3 easy ways to relieve stress

Each of us, in fact, has only one global problem - to learn how to harmoniously interact with the world around us. This is a great story written by humanity in an attempt to survive. At first glance, everything worked out well: we created a man-made civilization that allows us to cook popcorn in the microwave and ride a trolley bus to work, not a horse. We surrounded ourselves with pleasant and comfortable things, in many respects we protected ourselves from the need to survive (we are talking about the civilized world), however, we encountered a funny paradox. We never learned to be happy .

Yes, yes, my dear readers. It is unpleasant to admit this fact, but it is impossible to refute it. Just make mental statistics, comparing the number of happy and unhappy people among your acquaintances - I'm afraid it will be very disappointing. You can quite rightly object to me that life is not an easy thing, and that you have to work a lot, and in the evening you also have to devote time to your family, but there is not enough money all the time, and there is an unstable situation in the world, etc. etc. And in general, you are right with your personal bell tower, but this does not solve the problem at all. And here it is, the main question: what is the essence of the problem? What is the root of our constant dissatisfaction with the world and ourselves? What is the reason for our inability to be harmonious and balanced? It's easier than it sounds.

The big consequences of a small attack

We are stressed every day. Bad news, boring colleagues, a soul mate without mood, you want a private house, but you have to live in a one-room apartment, you want to go on vacation, there are a lot of all kinds of everyday "problems" that seem important to us. It is not possible to lead an active lifestyle, and this creates stress on our body, which also makes itself felt on an emotional level. A heap of problems is created for us by our unconscious fears and resentments towards the world, people and the universe. And all this has no end or edge, smoothly and confidently tightening the noose around our neck. In an attempt to break out of this, we run to the supermarket for a new portion of chocolate, to the store for new shoes, to the travel agency for the sun, the beach and idleness. However, even a few days after taking our "pill" does not pass, as it ceases to work, and often becomes even worse than it was. The secret of this problem lies in our attitude to the world around us and to ourselves. Until it changes, no “pill” will help.

To defeat the enemy, you need to know him by sight. So, stress is the reaction of our body and our psyche to stimuli. And the main highlight is that it is not only a physical, but primarily an emotional reaction. The higher the emotional temperature of irritation, the worse the effect will be.

Here's an example: in public transport, a woman is standing next to you, whose perfume you don't like, but there is no way to change your location and desert from the scene of this chemical attack. This creates discomfort for you, and you get upset, nervous, indignant. But now you leave the ill-fated trolleybus and get rid of the irritant, but the mood is already spoiled. And here the fun begins: being in a state of stress and emotional instability, you, often unconsciously, begin to look for a way to relax. There is an opinion that in order to relax, it takes much more time than to strain on an emotional level. I dare to assure you - the processes are identical, the speed is the same, it's all a matter of habit.

If a way to relax is found, the problem is solved. And if not? At an unloved job, there is a “nutty” boss and the same colleagues, and the work is also “a carriage and a small cart, but you still have to do it, otherwise you will be kicked out of work” and you will not be able to pay the rent. And then you will have to move back to your parents, and they do not like your husband ... And a negative whirlwind of reflections swirls, swirls, which cannot be stopped so easily.

Congratulations, the effect has been achieved - your performance, creativity and motivation are at zero and, in a work sense, the day is lost. Most likely, these thoughts will now accompany you all day, leaving work, you will feel tired, irritated and confident that your attitude to the world is fair. Returning to your home, you are more likely to share this "wonderful" state with your family, demanding creation, submission or ignoring from loved ones, than create an unforgettable atmosphere for a few more days. You are not only unhappy yourself, but you are also a stress factor for those around you, creating favorable conditions for the emergence of negative emotions in everyone who comes in contact with you.

Do you remember how it all started?

The lady with the perfume calmly left on her trolleybus and, perhaps, lived this day quite happily.

How to brake quickly

The main thing I want to draw the reader's attention to in this run-of-the-mill story is the original stressor. And this factor was not at all an accidental fellow traveler, but the attitude towards her. We are far from always surrounded by pleasant people and events, and the sooner we learn to accept the fact of their existence in our personal reality, the sooner we learn not to attach importance to them. As a result, by simply ignoring stimuli, we can save ourselves from stress and improve our life in every sense. But how to learn this if we are under stress all the time and cannot always “slow down” ourselves?

There are many ways to relieve stress in the world: reading, yoga, dancing, extreme sports, handicrafts, etc. These things do their job admirably, but are not easy to integrate into the fast-paced and eventful life of the average office worker. Social protocol does not allow knitting in the workplace or making dance moves with a mop in the middle of the office during the working day.

Therefore, I will tell you about ways to quickly relieve stress in the field.

1.  Water procedures

Flowing water is an excellent sedative. In fact, it is enough for 1-2 minutes to look at running water, making smooth breaths in and out to relieve stress, even of moderate severity. If your clothes, time and ability to regain lost makeup allow you to come into contact with water with your face and hands, do not hold back. Such a mini-shower will take 1-2 minutes and can easily dispel all stupid thoughts.

2.  Drawing

Have a set of colored pencils in your workplace or in your bag (markers or pens will not work). Remove all dark colors from this set, leaving only light and bright ones. Ideally, it would be nice to get a sketchbook in A5 format and draw in it (and it is convenient to carry with you, and you can then enjoy your artistic masterpieces - they will not be lost), and if there is none, cut the A4 sheet in half across. Your task is simple - fill this entire piece of paper with color so that there is no white left at all. The tighter you paint over it, the better. Artistic talent is not needed in this practice, but creativity is always welcome.

3.  Reboot

For this exercise, you will need 4-6 minutes of free time and preferably a secluded space. Sit as comfortably as possible on a chair (on a sofa, in a chair, on the floor) in a sitting position, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Focus only on breathing and, starting at a normal pace, increase the depth of your breathing, while lowering its speed, that is, breathe more slowly and deeper. Pay attention to the fact that this exercise should be performed exclusively in the zone of your physical comfort, there is no goal in itself to become the winner of the competition for the longest exhalation. Everything should be easy and without overexertion or oxygen deficiency. It is also very important that you do nothing else during this time - your body must be static. After 4-6 minutes of such exercises, a light and pleasant breeze will walk in your head.

These three easy ways won't take long and can be used almost anywhere, so now you have a weapon against your invisible enemy - stress.

The practices that I gave as an example are not a panacea for the negative effects of stress on your life, but they allow you to drive it away for a while and will gradually increase your stress resistance. I'm not sure that stress can be completely eliminated at all, but minimizing its effect on the life of any person is quite easy and possible. The main weapon in this struggle is the criticality of the mind and the ability to accept the surrounding reality simply because there is no other around us.

Stress is a serious and insidious adversary, but knowing its methods, you can easily cope with it, which is what you want. Use these practices, enjoy life and take care of each other!