Stress is universal and methods of coping can, at times, feel limited or unsuccessful. It’s said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. So if you are feeling adventurous and ready to try some new de-stressing methods, check out some of these:
1. Use Lavender Essential Oils
For thousands of years, lavender has been used as an insect repellant, headache reliever, and disinfectant. It’s also, however, a relaxing and calming herb used for stress relief. Studies show that the scent of lavender increases the amount of time you spend in deep sleep and acts as a natural antidepressant. Mix five or six drops of essential lavender oil into your hot bath, diffuse ten to twelve drops in the air around you, or add a few drops to a bowl of hot water, add a towel to the water, and use the towel as a warm compress.
2. Treat Yourself to a Massage
Massage has been used as a method of stress relief for centuries. As a physical healing treatment, you can help relieve emotional stress in addition to physical pain and discomfort. Here at Element, we offer a variety of different massages: Swedish, deep tissue, pre and postnatal, hot stone, sports, lymphatic drainage, medical massage, myofascial, trigger point work, neuromuscular therapy, Maya abdominal massage, as well as Oriental bodywork including shiatsu, Tui Na, Thai bodywork, acupressure, and cupping. Aromatherapy, scalp massage, cold stone facial, stretching, and foam roll-out sessions are available and can also be included as an add-on service. Couples massage is available, as well as instructional lessons for couples, prenatal and baby massage.
3. Laugh More
Studies done in association with the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health have proven that mirthful laughter lowers levels of stress hormones in our bodies. Watch a funny movie, see a free comedy show, read a humor writer, or just laugh to yourself for whatever reason. Our bodies are complex, intricate machines that operate in unique ways. It’s wonderful that something as seemingly simple as laughter can cause chemicals that fill our brains with positivity to course through our bodies.
4. Embrace Your Green Thumb
“We live in a society where we’re just maxing ourselves out all the time in terms of paying attention,” says Andrea Faber Taylor, Ph.D., a horticulture instructor and researcher in the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We, as humans, are just as big a part of nature as the trees and flowers we admire. Gardening is a sensory experience that, according to James Jiler, the founder and executive director of Urban GreenWorks, a Miami-based nonprofit that provides environmental services and programs for low-income neighborhoods, “allows people to connect to this primal state.” The smell of the earth, grass, dirt, and the feel of a cool breeze is enough to make anyone feel relaxed and enjoy the task at hand: creating a beautiful garden, weeding and tending, or planting even a single flower.
5. Pick Up Your Favorite Book Again
Research carried out on a group of volunteers by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex. The participants stress levels and heart rates were increased through a range of tests and exercises before they were then tested with a variety of traditional methods of relaxation. Reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 percent. So, whether it’s a Dr. Seuss classic, a James Patterson page-turner, or the latest issue of the New Yorker, take a few moments to read. You will lower your stress levels and also stimulate your brain!
6. Indulge with Some Chocolate
Scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland conducted a study that showed that polyphenol antioxidants found in chocolate lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone in our bodies. As little as 1.4oz (a little less than the size of a Hershey’s Bar) can create a mood-lifting effect. Of course, use moderation when treating yourself.
7. Increase Your Intake of B Vitamins
B Vitamins naturally fight fatigue, induce relaxation, and promote proper functioning of the brain and nervous system. This amalgam makes for the perfect recipe for stress relief. Symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency include irritability, apathy, and depression, so the benefits of including Vitamin B-rich foods in your diet are clear. Some foods that contain high levels of B Vitamins include beans, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.
8. Stop and Take a Few Deep Breaths
Breathing deeply sends an automatic signal to your brain to calm down and relax. Be it during meditation or while riding a packed A train, it’s as easy as can be: inhale, exhale. Simple deep breaths can lower your heart rate and reduce tension. Deepak Chopra said it best, “At this moment, you are seamlessly flowing with the cosmos. There is no difference between your breathing and the breathing of the rain forest, between your bloodstream and the world’s rivers, between your bones and the chalk cliffs of Dover.”
9. Try Acupuncture
The biological mechanism involved in acupuncture has stress-relieving qualities. Researchers have discovered that “electronic acupuncture blocks the chronic, stress-induced elevations of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis,” says Ladan Eshkevari, an associate professor of nursing at Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies. (The hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis is a feedback system in the body that controls and regulates how we deal with stress.) The ‘flight or fight’ response to acute stress, resulting in constriction of blood flow to all parts of the body except the heart, lungs and brain, is alleviated during acupuncture sessions causing a chain reaction of improvements in the body. Some people experience positive changes in their overall health from their first sessions, others see their practitioners regularly to maintain overall health benefits. Here at Element, we also offer acupuncture treatments by gifted healers.
All in all, stress affects each and every one of us. There are countless ways deal with stress and, ultimately, relieve it. You can try these methods or get creative and come up with some of your own. Either way, good luck! Enjoy the summer and don’t forget your sunscreen. Sunburn is the most preventable stressor of the season!
– by Jesi Taylor, receptionist