Stress is a bit of a fashionable buzz word. There are similarities and links between stress and anxiety - both can lead to unpleasant, disabling symptoms. When we feel stressed we often feel out of control of the situation - which undermines our self confidence.

So try these ten easy relaxation tips to feel more relaxed and in control.

1. Take a short break and leave a stressful situation. If you are at work, offer to run an errand or go for a short walk. A few minutes away can help you think clearly and the walk will get rid of some of the tension in your body.

2. Take a break from the activity you are working on and do something different. Sometimes it helps to come back to a stressful task later when you feel more relaxed instead of persevering. If you are at home with small children it is often better to stop when they, and you, become frustrated and take some time out to do something else so everyone can calm down.

3. Listen to relaxing music while you work. Listening to classical or nature music has been shown to lower heart rate and slow breathing. People often report feeling calmer after listening to calming music. Develop the habit of playing music in the background while you work for easy relaxation.

4. Take regular breaks during the day. Spend 5-10 minutes to read something uplifting or humorous, or chat with a friend. Small breaks help to prevent your mind and body from becoming fatigued, a major source of stress.

5. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware of the present moment. It is a skill that helps to reduce stress and depression. Learning relaxation techniques is a good way to start learning mindfulness. As you gradually become more aware of your body and subtle changes that occur with relaxation your ability to notice small changes will improve. Start by spending 5 minutes a day just sitting in the quite noticing the sights, sounds and bodily sensations you are having. You can also learn mindfulness through meditation techniques.

6. Change your focus. As people feel more stressed their attention becomes focused on what they believe to be the cause of their stress and they ignore other information. Write down the things that were good about the day. Keep a gratitude journal.

7. Have a hot bath or shower. This will help to get rid of the tension in your muscles which is a normal result of stress.

8. Write down the things that are worrying you. If you are worried it is very difficult to relax easily. Once you have written them down then see how much control you have over them. Can you take any action to solve the problem or are you worrying about things that are out of your control. Worry is a habit that can be helped by learning effective relaxation techniques.

9. Keep things in perspective. Ask yourself ‘how important is it?’ ‘How important will it be in a year’s time?’ Many of the things that cause stress are not important when we look at the big picture.

10. Slow your breathing and purposefully relax your body for quick results. This will be easier if you have learned easy relaxation methods that you can use when you need them. I’ll add more relaxation techniques in a future post.

壓力是個挺流行的術語。它和焦慮既有相同點又有某些聯系--它們都會導致令人不快的能力喪失綜合癥。當我們倍感壓力時通常也會感到自己對場面失去了控制--這會打擊我們的自信心。

所以試試以下十條簡單的放松小貼士吧，放松一下自己，控制好自己的情緒。

1. 休息一會兒放松下緊張的神經。倘若你正在工作，讓自己也當回跑腿，或者去散會兒步吧。只要離開幾分鐘就能促使你思維清晰，而散步還能讓你擺脫身體的疲勞。

2. 放下你手頭的工作去做些別的。有時松弛的狀態比起死命的蠻干更有助于你稍后再回到緊張的工作中。倘若你正和孩子們呆在家里，最好在你們都感到情緒低落時，出去做些其他的，讓每個人都平靜下來。

3 .工作時聽聽輕音樂。聽古典樂或自然音樂已被證實能夠降低心率和減緩呼吸頻率。人們總是覺得在聽過舒緩的音樂后感到自己心平氣和。記得在你工作時聽聽音樂以獲得放松，把它培養成習慣吧。

4. 白天工作時進行有規律的休息。花5到10分鐘時間讀些振作精神的或幽默搞笑的東西，抑或和朋友聊聊天。短時間的休息能防止你身心俱疲，這也是壓力的重要來源。

5. 要多關注身邊的一切。關注你周圍是一種認清現狀的能力，是一種有益于減輕壓力和抑郁的技能。學習放松技巧是開始學習關注的好方法。隨著你越來越注意自己的身體以及自己放松時的細微變化時，你觀察細小變化的能力也增強了。開始時每天花5分鐘僅僅靜坐著注意自己的視覺、聽覺和身體的感覺，你也可以通過一些冥想的技巧來學習關注。

6. 轉移注意力。人們愈加感到壓力巨大，卻把注意力集中在他們所認為的壓力根源上，而忽視了其他信息。寫下一天中感到還不錯的事，擁有自己的感謝雜志吧。

7. 洗個熱水澡吧。它會幫你擺脫通常由于壓力而造成的肌肉痙攣。

8. 寫下你認為正在困擾你的事。如果你真的很擔憂，想要立刻放松下來就很難了。一旦寫下后看看自己對它們有多少控制力。你能夠采取一些措施來解決問題 呢還是擔心事態的發展會超出你的控制范圍呢。擔憂是一種習慣，通過學習有效的放松技巧對其有一定的幫助。

9. 以正確的眼光看待事物。問問你自己‘它到底有多重要？’‘一年后它又有多重要？’從大局來看許多導致我們壓力的事并不很重要。

10. 調整你的呼吸，有意放松身體以獲得速效。如果你學習了簡單的可以隨需隨用的放松小方法，這就會簡單很多。在以后的信件中我會提供更多的放松技巧。