by Avon Esor

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

What is stress? Everyday we hear people saying how much stress they are under. There is good stress and bad stress but we hear more frequent complaints about bad stress. This kind of stress tends to occur whenever there are changes in our environment or situation.
Stress can be brought on by things in our lives like divorce, the state of the economy, hurricanes, home foreclosures, work deadlines and many more.

Our bodies tend to react to these changes called stressors by sending a number of signals. Whenever we get stressed, the adrenal glands produce adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. Because of these releases, we get heightened heart rate and higher blood pressure. The body should be able to reset itself but we all know that the after effects of stress can linger and could lead to major illnesses. There are steps we can take to lessen the effects of stress and make ourselves sail easier through the tough times.

Here are a few tips for dealing with stress:

Smile for 90 seconds

Smiling relaxes the face and the mind. It is very simple to do yet it can be very hard when we focus on the negatives.

Start with a small smile.
Broaden your lips.
Let the smile reach your eyes.
Feel the laughter in your gut.
Let go of the negativity.
Relax!

Take a deep breath

We tend not realize the effects of deep breathing because we tend to take shallow breaths.
Sit on the floor keeping your back straight.
Close your eyes.
Breathe in deeply through your nose.
Hold your breath for one second.
Exhale through your mouth.
Count slowly ay you exhale
Feel your abdomen relax as you exhale
Concentrate on how your entire body is relaxing.

Give yourself a mini-massage

Do you know that you can actually massage your own body?
There are easy to reach places on your body that hold a lot of tension when you under stress like the shoulders. Follow the technique outlined below to give your shoulders a good mini-massage:
Find the muscle that from the neck to the shoulders.
Hold your right elbow in your left palm and place the right hand on your left shoulder.
Start at the base of your neck and gently knead your muscles. Keep doing this motion as you move out towards the arm. Make sure to apply enough pressure that it makes a difference.
Repeat the instructions using the other side.
Relax that Jaw

When we are stressed we tend to clench our teeth and tighten our jaws. This can easily become a habit without even realizing it and could lead to bruxism or teeth grinding. Of course, you

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