.

Pick up a physical hobby.……yea the article agrees that not everyone is into scrapbooking so something that has tactile and hands on hobby will do…..HO trains, dollhouse construction, crocheting, needlepoint, any hobby that requires personal involvement…..brainwashed by TV does not count in my opinion.

Clench your muscles (then release)…….I first learned this in yoga.  This is right at the top of my list of quick mini relaxation.  Stretching and twisting also help out.

Take deep breaths.……….Feeling blue, breathe.  Really it works.  This is right up there with the clench muscle one that settles the body.  Yoga is great at teaching deep breathing, cleansing breath and other breathing techniques to relax my body.

Write mental thank you notes.……….another awesome post I could write on the emotional benefits of gratitude.  Take it a step further and actually write thank you notes to someone that made a difference in your life.

Feel your pressure points.…….Reflexology and massage are both excellent for the body.  Get to know your own pressure points and which ones relieve the most tension for you.  Information on pressure points is easy to look up these days.  Further down this road, I have friend that love acupuncture and felt benefits from this method of tension relief.

Smell the roses.………actually get your nose in a rose.  Ever heard of aromatherapy? Cool stuff.  I’ve used this for years. I keep several different essential oils on hand all the time.  They do help.
There you have a starting point for beating stress.  Most of these take very little time to do with big benefits.

Someday computers will add scratch and sniff.