Activities to Help with Stress Relief

A lot of people believe that when they are feeling stressed out there is no way to find any stress relief. It´s a common mis-belief that engaging in some sort of fun activity or hobby will not, in some way, relieve their stress.

But this could not be further from the truth!

It is now common knowledge amongst therapists the world over that engaging in activities such sport, games or hobbies will have a dramatic affect in your stress relief. It is not unheard of to find some of these therapists working in stress management clinics to help and advice people overcome their stress related conditions.

Stress Relief and the Mind

One of the first things that stress will affect is the way your mind works. When you are stressed out it is very easy to allow situations to blow up out of all proportion. Little things and events suddenly become big overwhelming situations that way you down and stress you out.

It is important to learn to concentrate your mind on positive thoughts rather than let it dwell on negative ones.

Use your mind to focus in a more diverse and productive way by doing a crossword puzzle or other simple puzzles can be very beneficial to your stress relief.

It may well be a good idea for you to find some sort of puzzle such as sudoku, a crossword or even simply reading a book that you can sit down and engross yourself in when you return home from work.

Most people use the TV as some sort of stress relief technique, but this really isn´t the best solution.

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Stress Relief and Sport

One of the best ways to help with stress relief is to take up some sort of sport. Why do you think so many business people play golf?

Your body needs physical exercise, period, but it also acts as a good release for stress and emotional problems like anger, depression, irritation and anxiety.

So, in actual fact you will be killing two birds with one stone when you take up some sort of sport.

The other good thing about sport is that it get you involved in a group activity which is also good for stress relief. It doesn´t matter whether you take up football, basketball, or even golf, you will end up interacting with other people. You will probably realize that the problems you are having and stressing out about, other people have too.

Stress Relief and Working Out in the Gym

You could join your local gym to give your body a good workout. One thing to check before going to a gym is that your blood pressure is not too high. Most gyms nowadays will want you to meet with one of their instructors who will show you how the various machines work and may even ask to take your blood pressure.

People suffering from stress often have high blood pressure. This does not mean you will not be able to make use of the gym, but your instructor should develop a program designed especially for your needs.

Stress over a long period of time can create problems with your heart and a good work out in the gym will strengthen your heart to help it cope with high blood pressure and the possibility of a future stroke.

So as you can see there are plenty of activities you can get involved in that will have a positive affect of your stress relief.

Some may be solitary such as solving a crossword puzzle or reading a book, others will be group activities such as basket ball or tennis. Some may even be strenuous like a visit to the gym.

Either way they will all give you some sort of stress relief.

Stress Management And Your Health

Bad stress management will nearly always affects the outcome of your health. Depending on the stress level of an individual, the impact of stress on your body can vary from the minor level, of simply having sweaty palms, to the major level were you suffer a heart attack and possibly even death.

Not all stress is bad for you! A little bit of stress can even be quite good!

But if you let stress build, over time it can slowly deteriorate your health and could potentially cause major health problems in the future. Stress management and health are crucial to avoiding poor health in the coming years.

So that you can manage stress and your health better, you first need to know what affects stress can have on your body.

Physical And Behavioral Signs Of Stress

Stress management tends to come in two different sorts, external or internal. External stresses could  involve a situation at work, a death or illness in the family, or simply by becoming angry.

However, the majority of stress that men and women experience is often self-generated or internal. Simply putting too much pressure on yourself over a period of time will begin to show up as ailments and illnesses in your body eventually.

Let´s face it, we all do put ourselves under pressure. We all want the nice things in life, even if we can´t always afford them, just to keep up with the Jones´s

Stress can affect your major body systems. Whenever you feel stressed, your heart rate increases, along with your blood pressure. This is called the "fright and flight syndrome" and occurs perfectly naturally in your body.

It was designed by nature to help you cope whenever you are in a situation of danger. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase to give you more energy so that you can run to safety.

But, when you are in a stressful situation day after day, the continuous pressure inside your heart can make you vunerable to cardiac arrest or other heart-related problems.




Your digestive system can also be affected during times of stress. In some cases people can experience diarrhea and constipation, a symptom called Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. This is a complaint that has certainly increased over the last decade or more.

Occasionally stress may also stop you from getting a good nights sleep. You either lie awake all night worrying, or you wake in the middle of the night and you can´t get back to sleep again.

If worry is one of the main contributing factors of your stress then you might consider the Sedona Method for releasing and letting go of all your worries.

One symptom of stress you should be mindful of is if you feel nausea, with a tightness in your chest, neck, jaw and pains down your left arm.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek medical advice immediately! It could be the first signs of a heart attack!

Peoples patterns of behavior often change when they are experiencing higher levels of stress. Smokers will perhaps smoke more than normal. People become edgey or aggressive more easily when they suffer from stress, which if their sleep pattern has been affected is not surprising.

A person’s diet may also be affected by irregular eating habits brought on by stress.

People who cannot handle their stress management, will sometimes resort to alcohol and drug abuse, develop compulsive behavior disorders, or become impatient and irritable. These are all effects of stress.

Long Term Implications of Bad Stress Management

Exposure to high levels of stress in the long term can affect a person’s well-being. When the body is put under stress it produces hormones to enable it to cope with the situation, called the fright and flight syndrome as mentioned above . The short term effects of this rush of adrenaline can cause muscles to tense, an in increase in breathing and heart rates and feeling of queasiness.

The long term effects include migraines and fatigue headaches, digestive disorders, allergic reactions, and even heart disease. In men premature ejaculation and impotence and can occur, while in women they can develop erratic menstrual cycles.

When your body is continuously releasing these hormones, insomnia can sometimes occur due to your sleep patterns being affected . Unless stress is managed, in severe cases, recurring muscular aches and pains, mouth and peptic ulcers along with ulcerative colitis and eczema can develop.

Living Healthy

How you identify stress is important to your overall health. When stress becomes too high, the damage to your physical and mental well-being can be irreversible. Living a healthy life can help a person cope with stress easily.

Exercise plays a very important part in health and stress management. Along with a healthy diet, exercise is the most effective way to lower stress levels. Sugar metabolism improves through the more efficient use of insulin.

Exercise can also help put a stop to the cycles of stress-eating, indulgence to alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

You may also consider learning self-hypnosis as part of your stress management techniques. Taking anti-stress supplements and vitamins while avoiding alcohol are also successful methods of improving health and help you to cope with stress better.