Pondering Thoughts: Effective Stress Busters

CHOCOLATES. CLASSICAL MUSIC. MILK TEA or TEA LATTE. POSITIVE THINKING or HAPPY THOUGHTS. TALKING TO SOMEONE I TRUST. STOPPING THE CLOCK! 

These are some measures that had been proven to uplift my feelings whenever I am in blues! They are my ever-reliable stress busters. 

For a professional advice, WebMD recommends 10 on-the-spot techniques you can use -- any time and almost anywhere -- to reduce the tension in your life.

Meditate - Any repetitive action such as walking, swimming, painting, knitting -- any activity that helps keep your attention calmly in the present moment. Try it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day and watch stress levels drop.

Picture Yourself Relaxed - Try creating a peaceful visualization, or "dreamscape." The idea is to take your mind off your stress, and replace it with an image that evokes a sense of calm. The more realistic your daydream -- in terms of colors, sights, sounds; even touch and feel -- the more relaxation you'll experience.

Breathe Deeply - Feeling stressed evokes tense, shallow breathing, while calm is associated with relaxed breathing. So to turn tension into relaxation, change the way you breathe.

Look Around You - Mindfulness is the here-and-now approach to living that makes daily life richer and more meaningful. It's approaching life like a child, without passing judgment on what occurs. Mindfulness means focusing on one activity at a time, so forget multi-tasking! Staying in the present-tense can help promote relaxation and provide a buffer against anxiety and depression.

Drink Hot Tea - Coffee raises levels of the notorious stress hormone, cortisol, while green tea offers health and beauty. Chamomile tea is a traditional favorite for calming the mind and reducing stress. 

Show Some Love - Experts say social interaction helps your brain think better, encouraging you to see new solutions to situations that once seemed impossible. Induce the relaxation response by cuddling your pet, giving an unexpected hug to a friend or family member, snuggling with your spouse, or talking to a friend about the good things in your lives. 

Try Self-Massage - Relax, and travel straight to Zen-land. Try this simple massage technique:

• Place both hands on your shoulders and neck. 
• Squeeze with your fingers and palms. 
• Rub vigorously, keeping shoulders relaxed. 
• Wrap one hand around the other forearm. 
• Squeeze the muscles with thumb and fingers. 
• Move up and down from your elbow to fingertips and back again. 
• Repeat with other arm. 

Take a Time-Out - When you sense your temper is about to erupt, find a quiet place to sit or lie down and put the stressful situation on hold. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on releasing tension and calming your heartbeat. Quiet your mind and remember: Time is always on your side, so relax. The stress can wait.

Try a Musical Detour - Music can calm the heartbeat and soothe the soul, the experts say. So, when the going gets rough, take a musical stress detour by aligning your heartbeat with the slow tempo of a relaxing song. And you might want to make that a classical tune. Research shows that listening to 30 minutes of classical music may produce calming effects equivalent to taking 10 mg of Valium.

Take an Attitude Break -Thirty seconds is enough time to shift your heart's rhythm from stressed to relaxed. The way to do that: Engage your heart and your mind in positive thinking. Start by envisioning anything that triggers a positive feeling --- whatever it is, conjuring up the thought will help slow breathing, relax tense muscles and put a smile on your face. Creating a positive emotional attitude can also calm and steady your heart rhythm, contributing to feelings of relaxation and peace.

HAVE A STRESS FREE LIFE! 

                              ENJOY LIFE TO ITS FULLEST!