DIY Stress-Relieving Tips

Stress reduction is imperative in protecting our health. Stress can affect us on either a psychological or a physiological level. It can manifest in symptoms as diverse as gastrointestinal disorders and even help fuel serious conditions like cancer. But don’t stress about it. Simply address the stress in a step by step approach, starting with any of the following tips.

• Imagine yourself being calm the next time you are under duress. You can envision yourself in a body of water or bath and imagine the water whisking your stress away. Another calming technique is to breathe slowly while keeping your eyes closed, and then imagine something that is calm such as a stroll through a meadow or relaxing on a beach.
•  Use lists for remembering things instead of depending only on your memory to give yourself a little bit of a break throughout the day. When we are overwhelmed with stress it's harder to remember everything we need to take care of, so prepare for your day by making a list.
•  Smile your way to being stress free. Smiling shows that you are happy. But did you know that smiling can also make you feel happy and relaxed. When you smile you transmit nerve impulses from your face muscle to the center of the brain that tells you that you are calm. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed take a minute to smile.
• Visualize calm in your mind. An example of calm would be a feather slowly falling down or a lake that's barely moving. Visualizing images such as this can help you keep your stress in check.
• Make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep. When we are tired, stress has a greater potential to impact us in negative ways. Minimize the impacts of a potentially stressful day by getting an adequate night's sleep the night before.
• If you are a parent, one thing that you can do to calm things down around the house is to read to your children. This will keep them in place so that they are not giving you a hard time when you get home from work. Reading to your children can help create a soothing atmosphere in your home.
• Exercise is wonderful to relieve stress. It gets your heart rate pumping and takes your mind off of the stressful events in your life. Consider activities such as walking, running, swimming or biking. Stress related chemicals are burned off during exercise and it is healthy for you.

Of course, if you are feeling as though your stress levels are becoming unmanageable, you should consider talking to a counselor who deals with stress will be able to talk you through your most stressful moments and times. Additionally, if you’re dealing with a highly stressful sickness such as breast cancer, fibromyalgia, hypertension, or other forms of chronic pain and life-altering discomfort, consult a medical professional near you as well. Don’t take your health for granted for one second.

These stress-relieving tips have been brought to you by Breast Cancer Surgeons of Texas. If you’d like to be checked for breast cancer symptoms, or have already been diagnosed with breast cancer and would like to connect with our experienced breast cancer specialists, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at (972) 981-3501.