Focused Breathing: Taking a moment to step back from what’s causing you stress and recalibrate is an important part of quick stress relief. Remove yourself from the situation, go somewhere quiet, and start to breathe. Put all of your focus on the long, deep breaths you’re taking, and allow nothing to break your concentration. If it helps, look at your stomach as it expands and deflates with each inhalation and exhalation.
Guided Imagery: Closing your eyes and daydreaming for five-minutes can also be an effective tool for stress relief. Visualize yourself being somewhere or doing something you enjoy and the feelings and experiences that come along with it. It can be a fantasy or memory – just lock into it and transport yourself. Putting on headphones or earplugs may enhance the experience.
Movement: Getting up and doing a quick five-minute walk or even just pacing around your house can help. But it might also build your anxiety! If it does, a yoga move called tree-pose may help. Stand up straight, then breathe and focus on bending one knee to lift your foot off the ground. Rest the heel of that foot against the inner thigh of your other leg. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a minute before switching legs.
Repeat a Mantra: If the guided breathing isn’t helping, try reciting a mantra while you do it. This could be one word, a sound like a hum, a phrase, or something affirming that makes you feel good.
Look Out The Window or Get Outside: Stepping outside to sit on a quiet bench or somewhere else that provides solace can help knock stress down a notch. If you can’t get outside, take a look through the window and take in the view. Even the sight of smiling people, a blue sky, or some leaves being hit by the sun can produce calm.
Taking five minutes to de-stress can help you refocus or save you from doing something you may regret, while also providing a quick reminder you can control your emotions. When time is of the essence, try these, or a combination of them, to regulate and refocus.
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