Stress Busters

    Here are 7 stress busters suggested by an article in O Magazine (see link below). These are simple, practical ways to relieve stress you may be feeling while at work or at the end of your day. The first, especially, can be done easily anywhere/anytime.

~ Chew a stick of gum (for 10 minutes). Stressed gum chewing testers felt less anxious and had 18 percent less cortisol in their saliva. Woo hoo!

~ Brew black tea & sip (12 minutes). Four servings a day for six weeks provided lower levels of cortisol after a stressful event for testers.

~ DIY Massage (15 minutes). Whatever works for you. In yoga, just crisscrossing arms to massage the shoulder blades is wonderful. Try Happy Baby yoga posture massage rocking…

~ Putting a pen to paper (20 minutes). It’s proven that just writing about your stress can lower it. Also, two words – Gratitude Journal. Two more- Gardening Journal. You get my drift…

~ Play music you love (30 minutes). Self-explanitory. Dance too & release feel good endorphins!

~ Break away from technology (45 minutes) This lowers your heart rate just by pulling yourself away from e-mails & texts ~ sounds simple enough for certain age groups!

~ Clean house (60 minutes). I am a bit dubious about this one, but they say the repetition can release tension. I suggest only trying this as a stress release with something you like to clean. I personally get relaxed by tackling a drawer or two. It’s often a trip down memory lane too.

Check out the link below to read it all.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Fast-Stress-Relief-Calm-Down-Quickly