{"id":79279,"date":"2023-09-06T11:55:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T16:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=79279"},"modified":"2024-04-06T04:06:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T04:06:48","slug":"stressed-out-here-are-5-science-backed-ways-to-relax","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/stressed-out-here-are-5-science-backed-ways-to-relax\/","title":{"rendered":"Stressed out? Here are 5 science-backed ways to relax."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Let\u2019s face it \u2014 we all get stressed out. Whether it’s everyday aggravations that pile up or unexpected traumatic events that throw us into a tailspin, stress takes a toll on both our mental well-being and on our physical health. In fact, according to The<\/strong> American Institute of Stress<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> the stress levels felt by Americans are 20 percentage points higher than the global average. But there\u2019s good news. Experts say there are simple, science-backed strategies that can help you relax within minutes. Spoiler alert: It\u2019s easier than you think!<\/p>\n

1. Take a breath<\/strong><\/p>\n

By simply taking control of your breath, you can help your mind and body relax in minutes. When you’re stressed, the brain tells the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, cortisol and epinephrine. These\u00a0powerful stress hormones<\/a>\u00a0prepare you to fight off a perceived threat by making your heart beat faster, raising your blood pressure and boosting glucose levels in your bloodstream. \u201cThere’s a kind of snowball effect that can happen,\u201d\u00a0David Spiegel<\/a>, Willson professor and associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at\u00a0Stanford University School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0and co-founder of\u00a0Reveri<\/a>, a self-hypnosis and stress relief app, tells Yahoo Life. \u201cYou notice your body getting tense; your muscles get tense. Then you think, \u2018Oh, my God, this must be really bad,\u2019 so you worry more. And what you want to do is interrupt that.\u201d<\/p>\n

One easy way to interrupt that snowball effect is through breathing. Normally it\u2019s an automatic function we don\u2019t even think about. Spiegel co-led\u00a0a study<\/a>\u00a0where participants performed various types of breathing exercises for five minutes a day over the course of a month. \u201cWe found at the end of the month that \u2018cyclic sighing\u2019 in particular resulted in improved mood, people felt happier, and they had a lower respiratory rate overall,\u201d Spiegel says.<\/p>\n

To try\u00a0cyclic sighing<\/a>\u00a0for yourself, first inhale through your abdomen, expanding your belly halfway and then holding. Next, extend that breath through your chest and fill your lungs fully through your nose. Finally, exhale very slowly through your mouth. \u201cThe slow exhale is very important because when you’re exhaling, you’re increasing pressure in your chest. You’re not only expelling air, but you’re returning more blood to your heart,\u201d explained Spiegel. \u201cThe heart gets a signal that says, \u2018Oh, there’s plenty of blood here. I don’t have to pump as hard.\u2019 And what that means is that you’re triggering the self-soothing component of your autonomic nervous system and calming your body down.\u201d Spiegel suggests doing this exercise three to four times a day, or just any time you start to feel uptight.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Research shows<\/a>\u00a0that listening to music releases dopamine in the body, which makes us happy. \u201cThe enjoyment of music appears to involve the same pleasure center in the brain as other forms of pleasure, such as food, sex and drugs,\u201d\u00a0Shahram Heshmat<\/a>, an emeritus associate professor of behavioral economics at the\u00a0University of Illinois-Springfield<\/a>, tells Yahoo Life.<\/p>\n

A\u00a02021 study<\/a>\u00a0revealed that adults who listened to music were able to reduce their cortisol levels significantly. Songs for relaxation don\u2019t necessarily have to be instrumental, says Heshmat. \u201cLyrics that resonate with the listener\u2019s personal experiences can give voice to feelings or experiences that one might not be able to express oneself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s going to be unique for each person because of the way our preferences are built. Our music preferences are going to provide us [with] the most meaning and memory and have a potential for relaxation and enjoyment,\u201d\u00a0Leslie A. Orozco Henry<\/a>, professor and director of music therapy at\u00a0Alverno College<\/a>\u00a0in Milwaukee, tells Yahoo Life.<\/p>\n

So how does it work? Within milliseconds of entering our ears \u2014 before we even know it\u2019s happening \u2014 music transports to two parts of our brain, says Henry. \u201cOne area is the area that processes and influences our awareness of events and of our environment. So, it kind of orients us to what we’re listening to,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe next stop is a place called the thalamus. This is the central processing unit of the brain that sends all sensory information out to all the different parts of our brain and tells us what we need to know about that thing and how to respond to it with our bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you want the music to help change the way you\u2019re feeling, Henry says to try matching your mood to the music first. \u201cAnd then what I would do is I would gradually move the needle to the other direction to try and help myself take that edge off.\u201d And you don\u2019t have to lock yourself away to feel these positive effects. Henry says listening to music with others can also be therapeutic. \u201cI think groups are a beautiful way and music is a wonderful connector to bring people together. Regardless of what political ideology, what group you belong to, what identity you have, you still can find commonality in music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like any exercise, practice makes perfect. So, the more you use music intentionally to relax your body and mind, the quicker you\u2019ll reap the benefits. \u201cIt’s like developing a muscle,\u201d says Henry. \u201cWe need to practice regularly for it to work when we really need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Pet a dog<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studies show<\/a>\u00a0our four-legged furry friends can be helpful in relaxation.\u00a0Nancy Gee<\/a>, professor of psychiatry and director of the\u00a0Center for Human-Animal Interaction<\/a>\u00a0at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been researching this topic for more than two decades. She tells Yahoo Life\u00a0one study<\/a>\u00a0shows, \u201cJust five minutes of interacting with a dog, for a stressed healthcare worker, can decrease their cortisol to the same level as if they had sat alone in a quiet room for 15 minutes.\u201d She says she\u2019s seen the same effects on college students through its\u00a0Dogs on Call<\/a>\u00a0program. \u201cWe’re asked to come down to the VCU [Virginia Commonwealth University] campus frequently and do these de-stress events for university students who are studying for finals or just dealing with the stress of academic life,\u201d Gee says. \u201cJust watching the students from the moment they walk in until the moment they walk out of that room, there’s an entire demeanor change.\u201d When the dog interaction was paired with an on-campus stress management program, the students also had an\u00a0increase in executive function<\/a>\u00a0that helped them plan better and stay on task. \u201cSo having a dog in those settings is not only stress-reducing, but it’s also beneficial to the point that it may help university students with their academic success.\u201d<\/p>\n

When humans interact with animals, their blood pressure and cortisol levels drop while\u00a0oxytocin<\/a>\u00a0tends to increase. This is the feel-good hormone that helps us think more clearly. \u201cSometimes when we’re under those kinds of high-pressure situations, it can be challenging to make decisions, or maybe we make snap decisions that we regret later,\u201d says Gee. \u201cBut when we are more relaxed, we’re more able to inhibit these off-task thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Try coloring<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crayons aren\u2019t just for kids anymore. According to numerous\u00a0studies<\/a>, coloring not only relaxes your mind and body but can potentially ease depression and anxiety, improve your sleep, sharpen your focus and increase your motor skills. \u201cRepetitive movement can be soothing and calming for some people,\u201d\u00a0Joel Bobby<\/a>, a licensed independent clinical social worker in psychiatry and psychology, tells Yahoo Life. \u201cWhen a person can focus on the simple act of coloring, they can let go of the other demands and judgments in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coloring helps relax the fear center of your brain,\u00a0the amygdala<\/a>, and puts you in a meditative state by reducing restless thoughts. Coloring also requires the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate. The logic side helps you stay inside the lines while choosing colors generates creative thoughts.<\/p>\n

So where should you start? One\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0from 2020 showed participants reported feeling calm, safe and at ease after just 20 minutes of coloring\u00a0mandalas<\/a>, geometric symbols that are made up of circles with repeating symmetrical shapes. Another\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0showed using the colors blue and pink resulted in a higher reduction of stress levels. But if you don\u2019t happen to have any mandala coloring books or blue and pink crayons laying around, Bobby says that\u2019s OK. \u201cFrom my experience with patients who color as a coping strategy, I think any kind of coloring, and being able to pay attention to the one activity for any length of time, has been helpful in reducing stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

And before you say, \u2018I\u2019m not artistic\u2019 … guess what? You don\u2019t have to be! \u201cColoring can be done with no specific expectations or demands, deadlines or judgment,\u201d says Bobby. \u201cIt can be an open-minded, creative experience with no pressure to \u2018do it right\u2019 or in any particular way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says this easy and affordable activity could be beneficial to companies as they look for ways to reduce stress at the office. \u201cI hope as the research becomes more widely known and acknowledged, employers will consider this as a healthy option for employees to utilize on their breaks and throughout the workday.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Peel an orange<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you get stressed out, your\u00a0vitamin C levels<\/a>\u00a0tend to decline rapidly. That\u2019s because your adrenal glands need vitamin C to produce the influx of those stress hormones. But even if you don\u2019t want to eat an orange, simply peeling an orange can reduce stress, improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. That\u2019s because\u00a097% of the essential oils<\/a>\u00a0found in a sweet orange rind are composed of a chemical constituent called\u00a0limonene<\/a>. This chemical produces an uplifting and stimulating physiological effect and is also found in many\u00a0cannabis strains<\/a>. In contrast to your other senses that pass through the thalamus first, your\u00a0sense of smell<\/a>\u00a0has a direct link to the brain where memories and emotions are processed \u2014 so the effects can be felt even faster.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0one study<\/a>, researchers diffused the scent of oranges into a dental office waiting room. The participants reported an overall decreased level of anxiety while the women who were exposed to the orange aroma had a higher level of calmness compared with the men. In\u00a0another study<\/a>, researchers emitted the smell of sweet oranges into an office break room and discovered the fragrance promoted relaxation among the employees.\u00a0Studies<\/a>\u00a0have also shown that orange aromatherapy can be a noninvasive and effective method for reducing anxiety during the stress of childbirth.<\/p>\n

But if keeping a stash of fresh oranges nearby to peel whenever you get stressed seems a bit much, keep a small jar of sweet orange essential oils with you instead and apply a few drops on your wrists, temples, neck or behind your ears when feeling stressed.<\/p>\n

No matter what de-stressing strategy works best for you, just remember you\u2019re not alone. \u201cThe only people who aren’t stressed at all are dead,\u201d says Spiegel. \u201cTake care of your body first and it will help you take care of the problems that you need to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Original post Yahoo News<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Karolina Grabowska<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Karolina Grabowska<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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