<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Stress Less Every Day\\nHaving a tense week? Month? Life? Use one (or more) of these instant relaxers to give your overwhelmed mind and body the break they so desperately need.\\nMusic not only soothes the savage beast, it mollifies the slightly frazzled one as well. The *Journal of Music Therapy* reports that people who delivered impromptu speeches while listening to relaxing music\u2014in this case, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major\u2014showed no jump in heart rate, blood pressure or the stress hormone cortisol. In contrast, their counterparts who said their bit to the sound of silence turned into virtual stress monsters. Although researchers aren't sure why some tunes [chill us out](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow), it may be just a matter of time before doctors prescribe an iPod instead of Prozac.\\nTuning in to Jon Stewart (or anyone who makes you smile) does a body good. Hearty laughter ramps up your immunoglobulins\u2014the [immune system](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow)'s seek-and-destroy weapons\u2014for 12 or more hours post-guffaw, notes Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Not into late-night TV? Call your funniest friend. Simply knowing you're in for a chuckle [boosts immunity](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow).\\nOf all the things you can do to bring on calm, [aerobic activity](/takecareofyou/walking-improves-brain-power-slideshow) may be most effective, says Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., head of the neuroendocrinology lab at Rockefeller University in New York City. Besides bestowing [heart benefits](/takecareofyou/feel-better-slideshow#slide=3), [workouts](/takecareofyou/yoga-anti-aging-workout-slideshow) seem to counteract stress-related memory loss by speeding up production of new nerve cells in the hippocampus, the brain's memory-processing center. Exercise also increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the decision-making area. \\\"That's why your thoughts start to flow on the treadmill,\\\" McEwen says.\\nDon't let [meditation](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow#slide=2)'s hippie-dippy reputation keep you from enjoying the rewards. Taking time to do absolutely nothing for a few minutes each day is soothing, and it also lowers blood pressure, reduces aches and pains and [revs up the immune system](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow). Try this: Sit still, clear your head and spend five minutes concentrating on a calming word such as float or relax and repeat it to yourself over and over. What are you waiting for? Stop right there and do nothing.\\n\\\"Too often the alarm goes off, we jump out of bed and we never get the chance to slow down,\\\" says Darrin Zeer, author of *Everyday Calm* (Chronicle Books). Tomorrow, before you emerge from under the covers, take five deep breaths, squeeze your knees to your chest while lying on your back, then let them drop to each side to stretch your lower back. \\\"This will help you start off on the right foot,\\\" Zeer says. Slowly roll out of bed and begin your day feeling more flexible.\\nVenting to a friend is good for your [emotional state](/takecareofyou/emotional-eating-slideshow), but now there's evidence that venting on paper is even better. According to the *Journal of the American Medical Association*, nearly half of a group of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers saw an improvement in their symptoms after writing down their thoughts about a [stressful](/takecareofyou/yoga-sun-salutation-workout-slideshow) event in their life. As for the rest of us, Laurie Cunningham, author of *Happiness in Half the Time* (Writers Club Press), suggests ending vitriolic journal entries with a positive thought. (\\\"Renovating my kitchen has sapped my soul, but if I can learn to use a power sander by myself, I can do anything.\\\")\\nYou probably think you already know how to breathe, but even so, your respiration could likely use a brushup. When we feel anxious, we may take shallower breaths or too-deep gulps of air. To [regain your equilibrium](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow), exhale fully and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth. Next, inhale through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for seven counts if you can and exhale with a whooshing sound through your mouth for eight counts. Repeat for two minutes. The result? More O2 and, as Victoria Maizes, M.D., executive director of the integrative medicine program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, points out, \\\"It's tough to tick through a mental to do list when you're counting.\\nSpend some time every day checking yourself out\u2014and not in the hubba-hubba way. Ask: What's going on in my body? What am I thinking and feeling right now? No matter how hokey the exercise seems, giving yourself an emotional once-over on a regular basis can [improve your mood](/takecareofyou/yoga-sun-salutation-workout-slideshow) and health. In fact, in a study of 62 stressed-out volunteers at West Virginia University in Morgantown, people who used [meditation techniques](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow#slide=2) to recognize when they were most relaxed\u2014and when they weren't\u2014cut their anxiety levels by more than half. They also saw a 46 percent drop in run-of-the-mill stress-related medical symptoms. Our advice: Once you're able to identify the relaxed you, hold on to her as long as you can.\\nYou'll look [movie-star gorgeous](/takecareofyou/22-ways-to-be-beautiful-slideshow) surrounded by flickering candles, and the dim setting actually signals your brain to dispatch melatonin, the good-for-you sleep hormone. That's a good thing, because a better night's rest doesn't only make you feel better, it also shores up the [immune system](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow). Plus, the more zzz's you get, the easier time you'll have keeping a smile on your face no matter what the day brings. So stop feeling guilty about last night's $50 dinner at that fancy-schmancy new Italian restaurant.\\nJohn Lennon was on to something when he asked us to \\\"imagine all the people living life in peace.\\\" Numerous studies have shown that [visualization](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow#slide=7) (aka guided imagery) can help manage pain and depression as well as stress. Moreover, this [mind/body technique](/takecareofyou/mind-body-techniques-slideshow) has been proven so effective that the insurer Blue Shield of California now sends patients guided-imagery tapes and CDs before surgery because of visualization's ability to speed the healing process. But don't wait until you're about to be cut open to try it. Log on and find how-to CDs at SerenitySupply.com. Otherwise, picture yourself relaxed and healthy in your favorite place. With a pi\u00F1a colada in hand.\\nListen up, worrywarts: \\\"You're essentially creating lots of little stresses in your mind all the time,\\\" says Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Her solution: Anytime you start to fret, jot the thought down in a notebook and set it aside. Then block out half an hour at the end of every day to address your concerns. Saving up your angst this way has been shown to reduce the total time spent worrying\u2014which may very well benefit your health. Write on!\\nEver wonder why yogis seem so mellow when they leave class? According to Roger Cole, Ph.D., a psychologist in Del Mar, California, engaging in some serious [Downward Dogging](/takecareofyou/yoga-sun-salutation-workout-slideshow#slide=6) can slow respiration and cause a dip in the stress hormones that elevate blood pressure. Plus, people who practice [yoga](/takecareofyou/yoga-anti-aging-workout-slideshow) regularly seem to be less prone to insomnia, notes Cyndi Lee, author of *OM Yoga Today* (Chronicle Books). Who says pajamas can't double as workout gear?\\nPerhaps you've seen\u2014or maybe heard\u2014those wacky folks in the park who sit in a circle and beat drums. Surprise: It's the music making, not the marijuana, that brings on the happy buzz. Group drumming has been shown to lessen the impact of stress, [improve mood](/takecareofyou/beauty-self-esteem) and increase the activity of white blood cells, the body's [natural cancer fighters](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow). Not into percussion? Joining any recreational music group, regardless of the instrument or players' abilities, has a positive effect on health. Yes, there is a right time to sing \\\"Kumbaya.\\\"\\nAn ultimate-Frisbee league, a church or synagogue\u2014they're more than just good places to meet and mingle. Belonging to a club, attending services and volunteering have all been shown to make as big a difference to your health as getting enough [exercise](/takecareofyou/walking-improves-brain-power-slideshow) or [quitting smoking](/takecareofyou/feel-better-slideshow#slide=4), according to Joseph Grzywacz, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (But remember not to overdo the doing good. Stretching yourself too thin can be detrimental.) \\\"Being connected to others and contributing to society is beneficial for your health,\\\" Grzywacz says.\\nGo straight to the spa. Do not pass go, but do collect $200, because once you experience the bliss of massage, you'll need more moola to get another. And another. And so you should, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Massage [combats pain](/takecareofyou/injury-prevention-slideshow), Field says, by triggering the release of serotonin, a brain chemical thought to influence mood. It also slows the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. Field recommends regular professional rubdowns. In the meantime, stand with your back to a wall with a tennis ball nestled in the small of your back. Bend your knees slightly and straighten for a do-it-yourself quickie.\\nWhen men come home from work, their blood pressure usually drops. Not so for women. According to research published in *Psychosomatic Medicine*, university-educated women who return home to two or more kids or to loads of housework at the end of the day have a diastolic blood pressure about three points higher than those who arrive to fewer children or minimal chores. If you don't think three points sounds like a lot, chew on this: A five-point drop in blood pressure decreases the risk for stroke by 34 percent and heart disease by 21 percent. So don't be cheap; hire a cleaning lady. It's less expensive than sending the kids off to boarding school.\\nThe key word is happily. Harmonious unions can make for lower blood pressure, while rocky marriages may put you at a greater risk for high blood pressure, shows a study at the University of Toronto. Of course, having a mate who leaves his socks on the floor can be stressful, but if the guy also makes you smile, it's worth it.\\nThe truth about cats and dogs is that they can keep you calm. That's what researchers found when they paired furry animals with keyed-up stockbrokers and then asked the brokers to give a speech and do math problems. People given pets not only performed better, but their blood pressure and heart rate also stayed lower than those of their animal-free counterparts. Moreover, pet owners claim that their four-legged companions make them \\\"better able to see what is really important in life,\\\" says study author Karen Allen, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo in New York. A note for all those wondering: Sea monkeys don't count as pets.\\nNo ashtray required. Simply plunk down a lamp with an incandescent bulb, especially if your office or cubicle is illuminated with those ungodly fluorescent lights. \\\"The two kinds of bulbs work together to more closely mimic outside light,\\\" says George Brainard, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Good ol' sunshine (or the perception of it) is what regulates the body's biorhythms. Not getting enough of it can throw your hormones out of whack, suppressing the [immune system](/takecareofyou/best-antioxidants-slideshow) and increasing the probability of [mood swings](/takecareofyou/emotional-eating-slideshow), depression and sluggishness. And you thought it was your boss!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.self.com/gallery/reduce-stress-slideshow?=%2522_blank%2522>