26 Stress Management Tips

The following 26 stress management tips have been adapted from the book Rules of Relaxation. 

Avoid Unhealthy Coping

Coping with stress by using drugs, abusing alcohol, spending hours surfing the internet or sleeping for days can add more stress to your life instead of reducing it. Therefore avoid engaging in these unhealthy coping behaviors.

Breathe

Breathing is the simplest way to counter your body’s response to stress. Therefore take a deep breath until your abdomen rises, hold it for a few seconds and then exhale completely until your belly falls and you will displace stress from your body and replace it with relaxation.

Care for Something

Devoting your love and care to someone or something can help you feel much better since it focuses your mind on them. Therefore spending time each day caring for a person, a pet or a plant.

Dine Mindfully

Eat mindfully by focusing your mind on your food instead of thinking about your problems. Therefore, take in the taste, texture, and scent of each morsel of food you put in your mouth and your meal times will become a relaxing, pleasurable experiences.

Exercise

Schedule around 3 hours each week to exercise since it prevents stress-related diseases. The exercises which do this by slaying circulating stress hormones include swimming, spinning and all forms of aerobic exercises.

Find Friends

Talking is a very effective method of releasing stressful emotions. Therefore find friends who share your values and who make you feel safe and accepted so that you can spend quality time talking to them several times each week.

Gambol

Playing with a child can help you relax by enabling you to forget your problems. Therefore, gambol with a child and let the child within you be free from all the adult cares you are facing even if it is just for an hour.

Hide Clutter

Clutter contributes to feelings of being stressed. Therefore, hide clutter in cute storage containers so that you can give your home an organized, peaceful feel.

Inhale Relaxing Scents

Inhale scents which have been proven to be relaxing like lavender essential oil. To do this, simply sniff the healing aromas from the bottle or add a few drops to a cotton ball and carry it with you. However, for optimum results, it is best to consult an aromatherapist before using these aromatherapy oils.

Just Call On Jesus

Jesus is the best stress management therapist since you can talk to Him at any time of the day or night without paying. Therefore, say a prayer whenever you begin to feel stressed and ask Him to help you manage the stressors and you will find that praying is very effective catharsis.

Kit your Relaxation Toolbox

Buy scented bath salts, body oils, chocolates, Christian meditation MP3s, stress balls, and any other items that help you relax to kit your relaxation toolbox. Store it in a special place so that it is always ready to be used whenever you encounter stress emergencies.

Look for the Silver Lining

Every cloud supposedly has a silver lining and looking for the lining instead of whining about your stressful situation can make a major difference in how you manage it. Therefore search for the lessons in your stressful situation by asking yourself how you can transform it into a blessing. For example, if you are stressed because you have lost your job, identify one of the lessons as never relying on one source of income and start your own business even as you look for another job.

Meditate

Meditation has been proven to reduce stress and depression. Therefore, sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and focus your mind on stress-relieving Bible verses like “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) or “Be still and know I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If your mind wanders to your problems, gently bring it back to the relaxing Scriptures.

Nicely Relax Yourself

When you feel tension creeping up on you, relax by doing the following: Lie down in a quiet room and tighten the muscles of your right foot for a few seconds before relaxing them. Do the same for the muscles of your left foot and continue with all the major muscle groups as you work your way up your body until you finish with your face muscles.

Obey your Alarm Clock

Waking up at the right time gives you enough time to do all the activities of your day without rushing. Therefore wake up immediately your alarm clock rings.

Pace Yourself

Pace yourself by living in a manner that does not stress you. Furthermore, follow the adage “Live and let live’ by living within your physical, emotional, and financial means and letting the Jones live as they wish.

Quieten Yourself

Calm yourself before going to bed so that you can fall asleep easily. To do this you can develop a nightly routine that involves reading to your children, bathing and brushing your hair as you listen to soothing nature sounds before entering your bed.

Read

Reading is a great way of escaping a stressful reality. Therefore buy books and magazines of your favorite genre and spend at least 20 minutes each day reading them so that you can relax.

Sleep

Sleep is another simple relaxation technique which is often overlooked. Therefore schedule at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Prepare for your sleep sessions by ensuring that your bedroom is cool, comfy, and dark.

Take a Mental Vacation

Take a mental vacation by leaving your stressors behind. To do this, close your eyes and imagine yourself in your favorite vacation spot. See the sights, hear the sounds, feel the sensations, and even taste the food you are eating in your mental vacation.

Unplug

Unplugging your electronics can help you reduce the various types of stresses associated with these devices. Therefore declare a digital detox day and relax by connecting face to face with your family and friends.

Veto Coffee

Avoid drinking coffee since it can make your body release stress hormones. Therefore replace coffee with fresh fruit juices in the morning and with relaxing herbal teas in the evenings.

Waltz

Dancing is another wonderful relaxation technique since it results in the release of “feel good” hormones known as endorphins. Therefore waltz to your favorite tunes at least once a week and you will feel better and improve your health in other ways.

eXpress Yourself

Express yourself on paper by writing about everything that is stressing you since this is another form of catharsis. For optimum results, make it a habit and write each morning or evening.  

Yes, Repeat It

Engaging in activities with repetitive motions is known to help the body relax. Therefore bake, knit, sweep, sew or row your way to relaxation at least once a week.

Zone Off Into Movieland

Watching movies is relaxing since it forces you to focus your attention on something enjoyable. Therefore zone off by watching movies of your favorite genre and forget about your stressors for a few hours.

To learn all the 150 relaxation tips and techniques read Rules of Relaxation.