Stress finds you wherever you go. This is why the relaxation exercises below can be used driving in traffic, before bed, and any other time you have 5 or 10 minutes to apply to calming down. Use your best judgement to fit each exercise into the appropriate situation. You can’t exactly do yoga and drive can you? That would be impressive. These exercises send a message to your body and brain that functions can slow down now.  It can take you out of the “Alarm” stage of stress into a more restful state. Here are some relaxation exercises to try when you’re feeling stressed or you know you are approaching a situation with potential stress. 

Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is a cognitive-behavioral technique in which a person is guided in imagining a relaxing scene by the use of pictures, sounds, smells, and other sensations. It helps a person learn to relax and go their “happy place” in their mind due to their practice. Guided imagery can be practiced at home or with a therapist. Typically your imagination will be guided to a place where you feel relaxed and safe. Here is a prime example of a guided imagery exercise in motion.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This is by far my favorite relaxation exercise. It can be practiced anywhere and it allows you to feel the difference between your muscles when they’re tense or relaxed. This is great to practice before bed when our minds are flooded the most with stressors. It helps your body melt into the bed!

1. Face. Focus attention on your face. Squeeze all of the muscles in your face, holding for 10 seconds. Then, slowly release the tension in your face while counting for 10 seconds. Notice the difference in how your muscles feel and the sensation of relaxation. Continue Breathe slowly and evenly throughout out this exercise.
2. Neck and Shoulders. Now, shift attention to your neck and shoulders. Raise your shoulders up towards your ears and hold for 10 seconds. Slowly release the tension as you count for 10 seconds.
3. Stomach. Tense your stomach muscle by leaning forward and squeezing for ten seconds. Slowly lean back and release the tension as you count for 10 seconds.j
4. Arms and Hands. Slowly draw both hands into fists. Hold your arms out straight and hold for 10 seconds squeezing your fists as tight as you can. Then, slowly release while you count for 10 seconds. Notice the feeling of relaxation.
5. Booty. Slowly increase tension in your booty by squeezing for 10 seconds. Then, slowly release the tension for 10 seconds. Continue to breathe slowly and evenly.
6. Legs and feet. Slowly, stick your legs straight out and point your feet upwards. Squeeze the muscles as hard as you can for 10 seconds. Then, gently release the tension for 10 seconds. Notice the tension melting away and the feeling of relaxation that is left.

Diaphramic Breathing 

Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing is a type of a breathing exercise that helps strengthen your diaphragm, an important muscle that helps you breathe. Find out how to breathe from your belly rather than your chest here.

Yoga

Yoga is another relaxation exercise that when done enough is ingrained in your memory and you can do the steps anywhere. Practicing the postures, breathing exercises and meditation makes you healthier mentally and physically. yogajournal.com provides “8 Yoga Poses for Stress Relief.” If you don’t have yoga blocks don’t worry about it. I don’t use them either and the poses are still effective. You can also check out yoga for stress relief in motion on youtube.com. I do most of my exercising along with videos on youtube.com because you get a ton of variety and it is free!

Mindful Meditation

This is the hottest relaxation technique in mental health right now. It is even recognized in school and corporate settings as a proven modality to beat stress, depression and even physical discomfort. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind’s attention to the present moment without focusing on the past or the future. I particularly like to practice being mindful (aka just focusing on the present moment) when my mind trying to focus on something that happened in the past that is out of my control or that hasn’t happened yet, therefore having no bearing on the present moment. You can be mindful anywhere and for as long as you can. Even five minutes helps.Don’t become discouraged if thoughts flood in while your practicing. Just take a deep breath, be patient with yourself, and keep refocusing on the present moment.

Wild Card

You know yourself best. Maybe the way you decompress is simply by reading a book, going for a walk, taking a bath or venting about it to a friend. Stick with what you do best to alleviate stress and use the strategies above for added support. If one relaxation technique doesn’t work for you, try another technique. If none of your efforts at reducing stress seems to work, you may need some outside more regular assistance to deal with your persistent stress. There you have it. At least one of these exercises can be your “go to” for stress relief when you just can’t seem to escape your worries. Enjoy! Feel free to post any relaxation exercises that work for you during periods of stress. 

Each generation carries  their own experiences and different frames of mind. Those conceived somewhere in the range of 1946 and 1964 are the guardians of the Millennial age.

People born after WW2 rebelled against ethical norms and following strict societal rules. Women’s liberation, looser sexual ethics and hostility towards war were some of those ways of rebellion. What mark will millennials leave in history?

The Millennial Generation, or those conceived from around 1980 to 2000, have a completely new set of stressors. We’ve also got war to worry about. Tensions between law enforcement and civilians has never been higher or more dangerous.

Millennial Stress

We are strapped for cash and not always set for success due to odds against us such as high cost of living and underemployment. We grew up with the reality that our country can be turned upside down, including our safety and smart phones have taken over our brains leaving us paralyzed zombies, sometimes neglecting important things we have to do.

This is just to name a few. What are millennials frames of mind and how does stress play into their lives?

Millennials Strengths

Millennials are very knowledgable, innovative, insightful, self-assured and go-getters, if I do say so myself!

They are also exceptionally reliant on each others success and not afraid to work together to achieve success. They have the advantage of utilizing web-based means of doing so as well as in person contact.

But what does having access to all of these ways of communicating mean for millennial stress levels? The latest research has found that Generation Millennial is truly Generation Stress. Across generations, Stress in America™ survey findings show Millennials  report an average stress level of 5.4 on a 10-point scale where 1 is “little or no stress” and 10 is “a great deal of stress.”

Millennials also added that stress keeps them wakeful during the evening and they feel a lot of uncertainty about their future.

As a result of rising stress levels, millennials experience the ill effects of stress and uneasiness. They will, in general, take this stress out on family and companions.

Their stress levels also place them at risk for medical problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

However, despite this unsettling news for Millennials, knowledge is power.

Knowing how to combat stress can help us become more productive and increase our ability to problem solve and think clearly. Here are some ways to manage stress.

1. Belly Breathe

Diaphragmatic breathing is a type of a breathing exercise that helps strengthen your diaphragm, an important muscle that helps you breathe. Diaphragmatic breathing is also sometimes called belly breathing. Most individuals inhale incorrectly (shallow, chest breaths) and this fundamentally impacts our stress and nervousness levels.

Figuring out how to midsection inhale (breathing into your lower body) activates your vagus nerve, helping you move out of the fight and flight frame of mind and into relaxation. Belly breathing, rather than breathing from your chest, sends signs to your mind that you’re protected and can deal with whatever the stressor.

The best part is belly breathing is something you can do anyplace, whenever. Utilizing belly breathing throughout periods of high stress enables you to quiet her brain and settle on better choices.

Stare down and ensure your belly is moving in and out to do a proper belly breath. Try breathing in for 4 counts and breathing out for 4 counts for 5 minutes total. Once your heart rate slows down enjoy the gift of clarity.

2.   Journal Your Thoughts.

When we feel stressed and restless, our mind is in overdrive It can feel ike our mind is and ca a mile a minute. It is difficult to focus and complete one task at a time. Journaling your thoughts begins activating your pre-frontal cortex (the CEO part of the cerebrum… discerning reasoning) and in doing this, this quiets the amygdala (passionate focus).

When we’re feeling on edge, the cerebrum interprets this as danger. Journaling truly helps process and realign our thoughts, helping you focus on what to do next to accomplish your goals, however big or small.

Don’t worry about writing intelligibly or proper use of grammar. Simply allow a free flow of thoughts and let your pen fly on the paper or your fingers on the keyboard. You may be surprised and what you write after allowing a free flow of ideas. You will undoubtably feel some relief freeing your thoughts from your mind.

3.   Lean On Each Other

I previously stated millennials are good at leaning on each other. The same goes for those who are stressed. Be sure to reach out to a friend and either take your mind off of your stress or talk it out to hear a different point of view. You can even join social media groups to specifically manage stress.

Your peers could offer some valuable insight as to how they manage their stress that you may find useful. Don’t be afraid to reach out yourself and ask others for opinions on how to handle what is currently stressing you. People who belong to these groups are a very thoughtful community who love to offer their opinion and share their success stories.

4. Take Control

Take control of your stress by chipping away at it. Write down a list of the mounting problems you feel you need to fix and tackle them one by one. Look at each stressful situation independently and determine what can be changed. Is the actual situation causing you stress impossible or are you overwhelmed and convincing yourself the problem cannot be solved?

A good way to manage stress is enhancing your people skills and conflict resolutions strategies. For example, lets say people in your life are mad at you lately for snapping at them too often. You could choose to say, “This is just the way I am,” or you can decide how you want to lessen this behavior. Consider a course of action and stick with it.

For instance, let’s say you decide I’m going to take a deep breath and walk away if I feel I may snap on someone when I’m stressed.

Be sure to let people know you are working on your anger and may walk away if you feel you cannot control it in the moment and you will come back when you have calmed down. The plan is out there and so now you are in a better position to follow through.

If your stress seems to be controlling you more than you are able to control it, you may want to seek out a therapist to guide you in the process.

By identifying the source of stress in your life and identifying healthy ways to deal with it, you can control your stress.

Find something that works for you and practice this everyday. By doing so, you will be on the road to a life of less stress.

What works for you?

The post How To Manage Stress And Give Millennials A Jump Start first appeared on Your guide to stress less.

The post How To Manage Stress And Give Millennials A Jump Start appeared first on Your guide to stress less.