DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Medical Students Anonymous
HTML https://medicalstudentsanonymous.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Resources For Stress Management
*****************************************************
#Post#: 2--------------------------------------------------
10 Tips for Quick and Dirty Stress Reduction
DIR By: Nicholas Wesely
Date: July 18, 2017, 6:41 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
1. Meditate
A few minutes of practice per day can help ease anxiety.
“Research suggests that daily meditation may alter the brain’s
neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress,” says
psychologist Robbie Maller Hartman, PhD, a Chicago health and
wellness coach.
It's simple. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Close
your eyes. Focus your attention on reciting -- out loud or
silently -- a positive mantra such as “I feel at peace” or “I
love myself.” Place one hand on your belly to sync the mantra
with your breaths. Let any distracting thoughts float by like
clouds.
2. Breathe Deeply
Take a 5-minute break and focus on your breathing. Sit up
straight, eyes closed, with a hand on your belly. Slowly inhale
through your nose, feeling the breath start in your abdomen and
work its way to the top of your head. Reverse the process as you
exhale through your mouth.
3. Be Present
Slow down.
“Take 5 minutes and focus on only one behavior with awareness,”
Tutin says. Notice how the air feels on your face when you’re
walking and how your feet feel hitting the ground. Enjoy the
texture and taste of each bite of food.
When you spend time in the moment and focus on your senses, you
should feel less tense.
4. Reach Out
Your social network is one of your best tools for handling
stress. Talk to others -- preferably face to face, or at least
on the phone. Share what's going on. You can get a fresh
perspective while keeping your connection strong.
5. Tune In to Your Body
Mentally scan your body to get a sense of how stress affects it
each day. Lie on your back, or sit with your feet on the floor.
Start at your toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing
how your body feels.
“Simply be aware of places you feel tight or loose without
trying to change anything,” Tutin says. For 1 to 2 minutes,
imagine each deep breath flowing to that body part. Repeat this
process as you move your focus up your body, paying close
attention to sensations you feel in each body part.
6. Decompress
Place a warm heat wrap around your neck and shoulders for 10
minutes. Close your eyes and relax your face, neck, upper chest,
and back muscles. Remove the wrap, and use a tennis ball or foam
roller to massage away tension.
“Place the ball between your back and the wall. Lean into the
ball, and hold gentle pressure for up to 15 seconds. Then move
the ball to another spot, and apply pressure,” says Cathy
Benninger, a nurse practitioner and assistant professor at The
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
7. Laugh Out Loud
A good belly laugh doesn’t just lighten the load mentally. It
lowers cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, and boosts brain
chemicals called endorphins, which help your mood. Lighten up by
tuning in to your favorite sitcom or video, reading the comics,
or chatting with someone who makes you smile.
8. Crank Up the Tunes
Research shows that listening to soothing music can lower blood
pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. “Create a playlist of songs
or nature sounds (the ocean, a bubbling brook, birds chirping),
and allow your mind to focus on the different melodies,
instruments, or singers in the piece,” Benninger says. You also
can blow off steam by rocking out to more upbeat tunes -- or
singing at the top of your lungs!
9. Get Moving
You don’t have to run in order to get a runner’s high. All forms
of exercise, including yoga and walking, can ease depression and
anxiety by helping the brain release feel-good chemicals and by
giving your body a chance to practice dealing with stress. You
can go for a quick walk around the block, take the stairs up and
down a few flights, or do some stretching exercises like head
rolls and shoulder shrugs.
10. Be Grateful
Keep a gratitude journal or several (one by your bed, one in
your purse, and one at work) to help you remember all the things
that are good in your life.
*****************************************************
Page 1 of 1