Stress Reduction Techniques for the Healthy and Notoriously Busy

Caring for your body is a full time job. From watching what you eat to making time for a regular workout, keeping tabs on your health is a daily effort. For many busy adults, time is a limited resource and fitting all of your healthy habits into the day can be quite a challenge. If you have ever had to rearrange a schedule in order to get a run in or take time to prepare a meal, you know what I mean. Even for some of the most health conscious adults, however, stress reduction takes a backseat.
 
When you consider all the negative side effects of stress, relaxation practices should be a no-brainer. Stress can increase your blood pressure, harm your immune system, cause you to overeat, and possibly take years off your life. However, stress is unavoidable. You will have stress in your life and the key lies in learning how to effectively manage it through healthy outlets, including good stress reduction techniques.
 

Take a few minutes out of your busy day for stress reduction by:

 
1. Slow, conscious breathing. Take 10 long slow breathes, inhaling for 5 counts and holding the breath for 2. Slowly exhale for another 5 counts and repeat. While you exhale, picture all the negativity, stress, and tension exiting your body through the breath. Replace the stress and tension with joy and happiness on the inhale, filling your body with life-giving oxygen.
 
2. Take a quick walk. Weather permitting, leave your office for a 10 minute break and take a quick walk around the block. Increasing your heart rate and getting fresh air will immediately improve your mood and leave you feeling more alert.
 
3. Journaling. When your mind seems to be racing and you cannot focus, a moment spent jotting down your thoughts can clear the mental air and leave you feeling more relaxed. Don’t worry about what you are writing, just get some thoughts out.
 
There is nothing remarkable or new about these stress reduction tips. Sometime we all need a reminder though, on how to keep our mental baggage to a minimum. It is vital that you find a healthy way of reducing stress and relaxing. Whether it is through meditation or exercise, your approach to stress reduction techniques is not as important as the fact that you are actually managing the stress. Making time to reduce stress will not only leave you feeling better, it will also improve your health and your chances at weight loss success.