Students and Holiday Shoppers: Tips on How to De-stress

Published: December 14, 2009Posted in: Mind and Spirit
Carrie
By
Carrie
A simple hot shower or foot bath can take away a long day's stress

A sim­ple hot shower or foot bath can take away a long day’s stress

This time of the year often brings with it the joys of the sea­son but the stress of work and the hol­i­day in gen­eral.  Regardless of whether you find your­self hun­kered down in the office a few extra hours a day to make an extra dol­lar or two for gifts or so you can take an extra day or two off the cel­e­brate, chances are you are going to feel the ten­sion in the neck, in the shoul­ders, pos­si­bly with the kind of ten­sion headache that can take you down.  Finding ways to relax so you can enjoy the sea­son has to be put at the top of your to-do list. 

A good place to start is with those activ­i­ties that you know leave you feel­ing ready to return to con­quer­ing the pan­de­mo­nium.  Here is what we suggest:

1. Massage Therapy

hotstone

credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmap/3346266989/

Massage ther­apy brings the union of art and sci­ence with the mere touch of human hands.  Massage ther­apy can relax those mus­cles and sooth aches and pains.  Under the care of a pro­fes­sional mas­sage ther­a­pist, you will expere­ince a restora­tion of bal­ance in the body and help­ing one cope with the inten­sity of the season. 

2. Meditation  

meditation

credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/1676300378/

Meditation is another method of calm­ing and releas­ing harm­ful tox­ins from the mind. Stress cause you to have anx­i­ety, ten­sion and uneasi­ness, and med­i­ta­tion can wipe away that stress and bring inner peace. It gives you more time by mak­ing your mind calmer and more focused. You can start with a sim­ple breath­ing med­i­ta­tion. Sit up straight, and focus all your energy and thoughts just on your own breaths. Start with ten min­utes and grad­u­ally increase it to fif­teen min­utes, and try to do it every­day. Look on the Internet for more advance med­i­ta­tion guides.
 
3. Music Therapy

Music ther­apy has shown to have a pro­found effect on the body and psy­che.  Music ther­apy is being used to help can­cer patients and oth­ers with pain man­age­ment and to help ward of depres­sion.  Music affects the body and mind and depend­ing on the beat, music can bring a sense of alert­ness and con­cen­tra­tion or that calm, heal­ing feel­ing you might need most at this time of the year.

4. Others
Here are some oth­ers that are com­monly suggested:
  1. Reading
  2. Exercise
  3. Organize your tasks
  4. Surround Yourself with Loved Ones
  5. Take Time To Pamper Yourself