Without a doubt stress can be one of the most destructive forces in our lives. It can wreck havoc in so many different ways that it boggles the mind. From something as inconsequential but annoying as creating acne all the way up to something as horrible and life-threatening as giving you a heart attack, stress is not something to take for granted.
In this article today I want to talk about one very simple method that you can do every single day to help reduce the feelings of stress in your body without turning to any fancy high-priced stress reliever programs or equipment.
Right off the bat I should say that I’m not some sort of goofy meditation wonk. In fact I don’t really know a whole lot about meditation to be perfectly honest with you. I don’t have any sort of formal training in it and I’ve never read any books about it.
But that doesn’t change the fact that this technique that I’m about to share with you could probably be described as a form of meditation. But don’t worry, you don’t have to buy candles and start chanting or anything weird like that.
Basically this is what you do… find a quiet area. This may simply involve shutting your office door for a few minutes or going out to your car or sitting on a bench outside your office.
Close your eyes and try and picture a specific place in your mind that is stress free or a place that has certain happy memories for you. Whenever I do this, I think about an old pond that I used to go fishing at when I was a kid. Re-create that picture in your mind with as much detail as you can manage and spend several minutes doing it.
The only reason we do this is so that you can focus. Your mind will focus on building the picture of that place in your mind and turn away from the things that are making you stressed out. After you’ve completed the picture in your mind then begin breathing deeply.
Start with 10 deep breaths. Do this slowly so as not to hyperventilate. All the while continue to picture that certain stress free place in your mind and focus on it. After you finish the 10 deep breaths then begin 10 shallow breaths. Again continue to focus on the picture in your mind.
If you still feel stressed out after the 10 shallow breaths then start again with 10 deep ones and then 10 more shallow ones. This little exercise only takes between five and 10 minutes but can really reduce stress and anxiety almost immediately. It will even give you more energy though I’m not really sure why. I suspect it has something to do with increased oxygen levels from all that breathing.
But there you go, there is my quick and easy, cheap and effective stress reducing technique.
J.P. Morton runs a window bird feeder web site where he also reviews the best bird feeder pole for your bird feeder. He has been an article writer online for well over 10 years and also enjoys rock climbing and white water rafting.