Stress is a necessary element in life. Without stress is almost equivalent to losing motivation and drive. However, excessive stress can cause damaging effects to the human body. The human body reacts to an overwhelming level of stress by putting up a ‘ FIGHT or FLIGHT’ response in order to counterbalance the chemical imbalances in our body. This heightened state of excessive stress can be damaging thus relaxation techniques are here to counterbalance the harmful effects of stress and brings the level down to a safe state of equilibrium.

Many people have the misconception that sitting on the sofa watch TV or snacking during breaks provide relief in stress. This is not true. Relaxation techniques are necessary in providing maximum stress management. However not all techniques are suitable for everyone. Some may have great effects on one particular method while others may find the other method not useful at all. Reason being we are all different, so does our body reacts to different healing techniques of stress management. One alternative recommended by experts is to combine or alternate different techniques to keep a person motivated. In fact, this is the only way that enabling one to find out which methods work the best for you.

One of the most popular method is the deep breathing technique. This technique requires deep breaths from the abdomen instead of taking shallow, quick breaths. The rationale is to induce more oxygen into the lungs and chest. The more oxygen the body gets, the calmer the person will be. Breathe out from the mouth and nose slowly and try to inhale maximum air so that that is an obvious movement of rises and falls in your lower abdomen. Do a slow count. Maintain an upright sitting position throughout. You can choose to lie on the floor if it’s too difficult to breathe through the abdomen. Read the rest of this entry »