With stress related illnesses at an all time high, there is ongoing news coverage about everything from yoga, to mindfulness to breathing techniques, all which are designed to reduce the effects of stress.
There are several healthy habits impacting our lifestyles that have been known to assist and release the ill- effects of reacting to pressure and work stress. Stress can have a direct impact on your health, wellness and emotional well being both at home and on the job.
“When I get stressed out” shares Lori Mesrain, a nurse practitioner, “I just close my eyes and look at my eyelids for about five minutes. I can see all my racing thoughts and I just watch my eyelids until all the commotion in my mind slows down.
Mesrain added, “I often put my hands in my lap while I close my eyes, and I become aware of my hands so I don’t drift off to never-never land by stressing out over my ongoing to-do list and racing thoughts. This helps me immensely.”
Mandy Dixon of Portland Oregon claims that sitting quietly always helps center her. “I like to soak in a hot tub, or just listen to the sounds of the water feature running after an especially long or hard day at work”.
No matter what your technique is, studies show that the most important part of calming down is getting still. Most people are so over-stimulated and taking in so much information that they lack the insight to understand the benefits of taking that extra five minutes first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Steven Covey, the author who wrote the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, shared a story with a principle often referred to as “sharpen your saw”.
The story was quite impactful, as two men were getting ready to cut down a tree. One worked all day without stopping even once to take a break. The other man took several breaks throughout the day. While the one worker who seemed to breakaway from the task was gaining in speed and quite ahead and all of his trees were falling down faster then his co-workers. The co-worker stopped his task and immediately asked, “How did you do it?”. The co-worker replied, “It was easy. During my breaks, I sharpened my saw.”
Experts say taking a step back and getting still helps by slowing down the emotional response that reacts to chaos. It is like rebooting a computer. By allowing ourselves 5 to 15 minutes to enable our minds to get quiet and take a rest, very much the same way we allow our bodies to rest after intense physical activity or we give our stomachs a break after a big meal, we can actually be more productive and less stressed out by taking that five minute break.