Just about everyone goes through stressful periods. You may feel overwhelmed by certain things happening in your life. The keyed-up feeling can disturb your concentration and make you feel nervous and jittery. There are ways to tone down your stress reaction and improve your mental state and coping ability.
Yoga
Yoga combines movement, stationary poses and deep breathing. The Mayo Clinic website states that yoga promotes mental relaxation, which reduces stress and prepares you to cope more readily with daily challenges. Many health clubs and community centers offer group yoga classes. You can also do yoga at home with DVDs, but the Helpguide online site recommends trying a class first. This will teach you how to do basic moves properly so that you don't use bad form or injure yourself. Yoga only requires a mat or soft surface and a towel to use for balance with certain moves if you are a beginner.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a gentle, low-impact exercise consisting of a series of slow, controlled body movements. Helpguide online explains tai chi requires concentration, which diverts your mind from worry, and helps you relax as you work through the flowing movements. You may be able to do it even if you have physical challenges. There are tai chi classes at health clubs and community centers as well as home exercise DVDs available.
Massage
Massage releases stress and relaxes your mind so that you are better prepared to cope. You do not have to invest money to take advantage of massage's benefits, Helpguide advises. You can pay to get a massage at a health club or spa, but there are also many techniques you can apply during stressful times. You can massage your scalp with your fingertips or massage your shoulder with the opposite hand crossed over your chest. This will soothe you and give you a few minutes to mentally focus.
Meditation
There are various forms of meditation, all of which can reduce anxiety and prepare your mind to cope with daily stress. Helpguide recommends starting with a simple focus exercise. Sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes and select a meaningful word or phrase. For example, the phrase might be, "I am strong and can handle whatever comes my way." Keep repeating it in your mind, consciously excluding other thoughts. If they try to intrude, release them without judgment or worry about how well you are doing. You can also buy recorded meditation CDs or download them on your portable music player if you prefer more structure.
