Stressful situations are one of those unfortunate things in life that simply cannot always be avoided. Whether its dealing with nerves over important exams, gearing yourself up for a job interview or simply managing the everyday stresses and strains of life - most of us will find ourselves feeling the effects of stress reasonably often throughout our lives. But given the negative that stress can have on our bodies, it's important to try to manage our reactions to it as much as possible.
Finding coping mechanisms to help us handle our stress in effective ways can be a real game changer. Thankfully, there are plenty of these available...here's a look at 5 simple but effective stress management tools which have been proven to work for many people.
Meditation
The art of meditation has been practised in many cultures for thousands of years, and although it was originally intended to deepen spiritual understanding it has been proven to be very useful in the management of stress and anxiety.
The act of refocusing the mind on calming and centering thoughts and taking the time to notice the way your body and mind are feeling can be very beneficial in fostering greater self awareness, and can help to provide moments of clarity and perspective when working through stressful situations in our day to day lives.
Although some people can find meditation difficult to do, there are many apps and YouTube videos available to guide you through the process. Even just a few minutes spend meditating and focusing on mindful breathing can help to quieten a busy mind, and restore inner peace and calm. In fact research shows that meditation can be so effective that it even helps to manage the physical symptoms of certain illnesses which really goes to demonstrate the incredible power that the mind has over our physical bodies.
Chewing Gum
Did you know that the simple act of chewing gum can help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety? In fact a 2016 study at Cardiff University showed that, after being exposed to a situation designed to induce a stress response, there was a clear link between chewing gum and anxiety reduction.
This may be because the clenching and releasing of jaw muscles while chewing mimics the bodies natural reaction of jaw clenching during stressful situations, which helps the body to begin to calm down. Researchers concluded that chewing 2 pieces of sugar free gum for 20 minutes per day can have a beneficial impact on an individuals stress levels and can even increase work management abilities, helping to increase focus.
As a low-cost and low-effort stress management technique, chewing sugar free gum shouldn't be overlooked.
Exercise
This one probably comes as no surprise as of course the positive wellbeing effects of exercise have been well understood for many years, but often the messaging around exercise can get lost in diet culture - leading many people to believe that exercise is only worth doing if there are weight loss or fat burning goals involved but this shouldn't be the case.
Regular exercise is not only proven to have many health benefits such as improving heart health and lowering blood pressure, but it also helps to calm the mind, improve the mood, promote relaxation and better sleep, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
It's worth remembering that exercise doesn't need to be about spending hours in a gym or going for runs if these are not things you enjoy doing, it can be as simple as some energetic dancing in your living room to some favorite tunes, going swimming or even doing some energetic gardening. Find the movement that you enjoy and stick with it, and watch as your stress begins to melt away.
Hypnotherapy For Stress Management
As a clinical hypnotherapist myself, one of the most common symptoms that my clients present with is difficulty in managing stress. This can lead to all sorts of other problems such as insomnia, high anxiety and low mood.
Thankfully, hypnotherapy has been proven to be a very effective treatment in dealing with this problem. Using calming techniques, powerful visualisation exercises and positive reframing under hypnosis often results in notable improvements in stress management and a lowering of associated symptoms - infact 6 out of 9 recent studies showed positive improvements in stress for hypnotherapy patients.
Nature BathingHave you ever noticed yourself feeling calmer when you're out in nature? Particularly when surrounded by trees? If so, you're not alone. In 1982, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing” or “absorbing the forest atmosphere.” The process simply involves spending some time out in nature - you don't need to go hiking or even spend any excessive amount of time doing active "soaking up" of the atmosphere, just the simple act of being in nature is in itself a powerful anti-stress activity.It's been shown to lower your heart rate, reduce the levels of harmful hormones in the body and helps to put people in a more relaxed state of mind.So there you have it, 5 proven techniques for staying calm in stressful situations. Which ones will you be trying?
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