6 Very Effective Ways to Instantly Reduce or Relieve Stress

Todd Gifford – Success Coach

The holiday season is kicking into full gear, along with which comes a massive amount of stress for most of us. Many of us rush around in an overwhelmed panic trying to cross everything off our lists and get the perfect holiday gifts for our loved ones, also dealing with harsh winter weather, cleaning the house for guests, stressful travel, and a million other things on top of all that!

I’d like to share some very effective tips with you for when you’re feeling overwhelmed this holiday season:

1. Our Own Thinking

Most if not all of the stress we feel is a result of our own thoughts, so if we can ‘think’ ourselves into a stressful state, we can think ourselves into relaxation. It can be helpful to simply tell yourself “I am now calm and cool under all circumstances; I am in control of my life; I now can let go and relax; I am in control of all my thoughts and actions; I am very effective and efficient in stressful situations. I love and honor myself; I have a positive attitude that I can handle myself in all situations.” You get the idea. Take some time to listen to an emotionally rewarding and uplifting CD program that reminds you of your personal power or very uplifting music. Exercise is also another positive way to change your mood and it has long-term benefits. And if exercise alone is not appealing, just combine exercise with some other things you would enjoy doing like reading a good book, watching TV, listening to music, etc… to get the exercise done.

2. Put Yourself in Positive Place

Try to get to a place where you can be alone — which is not as easy as it sounds! Imagine yourself in your favorite place or a quiet, peaceful location such as in a forest, on the top of a mountain or by the waterfront — a mental Shangri-la. The University of Delaware has done studies proving that imagining a quiet natural scene in your mind will significantly reduce your stress. The fact is that your mind does not discern whether you are physically actually in that place or simply vividly imagining you are really there. To prove this works, just remember the last time you were in a place that instantly made you feel good. Put yourself there in your mind or put yourself there physically if that is possible.

3. Breathe…deep

Another way to reduce stress is to simply breathe deeply several times. When your heart is beating too fast because of anxious feelings, controlled deep full breathing slows your heart and allows you to feel in control again. Breathing is also an effective form of muscle relaxation. The fact is that even though it sounds too good to be true, breathing deeply really does make a huge difference. That is why athletes naturally take big breaths before undertaking various events, starting a race, etc… It is instantly calming and allows for focus on the future. Also, we all remember when mom or dad told us to “take a deep breath” when we were all worked up or having a melt down? Well, I guess that is why!

4. Give Yourself Permission to…

Give yourself permission to have some positive personal rewards; anything that empowers you to feel like you are special! Always keep in mind that bad days don’t last. How often have you felt a lot better the next morning simply after a full night’s sleep? What changed from late last night to this morning? You did, not the world around you. Empower yourself not to let your current stressful state of mind control you — you always control how you feel with your thoughts, and you can simply change your thoughts. One of the greatest means of reducing or eliminating stress is simply to distract yourself away from the stressful topic and focus on something else that you are very interested in or passionate about.

5. Look into the future and take action

One of the great things to do in life when dealing with stress is to look forward to the future and what wonderful adventures you can experience and create for yourself and your family. And begin that future with immediate action. A great saying that I heard many years ago that I have used many times and reflect on when I am experiencing heavy stress is: “The best antidote to stress is…action.” Taking action, any movement of any kind begins to relieve stress.

6. Feel Gratitude

Being grateful for what is good in your life right now is a great instant stress reliever. There is nothing like gratitude to remind you that no matter how stressful your day is right now, you still have hundreds of positive things in your life. The more we focus on what is good in our life, the less time we have to focus on what we are unhappy about. The truth is, no matter how bad your day is, someone else in the world would look at you as being extremely lucky. Another great thing to do when you are stressed is to find someone doing something great and tell them how great they are and compliment them. This act of gratitude almost always dissolves your stress instantly.

These 6 methods of reducing stress instantly are proven to be effective, so when stress starts creeping up on you, put one, two, or all six of these to work!

Be Your Best,
Todd Gifford