When you’re busy, stress is inevitable. Unfortunately, being busy also means that you don’t have the time to do much to manage your stress.
Fortunately, there are several fast, effective stress management tricks that you can use when you’re busy. These tricks can see you through until you can take the time for some proper rest and relaxation.
The High-Tension Relaxation Technique
Your body has a lot of influence on your mind, and you can use this to make your mind quickly relax and lower your stress levels. Funny as it may seem, the way to do this is by tensing every muscle in your body at once. Keep them tense for about 30 seconds and then suddenly relax them all at once. The instant relaxation of your body will be echoed by your mind. The effect can be as profound as spending several minutes in deep meditation.
Color
Yes, you read that right. Take it back to childhood – grab a coloring book and your favorite gel pens, crayons, colored pencils or markers and have at it. It’s amazing what a soothing activity this can be and you may find yourself lost for hours.
Psychologists agree, coloring can help relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. This actually replicates the same state as meditating – by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind. Coloring can help the brain into a state of mindfulness and quietness.
Want to try it out now? We made this free adult coloring pages printable with our fun loving readers in mind – Sassy Quotes on Mandalas Adult Coloring Book. Just download, print and start relaxing (and maybe get in a laugh or two).
Boost Your Brain with Deep Breathing
Just as your muscles need oxygen to work, so does your brain. Stress happens when your brain is overworked, so one way to help your brain quickly deal with stress is to make it capable of dealing with more. When you’re feeling stressed out, take several deep, moderately quick breaths. This deep breathing gets your brain the oxygen it needs to cope.
Exercise in Place
Wherever you are when stress comes upon you, stop for a moment and do a little exercise. Even if you’re at the office, there’s always something you can do. Try some squats, jumping jacks, or dynamic tension exercises. The adrenaline that exercise brings out will charge you up and make you more able to handle stress, and the deep breathing that exercise causes will also help. Try these exercises to target that annoying bra bulge!
Change What You’re Doing
When you don’t have time to take a rest, make a change. Put down what you’re doing and take up a different task instead. By using different skills, different parts of your mind, you can let the parts that are getting overloaded have a bit of a rest, and even a small change can improve your perspective.
Laugh
Laughing releases endorphins that make you feel good and melt away the stress. When you’re feeling frazzled, take a moment to watch something funny and short. Whether you like funny cat videos, sports bloopers, or anything else, there are probably hundreds of clips of it online.
Watch Out for Signs of Stress Building Up
Stress usually builds up a little at a time. You are usually under stress for some time before you become aware of it. Keep an eye out for signs that your stress levels are increasing, like nervousness, fatigue, and irritability. It’s easier to deal with stress if you catch it early, before it becomes too powerful. Try working on these habits to improve mental health.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, you just can’t get away from the stress. Hopefully this list of tips and tricks will help you find it easier to cope.