Relax. We are going to focus on stress relief, not stress.

You already know what stress is, what triggers it, how it makes you feel, and what it does to your body. You probably have lived for a long time with chronic stress, and you have experienced acute stress many times.  

Everybody has a general stress tolerance, and if you are sensitive, yours is lower than that of, let’s say, a robust firefighter. A lot of stress comes from the inside. It is caused by your perception of events rather than the events themselves. And the perception has been shaped by your experiences, often starting with childhood trauma.

Therefore, all healing work is focused on releasing stress. Sometimes, you need to dig deep (that’s where I and other practitioners come in), but often you can easily do it yourself. Relaxing is natural and pleasurable!

In this (ever-expanding) Stress Relief Guide A – Z, I want to bring a variety of methods to your attention. Get inspired, get creative, play with it – and learn to take it easy.

Click on the Magic Bottle!

Stress Relief A-Z

Acupressure
Based on the ancient Chinese healing modality of acupuncture, this is a finger-pressure massage on special energy points of the body. It relieves stress and pain. (EFT is a powerful tapping variation of this, treating mostly limiting beliefs and painful emotions). There are books where you can look up the various points and their applications.

Aromatherapy
Using Essential Oils to relieve mental and physical tension is natural and pleasant. It is one of my favorite stress relief methods. Smell different calming oils in a store (you can still order online), and choose one or a combination of them. For example:
Lavender, Geranium, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Sandalwood, Juniper Berry, Neroli, Basil, Bergamot, Cinnamon, Ylang-Ylang.

Art therapy
Forget all about you ever heard about art education, get completely out of your head, and just do it! Paint, draw, sculpt, potter, craft – whatever brings you joy. Go to one of those Arts & Crafts stores and get inspired. Even if you do this just for 10 or 20 minutes at a time – you will feel the relaxation effect.

Ask
This sounds strange, but asking other people instead of staying worried and anxious about things we can’t handle is an enormous stress relief! Computer problems? Ask the geek in your church. Don’t know what car to buy? Take your car-crazy friend with you. Know nothing about EFT? Ask me. You get the picture. Most people are happy to share their knowledge even with complete strangers. Of course, you can take this to a higher level: Go within and ask your Higher Self, your Guardian Angel, your Spirit Guide about a relationship, a new job, or your purpose in life.

Bathroom Spa
Women just love this pleasurable kind of stress relief. Turn your grooming into pampering yourself with aromatic baths or showers, creams, facial, hair and body  treatments, and whatever you can think of to experience supreme comfort and luxury.

Breathing
This is so simple that you might forget about it. From just taking a deep breath now and then to elaborate breathing exercises, there is everything possible. If you know how to do EFT, just a round of  Even though I have this constricted breathing... improves your breathing instantly and thus relaxes you.

Body Scan
A simple yet very effective stress relief technique. While you are sitting in a recliner or lying down, put your attention at one body part/organ at a time. Forehead, cheeks, eyes, nose, mouth…thumb, index finger, middle finger…heart, lungs, stomach…You get the idea. Do it slowly and with gentle awareness. Don’t think or do anything, just put your attention on the body part. If you fall asleep midway, well, that just proves that you are relaxed.

Chakra balancing
This involves meditation on the seven main charkas, or energy wheels, of the body. (If you don’t know where they are, google “chakras”). Starting at the root charka, you can visualize the specific colors they have, or just feel your way into them and see what comes up. Also, you can breathe into a charka, or place a crystal with the matching color on it. Just do what feels relaxing and/or energizing to you.

Cooking
Cooking can be real relaxing – if it is not a must, a duty. Find out what you love to cook or prepare: a salad with a homemade, unusual dressing, an exotic dish from a country that intrigues you, your grandmother’s applesauce…Add a positive emotion to whatever you create, and let it be easy…

Dancing
You are not a good dancer? Great! That takes the stress of performing out of it. Just play your favorite music and move – in whatever (weird, wild, silly) way. Do it alone, or with your kids, pets, and friends. Let it be fun, and nothing else.

Dream journaling
You should do this only if you really like doing it (remember, we want this to be a stress relief). Write down your dreams every morning, or whenever you remember something. You might want to discuss them with others, or look over them later to find recurring themes. There is actually a cool method I use for myself and with clients that is called “Changing dreams” – very useful for nightmares and other unpleasant experiences.

Exercise
I don’t know about you, but for me exercise is not the first thing that springs to mind when I think of stress relief. If it is for you, great, keep it up! For the rest of us, I want to say this: You have to find the kind of exercise that you like doing. Please take your time to find out what that might be. Look behind the obvious choices like gyms and jogging. Could it be Water aerobics? Square dancing? Tai Chi? Walking the dog? Stretching? Keep looking…

Flower essences
These emotional wellness remedies are taken internally. They are substances made from water and whole flowers, preserved in alcohol or sometimes vinegar. They contain no actual flower parts but work purely on a vibrational, subtle energy level to make you feel better. Best known are the Bachflowers, but there are many others. Sometimes mineral and gem vibrations are used. This is something to try out and see if you feel any effects.

Friend therapy
Women know all about that, don't we. Talking your emotional stuff through with a friend who is a good listener and does not want to "fix" it, is one of the biggest stress relief actions you can take. Just don't make it a one-way street. Be there for your friend when she (he) needs it too.

Habit restructuring
Bad habits (you know which ones) can be a major stress factor in your life, and changing them is a big relief. Just don't try to do everything all at once. Take little steps over time, and they will add up. It might help to get a buddy to keep each other accountable - and have fun.