Feeling stressed? Remember it isn’t the actual stress that harms you – it is your reaction to it. Here are a few tricks to alleviate mild or moderate stress and its negative effects.
Breathe. Breathe in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Not those shallow, upper chest breaths we usually take but, deep stomach inflating breaths. This helps your body to relax and forces you to focus on something other than your stressors.
Relax. Often, when under stress, you will find that you are pressing your tongue firmly against your upper palate. Relax, and release pressure, by letting your tongue “float” freely at the bottom of your mouth.
Release. To release pressure, try scrunching up your face tightly for ten to fifteen seconds and then relax all the muscles.