By M.A. Fuller, Reiki Practitioner & Stress Management Coach
Do you find yourself often using the excuse “I don’t have time” for things like exercising, planning your meals, or tracking calories? In a recent Facebook survey, I asked participants a series of questions including why they are not currently managing their stress. The number one reason was, you guessed it: “no time.”
Giving yourself relief from stress does not have to become another stressor because you don’t know where to work it into your day. Here are five beautifully simple things you can do in less than five minutes a piece to experience immediate comfort.
Have Some Green Tea
This powerful antioxidant drink has an amino acid called L-theanine that produces similar affects to meditation. Bonus points to those who can swap out the coffee altogether for this zinger.
Listen to Music
Have you ever noticed when you hear your favorite song how happy it makes you? Playing music you enjoy throughout your day can cause mood elevation with its unique link to our emotions. Maximize this benefit with the Mozart effect, the ideal that listening to classical music yields a brain-enhancing response that can be calming and invigorating.
Give Yourself an Ear Massage
You don’t need to book an acupuncture appointment to reap the benefits of its practice. Take two minutes to do this: massage your earlobes with the thumb and index finger using moderate pressure and work your way up to the outer rim at the top of your ear. This will relax your face muscles and reduce tension in the body.
Practice Belly Breathing
Imagine a balloon inside your stomach that you inflate with your breath. Breathe in through your nose, counting to four and feeling your belly rise with the breath. Hold it in for seven seconds, then let it out slowly through your mouth while counting to eight. Repeat a couple of times to feel the immediate shift that happens in the nervous system.
Have a Stress-busting Snack
There are a number of edibles that can calm your nervous system, including bananas, raspberries, avocados, and walnuts; however, the best of all? Chocolate. That’s right, dark chocolate provides many health benefits and its antioxidants offer similar effects to those in green tea. Researchers say those who consume about 40 grams of dark chocolate a day experience lower levels of stress.
A tip for those who want to become stress-managing pros: don’t wait until the moment it feels like your heart will beat out of your chest to use these tools. Be proactive and take the five minutes for yourself. The results will be delightful, and you will start to live a flourishing life.
