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Stress Relief Activities to Clear the Mind and Relax the Body
By Elizabeth Penning

Stress is a simple fact of life, and the question is generally not whether you experience stress but how to manage the stress that you feel. Stress can come in all shapes, sizes and physical as well as mental manifestations. You might carry your stress in your back, shoulders, neck or all over your body. Stress can make it difficult to focus and concentrate on tasks, and the result can be forgetfulness and lower productivity. Because stress can take its toll on you in many ways, it is important to find effective stress relief activities that will help you to keep your stress under control and enjoy a higher quality of life overall. There are two types of stress relief activities that can help you to relax and refocus. The first consists of mental activities, and the second is made up of physical activity. Combining the two types of stress relief activities will help you to focus your mind as you are relaxing your body.

Mental Stress Relief Activities

Stress not only runs your body ragged; it can affect the productivity of your mind as well. Fortunately there are a number of ways to clear your mind of stress and anxiety, so that you can refocus and concentrate on tasks at hand. The first stress relief activity for your mind is meditation. To perform this activity, find a comfortable position, such as sitting on the floor with your legs crossed and your spine positioned in its natural curve. Close your eyes and focus your energy on clearing your mind of all thoughts. You can help yourself with this process by counting “one” while inhaling and “two” as you exhale. Meditation can be harder than it sounds, so keep practicing until this process becomes natural to you. Another mental stress relief activity is imagery, where you visualize yourself in a relaxing setting like a beach with the waves softly rolling in. Finally, a mantra is a mental stress relief activity where you repeat a phrase such as, “I am calm. I am relaxed.” Repeating a phrase like this serves as another tool to clear and relax the mind.

Physical Stress Relief Activities

There are also stress relief activities that will serve to relax the body and manage the tension that stress brings. One physical stress relief activity that can be a very effective relaxation tool is called progressive relaxation. Beginning with the feet, you will tense each part of your body and hold for a few seconds. Next you will release the tension and focus on relaxing that body part before going on to the next area. Work from the bottom of your body up, until you are relaxing your neck and facial muscles as well as clearing and relaxing your mind. Another good physical stress relief activity is deep breathing. For this process, you simply count to three slowly as you inhale, and to three again as you exhale. Repeat this process until you feel the tension in your body relaxing. Finally, any type of aerobic activity is a great stress buster, whether you swim, walk or cycle your way to a stress-free you.

Stress does not have to take such a toll on your body. With a few effective stress relief activities, you can get a handle on your stress and work that tension away in no time at all.

Author Details:
Elizabeth Penning, copywriter for various web sites writing articles about natural health and other related subjects for sites such as the A-Z of and Information Junkie.

Source: Directory of Free Articles

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