Are you stressed?
In my day to day life, I was finding myself stressed more and more. My blood pressure was soaring and I was overeating to deal with the stress.
In this post, I will elaborate on three ways to let go of stress.
Breathe deeply and slowly
Oxygen is what sustains our lives. Improper breathing is at the root of our many ailments. The rest can be chalked up to bad diets.
In fact, when we don’t breathe properly our body remains in a constant state of stress. And that stress fuels further stress.
There are many Yogic exercises that help you control your breath. We’re not going to do any of that. We’re just going to sit somewhere comfortable and take deep breaths slowly. Mindfully. This lowers cortisol levels. If you don’t know what cortisols are, they’re stress hormones. If their levels go high that means you’re stressed about something.
So here’s how to get started:
- Sit where you’re comfortable. Then place one of the hands right on the lower abdomen.
- First, exhale slowly and completely through the nose.
- Take your exhalation to a gentle end. Don’t strain. That kills what we’re trying to achieve here.
- Inhale through your nose first slowly and then expanding your stomach with the air. Keep going until you feel your breath has filled your rib cage, your lungs and all the way up. The air should fill you through and through.
- Ease into its end slowly without straining yourself.
- Now exhale through the nose gently once again, relaxing as you breathe out.
- Repeat this as many times you like. For starters, I’d like to keep this under 10. Do it every morning or every evening whenever you feel the need to.
Chuck out those bad thoughts with this technique
Bad thoughts fill the air. You open the news channel and reports are blaring out evil from morning till sunset and even after. You flip open newspapers and there are murder sprees and robberies filling the first few pages. You co-workers talk about it.
There’s no way to escape the constant barrage of negativity that surrounds us. Except that you can.
When you’re faced with a worrisome thought, focus your energies on something else. Something that made you calm before. Perhaps it’s a movie or family picnic. The light of the moment can fill you up erasing all negativity away. That’s what I do.
Ride a Motorcycle
There are many benefits to riding a motorcycle.
Even I was surprised to learn about them since I always thought motorcycle riding to be a sedentary activity.
For one, being in the outdoors lowers your stress levels immediately. You can feel the wind against your cheeks, hair, and ears. On a motorcycle, you are master of your destiny.
Here’s why.
When you ride a motorcycle your body releases endorphins, that immediately improve your outlook towards life. Time spent in the sun can boost the production of vitamin D. It improves mood according to many studies.
The sense of freedom it gives you is enthralling. Plus, it’s good for health.
Surgeons have noted that bike riders often tend to have better knees. They tend to have fewer knee-related problems, even as they age because it strengthens your core muscles that hold patella and other bones.
Yep being on a motorcycle can burn 400 to 600 calories an hour.