Stress and illness go hand in hand. Here are ten ways you can turn stress into rest:
1. Buy a fish bowl or tank. Sit and watch your fish and do nothing else for ten minutes. If you’re a fish novice, start with freshwater fish. Your saltwater buddies dying might increase your stress level!
2. Listen to a recording of the ocean. Close your eyes, trying to visualize your ideal beach (and your ideal companion). Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, the breeze and salty air…hear the seagulls…take yourself there…
3. Drink chamomile tea. Do nothing else, except breathe. (You can drink the tea while watching your new fish.)
4. Listen to soothing music. Don’t try to somehow rationalize that Ozzie Osborne calms you down! You know what I mean when I say soothing music-something that would make a baby sleep more restfully, not wake her up and into some sort of auditory hell on earth!
5. Do simple music relaxation. Clench your muscles as hard as you can in each part of your body. Start with your feet, legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, and face. Be sure your door is closed when you “clench”…then release it all.
6. Take a break! Jump for five minutes on a mini tramp as an energizer, destressor, and lymphatic system stimulant. (Don’t drink your chamomile tea while on the mini tramp; the balancing act might stress you out!)
7. Drink a cool beverage through a straw. Don’t ask questions, just do it! You’ll feel the benefits.
8. Close your eyes and think of a number. Repeat it over and over again until your mind is blank except for the repetition of the sound of the word. Your troubles will drift away for awhile.
9. Imagine the air you’re breathing to be blue/green. Visualize the soothing blue/green color slipping in and out of your respiratory system.
10. Slice an apple in sections. Eat each section slowly, concentrating on each bite. Remember, stress relief is illness prevention. Don’t think of it as just involving quality of life-it affects life itself!