Natural ways to handle stress

Stress is something everyone deals with at some point in life. There are people with chronic stress or better known as anxiety; then there is the occasional stress that might be caused by work, cramming for an exam or traumatic event. The question is, how do you deal with stress and is it the best method?

People use all types of methods to relieve stress or anxiety; medications, talking to friends or a counselor, meditating, or something I have wanted to try is a relaxing massage. Then there are some who may use more self-harming methods to alleviate their stress, a common one being cutting. Although the latter may seem extreme, and it is, to the person doing using this method it provides a tremendous relief.

Let’s talk more about the healthier ways to relieve the occasional or situational stress. One way to quickly relieve stress is using a method called, “Progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR.” This technique allows you to relax all of the muscles in your body, group by group. Starting with tightening up your toes for a few seconds, slowly moving up your body until you have done this to all the muscles in your body. Another quick method is breathing, taking in deep breaths through your nose and exhaling out the mouth. Three or four times filling the lungs with more air each time, it is often suggested to close ones eyes while doing this to help relax the body.

There are so many other ways one can do to reduce stress for long-term results, I would encourage you to give them a try. Not all will work the same for everyone, it is a start. Some of these I’ve found using Google™ are; yoga, exercise, journaling, eating healthier, listening to music and several others.

I didn’t talk about chronic stress/anxiety because that is a medical condition that should be dealt with by a doctor. I know people who suffer from this and despite trying non-medication techniques they still have high anxiety. But for those who have the occasional stress of life, these are great ways to help reduce it.

Until next time!

Joey McIntosh

“Sometimes, I just need my alone time. This world is so crazy and unpredictable. I just need some time to think, relax, and breath.”