How to relieve stress at home?

In the modern world, the scientific and technological revolutionhas reached unimaginable proportions. Enormous information flows, increased noise levels, deteriorating ecology – all this constantly affects a person and leads to incessant stress. That is why a modern person develops a special need – the desire to relieve stress. Moreover, a person does not always go to the doctor. How to relieve stress at home? This term usually refers to a state of tension that causes various unpleasant symptoms. However, in psychology, stress has the meaning of an adaptive reaction to excessive environmental pressure, inherent in any person and including various physiological and psychological changes occurring in the body. Thus, it is obvious that not all stress needs to be relieved here and now.

Types and signs of stress

Psychologists describe two types of stress:positive and negative stress. Positive stress is usually caused by positive emotions or mobilizes the body's resources. Not only is it not harmful to experience it, it is also beneficial for the body. Negative stress is stress that a person cannot cope with; it is destructive to human health. It is in this state that a person faces the problem of how to relieve stress. Physiological signs of stress include increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased gas exchange rate, dry mouth, etc., i.e. symptoms of activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Psychological signs include impaired concentration, forgetfulness, difficulty making decisions; anxiety, irritability, depression, frequent mood swings; decreased performance, self-isolation, addictive behavior, etc. ... We can also talk about biological and psychological stress. The main difference between them is that with biological stress the threat is real and is aimed at a person's life and health, while with psychological stress it can be virtual and aimed at a person's social status or self-esteem. An example of psychological stress can be dismissal from work, a family quarrel or any phobias. In this regard, the experience of stress in this case can be very long. How to quickly relieve stress in this case? A person's personal qualities play a large role in the level of expression of the stress reaction. For example, awareness of your ability to influence the situation reduces the level of tension. Also, having previous experience of successfully resolving similar problems helps to relieve severe stress.

Self-help under stress

Not every person is ready to ask for helpspecialist, and in most cases there is no need for this. There are different ways to relieve stress, we will list only the most effective of them. The first group concerns lifestyle in general. These changes are permanent, and therefore their creation requires some effort from a person, but at the same time there is a significant improvement in the quality of life. This includes the following recommendations:

Find or create a hobby for yourself. Often, in the case of stress, quiet classes are recommended, but in reality it depends on the temperament of the person. For someone, this hobby will be Ikebana or scrapbooking, and somebody does not like the soul in mountaineering or rafting on the mountain rivers.
Go to the gym. The recommendation is as old as the world, but its effectiveness is beyond doubt. During sports, the body releases endorphins - hormones of happiness - that instantly reduce the level of stress in the body. By the way, these same hormones stand out during sex, so regular sex is a great way to relieve stress.
Organize proper nutrition. A large amount of harmful food - only an additional burden on the body, and not a source of energy. Reduce the amount of fatty and roasted, add "anti-stress" products (fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, seafood - sources of vitamins B, C, magnesium and other useful microelements) - and your "anti-stress" menu is ready!
Smile more. Psychophysiology has proved that facial expressions and emotions experienced by a person are inextricably linked: just as the experience of joy can bring a smile, and a smile can cause an experience of joy.

The second group concerns general changes insocial sphere. This includes everything that concerns interaction with other people, as well as the emotions caused by this interaction. This group is separate due to the fact that psychological stress arises precisely because of problems in this sphere. Here is how you can organize changes in this sphere:

Organize communication with close and pleasant people. This is one of the most important advice, because this kind of communication performs a psychotherapeutic function - a person shares the most important, receives support and participation, and his resources are magically restored.
Try to limit communication with unpleasantpeople. At least, deal with your circle of friends - maybe there are friends next to whom you feel insecure and have already forgotten why you should communicate with them at all. Well, as for people, communication with which you can not avoid - interacting with them, you can imagine them in a funny way.
Try to express those emotions more often and morethat you are actually experiencing at the moment. This will allow you to feel a significant relief, since the lion's share of human resources is spent on containing emotions.

The third group includes variousspecific actions, the implementation of which allows you to quickly relieve accumulated stress. However, their effectiveness is short-term, as a result of which, in order to achieve the best result, they must be combined with recommendations from the first two groups.

Change of activity. Neurophysiologists have proved that a long period of monotonous activity causes a person a state of monotony, which acts depressingly on the human nervous system. All that is needed in this case is to switch to another activity. For example, after sitting at the computer, take a break and start cleaning.
Eliminating sources of stress such as noise,flows of negative information from the Internet, stuffiness. This also includes reducing the workload, the number of family matters (if they are sources of stress).
Take a relaxing bath, add to itsea salt, use aromatic oils and your favorite shower gels and creams. The effectiveness of this recommendation is due to the combined effect on smell and tactile sensations.
Listen to your favorite music or watch your favoritefilm. This will give you positive emotions, which always acts encouragingly. This method is especially effective when you need to remove psychological stress.

The fourth group is specific techniques takenfrom the psychology of self-regulation. These techniques have been tested in many psychological studies, their effectiveness has been proven and is based on the features of neurophysiological regulation of the human body. They allow you to achieve a certain effect when performing a number of simple actions.

Autogenic training.It is based on the use of muscle and respiratory relaxation, as well as self-hypnosis. The exercises are performed in the cabman's pose (straight back, hands on knees, head hanging freely) or lying down. The training begins with calming down (the formula "I am completely calm"). Next come exercises to induce a feeling of heaviness and warmth in the hands (the formula "the right left hand is heavy and warm"), regulation of the heart rhythm, breathing (the formula "I breathe deeply, my heart beats evenly"), inducing coolness in the forehead area. Each exercise is repeated about six times and ends with calming down. The training should be systematic to achieve the best effect.
Massage and self-massage.Massage is known to have a relaxing effect. You can ask a specialist or just a loved one for a massage, the main thing is to relax and enjoy. However, if no one is at hand, you can do self-massage - gently massage, and then go over your face and head (forehead, temples, cheeks) with stroking movements, massage your palms and feet. Self-massage is enough to do several times a week.
Technique of a positive future. Think about the future, try to use positive and specific language, for example, "I will sign this contract with partners." It will also be useful to connect the visualization - try to represent in all the details the positive results of your actions.

Безусловно, нет необходимости следовать всем the above recommendations. However, choosing those that you like and implementing them in your life can help you relieve accumulated stress and significantly improve the quality of your life. We recommend reading: