Feeling stressed, tired, running around, busy with work and family but no time for you? If this sounds like you keep reading for some quick stress relief you can use on the go.
Modern life in a way also equals modern stress. Most people have less time to themselves with work, family, relationships, commuting, friends and social activities. The mind is also in constant use either forwarding fast steam ahead anxious about the future or rewinding to the past to get caught up again in old mistakes and events.
So where do you find the time to take five minutes out!
Taking time out for yourself to relax is important. The build up of stress can cause serious problems in the body from heart conditions, stomach problems, skin issues etc.
Often stress finds a home in certain parts of our body. The shoulders, jaw, neck or back. By doing a quick body check, and focussing on three areas you may begin to become more aware of how your body is responding to stress and by using simple techniques replace the stress with calmness.
This quick body check is easy and simple to use, and also very beneficial to help you take a quick five minutes stress release break.
HEAD AND FACE
Become aware of the muscles in your head and face. Perhaps you may become aware that you are frowning, clenching your teeth or jaw.
Simple relax the muscles and feel the skin smoothing out. If you find this difficult to do, tense your muscles first and then let the muscles relax.
Release and move your teeth and jaw muscles up and down and let them close down gently and naturally.
BACK AND SHOULDERS
As the sun begins to rise during the day, so do our shoulders!
Quickly check in to see how your shoulders are sitting, and then release and relax the muscles, and allow this relaxation to continue down to your back.
STOMACH AREA
Often tension can be held in the stomach area, which can also cause a number of stomach problems.
Take a gentle deep breath, and breathe in all the way down to the stomach. Feeling the stomach muscles expanding, and as you breathe out feel the release of tension on the out breath. Repeat.
SMILE
A smile, although cannot solve all your problems, can definitely go a long way to help your general well being.
We all know yawning is contagious and so is smiling. Next time you hop on a bus, or go to the supermarket - smile! Happiness within shines through to others!
I am not saying that smiling will make all your problems go away, but the more you smile, the happier, confident and better you will begin to feel.
A smile not only is a gift you can offer others, but it's also a gift you can give yourself. As soon as you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and let the first thing you see be a smile! What a beautiful way to start the day.
So, take a simple gentle breath and smile!
To finish off here is a lovely quote about smiling:
"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable." Joseph Addison
Linda Connors is a London Hypnotherapist combining therapy and hypnosis for stres management.