4 Stress Relief Ideas You Can Use Right Now

Are you looking for stress relief ideas? Do you have about five minutes to spare in your busy day? There are many effective stress relief methods that only take minutes to do.

In our hustle and bustle world, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. Lack of time is causing us stress yet we don't have the time to destress. Try these four techniques right now and you will feel instantly relaxed.

1) Deep Breathing - Tension and stress causes shallow breathing. Deep breathing not only destresses but also oxygenates the blood. Try this: Sit upright with your body relaxed. Inhale deeply through both nostrils filling your stomach and lungs. Then, exhale by pushing your stomach in to get the air out. Do this a few times and your tension will melt away. This is one of my favorite stress relief ideas. It is quick and very effective. If you don't have time to sit and do it, you can do it as you are walking about.

2) Stretching - Loosening tense muscles melts away stress quickly. Stretching relaxes tense muscles and sends a signal to your brain to relax. This exercise is great for the neck where most tension builds up. Do this: Sit up straight and breath deeply. Move your head slowly to the right until your ear touches your shoulder comfortably. Keep breathing deeply. Do the same to the left. Repeat a few times on each side. Then, bring your chin slowly toward your chest. Breathe deeply a few times and hold this position. Raise your head up to normal position.

3) Affirmations - Reciting an affirmation throughout your day will be relaxing as well as uplifting. Affirmations are simple positive statements. You can use "I am peaceful", "I am joyful", "I am in harmony with all". What negative thoughts have you been experiencing lately? You can create an affirmation by taking a negative thought and transforming it into a positive statement. For example, if you have thoughts of lacking time, your affirmation could be, "I have plenty of time to do all that I need to do."

4) Positive Feelings - Focusing on positive feelings sounds hard to do if you are in the midst of a stressful situation. If the positive feelings already exist, it is easy. Let's say you have an argument with your boss. You are angry and tense. To calm yourself, think of someone you love. Think of a time when you were proud of yourself. Hold the feeling of love or pride in your heart. Holding the positive feelings that you already own in your heart is transforming. Holding onto the stress and anger from the argument will only be detrimental to you, not your boss.

These stress relief ideas can be used anywhere you are sitting. You can use them at your desk, while you are stuck in traffic, waiting for your doctor's appointment, on the bus or train or on your lunch break. With practice, you can even do them while you are walking about. Either way, they really pack a punch against stress.