Top Five Ways to Relieve Stress

By Ghost Rida

Everyone gets stressed out.  Even the toughest dudes out there feel stress, because stress can come about from a variety of reasons – from short term events like getting lost while driving or getting in an argument with your significant other, to the long-term stressful events such as job dissatisfaction, marital problems, illness, etc. 

Stress levels are high around the world right now.  We are constantly bombarded with news about the global economic crisis, job loss, threats of nuclear attacks, plummeting home prices, celebrity deaths, and so on.

Stress can manifest in a number of different ways, such as general anxiety, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, irritability, headaches, depression, etc.

The real problem with stress isn’t just that it feels unpleasant, it is that negative stress affects your body and your health if you don’t deal with it properly.

There are countless ways that people can deal with and manage their stress.  Some are healthy, and some are not so healthy.  If you’re feeling a bit stressed out, and wantt to manage your stress in a healthy, positive way, consider engaging in some of the following activities:

1.  Practice Deep Breathing
Sounds simple, right?  Deep breathing is a great way to relax, and best of all, it’s totally free!  Most people never think to try deep breathing exercises because breathing is such a normal, automatic human function that it’s a little strange to think of it as a stress reliever. But it works, and you should try deep breathing a couple of times a day. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Lie down with your back against your bed or the floor,
Step 2: Place your hands on your stomach, behind your head, or at your side, and just relax,
Step 3: Keep your eyes closed, and very slowly inhale deeply (try counting to 10),
Step 4: When your lungs are full of air, hold your breath for one to two seconds,
Step 5: Exhale very slowly (again, try counting to 10).  Repeat Steps 1-5, five to 10 times.

2.  Go Bowling
Bowling is an excellent way to relieve stress.  The earliest form of bowling dates back to Ancient Egypt, and today is enjoyed by nearly 100 million people in close to 100 countries worldwide.  Bowling’s physical and psychological benefits help to promote stress relief.  Exercise is a very effective way to manage stress, and bowling is a type of exercise that is similar to walking with free weights – it helps burn calories and works out muscles that are not normally exercised in a typical daily routine.  Psychologically, bowling works wonders to relieve stress.  You get to roll a round heavy object down an ally to knock pins down.  What’s more, if you bowl with your buddies, or in a social setting, you will help foster comradery and possibly create new friendships.

3.  Go Fishing
Make sure you’ve got a fishing license if your state requires one (getting fined for fishing without a license is just added stress).  Freshwater fishing is both fun and extremely relaxing activity. It doesn’t matter if you fish off a dock, a pier, or from a boat – you’ll have time to chill out between your next catch.  Fishing is extremely therapuetic because you’re engaged and focused on a leisurely and relaxing activity, which will help to disengage your brain from the source of your stress.  All you need is some basic fishing equipment and you are ready to go. You don’t need to be an expert angler or pro fisherman to enjoy fishing – the act of connecting with nature, even if you catch nothing at all, will work it’s magic toward your stress relief.

4.  Take Some Pictures
Photography is fun and rewarding, and like fishing, you do not need to be an expert to click some pics. The only thing you need is a basic camera, and some stuff around you to provide inspiration. Just look around at your surroundings and you will find the possibilites of things that can be photographed are endless.  You could even combine other stress relieving activities, such as bowling and fishing with photography.  Be sure to look at things from the photographer’s point-of-view and you will be amazed how different things look when captured by the camera. No camera? No problem (Check out our article of Top 5 digital cameras under $100). 

5. Work It Off Physically
Exercise, both cardio and anaerobic (weight training) is an extremely healthy and effective way to manage your stress. When you’re feeling ticked off, angry, upset, anxious, and stressed out, physical activity will help relax both your mind and your body. Exercise doesn’t have to cost you a dime.  If you don’t have a gym membership, you could engage in physical activities such as walking, hiking, stretching, jogging, running, skating or riding your bicycle to release the tension. Even just ten-minute of phsycial activity can go a long way toward helping your body manage the symptoms of stress.

Bonus

6. Sex
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of engaging in sex, you’re probably well aware that sex is a great tension reliever.  But if you’ve never thought of it as a stress-relieving practice, than perhaps you should start considering its therapuetic merits.  Convince your partner of this, and you’ll likely have even more sex.  The physical benefits of sex are numerous and they work very well toward relieving your stress. Unfortunately, many people have less sex when their stress levels are high, so you might have to make a conscious effort to get busy if you’re just not feelin’ that into it.