It's true that stress is often caused by outside factors that we have no control over, like having to pay for a new water heater, or having to take up the slack for an absent co-worker. But how we deal with those outside stressors can make things worse.
Many people dealing with stressful situations try to hold things in, keep it all together, and stay in control. But what they actually need is an effective outlet, a way to just let themselves go for a while and get everything out.
And that's where stress relief games can help.
Exercise
Physical exercise is often a great way to deal with stress. Once you are in the pool swimming laps, you will soon forget about the problems at work. And hitting a tennis ball for an hour or so is a great way to work out your frustrations.
People often feel better after they've done something fun and active for a little while.
Fun is the key. Doing a workout probably won't relieve as much stress as playing an actual game or sport, like basketball, would. If you are trying to relieve stress, make sure you are doing something you really enjoy.
Board and Parlor Games
How many times have you been really stressed out about something? Then something happens to give you a good laugh, and whatever was bothering you doesn't seem so bad anymore.
There is truth to the saying that laughter is the best medicine, so playing funny board or parlor games is a great way to relieve stress.
It's hard not to laugh during a fun game of charades. And you can find games online that are guaranteed to tickle your funny bone.
Games That Occupy Your Mind
One way to relieve your stress is to get your mind off of whatever is causing it. And playing menatlly stimulating games is a great way to do that.
There are plenty of games online that will occupy your mind and keep you from thinking about your troubles. Choose games that are challenging enough to hold your interest, but not so challenging they would cause you to feel frustrated.
If you like pencil puzzles, buy several puzzle books, along with a good supply of mechanical pens, and stash them around your home or office.
Jigsaw puzzles are also good stress relievers.
Stress relief games are a great way to ease your feelings of tension and anxiety. Whether it's engaging in physical activity, playing games online, or solving pencil puzzles, you are bound to find a game that will help you manage your stress.
Their familiarity with their environment and the ocean in particular was such that they couldn't perceive the ship (something they had never even imagined before). An elder medicine man that had the flexibility of perception had to describe the ship to his fellow tribesmen before they could see it.
This same familiarity applies to how we perceive our breathing.
To the ancient Indian system of Yoga, breathing is considered to be so important that before any task a yogi first prepares his/her breathing. Proper breath control is considered the key to healthy living. In fact, learning to do proper diaphragmatic breathing has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety permanently.
Our breathing is something that we have become so familiar with that we are almost completely unaware of its effects. Consider this, our breath bridges our conscious and unconscious i.e. unconsciously we are always breathing and at any time we can consciously focus on our breathing.
This is important to remember because all our emotional states are reflected in our breathing. If we are stressed our breathing tends to be shallow and focused in our upper lungs. In fact jerky breathing itself will actually increase anxiety and stress. While when we are relaxed we tend to breathe fully into our belly.
Knowing this you can observe yourself and know when its time to consciously take control of your breathing to control your stress.
Practicing belly breathing (diaphragmatic breathing) can be extremely beneficial and can be done anytime. Just follow this simple method?
Sit or stand with your back straight, put your hand on your belly and breath in a slow and deep pattern. Don't try to overfill the lungs or empty them - just breath softly but fully - expanding your belly on the inhale and contracting on the exhale. Keep your attention focused on your breathing. You will find that your mind will tend to drift. That is normal. Simply return your attention to your breath when you notice you got distracted. Allow the relaxation from this breathing pattern to spread through your body and just enjoy yourself.
This next one may come as a surprise to you?stress can cause the blood to drain from your forehead! This seriously diminishes your thinking ability.
This is a natural biological response to remove blood from your brain to your body so you can fight or run (the famous fight or flee mechanism). This is perfectly fine for when we roamed the plains but in modern day living we don't need to fight at work or run away from it. We have to learn to not only cope but to excel.
Fortunately there are two points on your forehead, that in the ancient Chinese system of Acupuncture are called the ?neuro-vasculars?. If you hold these points lightly, with a little deep breathing, they will bring the blood back into your brain!
These points are located about one inch above the center of your eyebrows. To make sure you got it, put the palm of your right hand on your right sight of your forehead so that the ?ball? of your forehead is in the center of your palm. Same for the left side. Breathe deeply while holding lightly. The 2-minute stress relief technique is simple.
When you feel stressed, angry, nervous, under pressure etc. Sit down with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Hold your neuro-vascular points while doing diaphragmatic breathing. In 2 minutes, you will feel more relaxed and clear headed.
Both Paul Phillips & Abbas Abedi are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Paul Phillips has sinced written about articles on various topics from Diabetes Treatment, Property Investment and Internet Marketing. I, Paul Phillips am a health writer researcher. I graduated in 'Biological Sciences' which includes biochemistry, physiology and nutrition. I have worked in various related research and development labs. I am always willing to give advice and help p. Paul Phillips's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Abbas Abedi has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Grants, Stress Management and First Date. Abbas Abedi---Discover Insider Secrets of Instant Stress Relief. Learn How Easy It Can Be To Relax Immediately, Evaporating Your Stress Away...While Picking Up Effective Stress Management Skills for Life! Visit:. Abbas Abedi's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.