Relaxing Ways to Ease Stress

Feeling stressed out? Most Americans do.

A U.S. Public Health Survey estimated that 70 percent to 80 percent of Americans experience at least "some stress" every two weeks and visit a physician each year for a stress-related disorder. Job-related stress costs U.S. businesses $60 million annually.

Although stress levels seem high in our high-tech, high-pressured world, the concept of stress is nothing new. Researcher Walter Cannon recognized it as a problem seven decades ago when he suggested that humans react to stressful events with physical and psychological responses that prepare their bodies for either "fight or flight."

Medical and psychological research on stress has exploded throughout the years, spurred by the rapidly growing number of sufferers and the variety of symptoms they experience. Research now links stress with such chronic conditions, such as heart disease and depression. Stress also contributes to the development of alcoholism, obesity, suicide, drug addiction, cigarette addiction and other harmful behaviors.

Of course, researchers say not all stress is bad. Some of it, in fact, is good. A certain amount of stress enables executives to perform at their peak. The trick, of course, is managing or controlling stress to keep it within certain limits.

The long holiday period from November to December can hit people with a double whammy. After coping with family and social pressures and the usual excesses of the holiday, many return to work not feeling rested while facing a mountain of work.

If your stress meter is soaring, learn to relax. Exercise, just about any form, and naps can be good stress busters. Taking a vacation can also do wonders for the body and soul. However, if you're looking for some less expensive relaxation ideas, try some of these:

Get a massage

A good massage is not only relaxing, but it may also have some real healing benefits. Some research studies show that the kneeding and pressing of muscles reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation, relaxes muscles, reduces stress levels and increases endorphins, which affect pain perception.

Massage therapy consists of the use of hands (or sometimes forearms, elbows and feet) to manipulate the soft body tissues to return them to a normal, healthier state. It includes holding and/or applying pressure to the body. Therapeutic massages can be given practically anywhere, ranging from a 15-minute massage of the shoulders and back for someone sitting in a chair to an hour-long, head-to-toe massage on a padded massage table.

Consumers visit massage therapists 114 million times each year. In fact, many companies are inviting massage therapists into the office as an employee perk and a means of reducing stress and absenteeism.

"It would be difficult to find anything that has the wide range of benefits that massage does," says E. Houston LeBrun, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association. "It's a wonderful way to help your body deal with daily stresses."

Breathe in

You've heard of the expression, "take a breather"? Sometimes just five minutes of a little R&R (rest and relaxation) is enough to decompress. This little five-minute exercise was printed in Mademoiselle magazine:

1. Lie down in a dark, quiet room.
2. Take slow, deep breaths, consciously relaxing your feet, ankles and all the way up through your torso to your head and neck.
3. Imagine a place that's tranquil (Bermuda's nice); focus on that image for at least five minutes.

Say yes to yoga

Yoga is a system of exercises (called asanas) for attaining bodily or mental control and well-being. These exercises or postures, called asanas, can increase circulation, improve mobility and bring clarity of mind. There are different styles of yoga. Hatha yoga is probably the most well known in the United States. "Ha" means sun and "tha" means moon, so hatha yoga describes the practice used to balance your system.

In yoga, it is important to learn how to use the correct patterns of breathing to get the most out of your yoga session. The philosophy is that the breath, the mind and the body are so closely linked that whatever you do to one will affect the other. Correct breathing is practiced and observed before meditation and asanas. It's believed that correct breathing alone can relax your entire body, rid it of unwanted toxins and rid your mind of anger, stress, tension and worry.

There are thousands of yoga exercises. Consult a trained yoga teacher or seek medical advice from a doctor first before beginning a program.

Try Tai Chi

Tai Chi chuan (Tai Chi) is an ancient, widely practiced Chinese martial arts form. Like yoga, it is designed to enhance both physical and emotional well-being. Tai Chi consists of breathing exercises superimposed on a series of postures that flow into one another through connecting transition moves. These slow, graceful and precise body movements are said to improve body awareness and enhance strength and coordination while helping the practitioner achieve inner peace.

Tai Chi is a low-impact aerobic activity, so you can chill out and burn calories at the same time. Tai Chi expends an average of 254 calories per hour for a 140-pound adult and 354 calories per hour for a 195-pound adult.

Another advantage to Tai Chi is its low risk of injury. Tai Chi movements are not overly strenuous and are done very slowly. Tai Chi classes, books and instructional videotapes are relatively inexpensive. And once you learn how to do Tai Chi, all you need is about 10 square feet of empty space to practice at home, in a park or even on the beach.

A sniff of lavender

Just about everyone has felt the powerful nudge of "smell memory" whenever they inhale the aroma of a favorite food. Perhaps it's fresh baked cookies that evoke childhood memories of baking with Mom.

That is the way aromatherapy works. Aromatherapy, which relies on the use of essential volatile oils of flowers and fruits to cause biochemical effects, has been proven to have positive effects on the mood. As volatile essential oils are inhaled, they activate receptors in the olfactory bulb at the top of the nasal cavity. These, in turn, induce nerve impulses, which travel rapidly to the brain, where they trigger responses in areas involved in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, emotions, stress levels and sexual arousal. When it comes to stress, lavender is supposed to be particularly uplifting.

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.