by Natasha Levy

Created on: June 13, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Managing the Mess of Stress

Stress is an everyday emotional reaction that varies in its severity depending on the given event. It exists on many levels and builds one event upon another like piling children's building block higher and higher. So how do we manage our "catastrophic crumbling tower of doom" and morph it into an everyday manageable three block pile?

A) Smile for 90 Seconds

The benefits of smiling are well documented. The body releases serotonin, the "happy chemical," when we use these smile muscles. Most people are not aware of how often they smile until they hit middle age and the smile or frown lines appear. It takes practice to be aware of your surroundings and see the beautiful or the humorous in everyday life. Until that happens, try setting just 90 seconds aside to simply smile each day. One trick is to bite down on a pencil, forcing those smile muscles into action.

B) Take a Deep Breath

Breathing is a less documented method of stress relief. You don't have to be a yoga master to exercise your breath although it would help. To breathe correctly, one must have good posture, take deep, slow inhales, expanding the stomach and not the chest, and exhale with control. Panic attack sufferers will recognize that when you take shallow, quick breaths in your chest, your stress-o-meter is sent shooting through the roof. When you feel yourself beginning to stress, simply press one nostril closed with your index finger, breath in, and change nostrils to exhale.

C) Mini Self-Massage

Who would not love their own personal masseuse? The truth is that you already do! All the machines and gimmicks aside, there are a number of wondrous self-massaging practices to do at home. To start, give your legs, feet, and arms a good rub whilst you moisturize. Now move to a quiet, open space on a rug or yoga mat.

- Lie in a rounded ball shape on your back. Hug your arms around your knees and gently rock from side to side. Your whole back should feel unwound after five minutes of this.
- Still in a ball, gently rock forwards and then back onto your upper back again.

D) Relax that Jaw

Apart from appearing totally on edge to the people around you, jaw clenching can lead to grinding your teeth and headaches. Yawning is a great way to check how tight your jaw is. Methodically rub gentle circles below your ears, moving slowly down your jaw line. You are not trying to work out any tension, merely relax the muscles. Singing, breathing and smiling are other means of attaining a relaxed jaw.

E) Stop and Daydream.

As a kid you got a nasty stare at best for staring off into nothing. The Monday morning meeting is probably not the best time to exercise this method of stress relief. Wait till you are back at your desk, perhaps. A quick daydream can relieve stress and even help realise what it is that is causing your anxiety. Stress tends to turn your head to mess. Allow yourself the time to re-charge and get some perspective.

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