A Chiropractor’s Take on How to Reduce Stress

While there is positive stress that we all need to keep us going, negative stress is a universal issue that can lead to all kinds of difficulties, including ill health. There are any number of things you can do to lessen the likelihood of becoming “stressed out,” but what you can do to reduce the negative stress you may be feeling right now?

Here are some things we tell our Ann Arbor chiropractic patients that they can do to immediately reduce stress.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to reduce stress. It might seem contrary to common sense, but putting physical stress on your body – by exercising – can reduce mental stress. Exercising regularly can be the most effective stress-reducing form of exercise.

Light an Essential Oil Treated Candle

Using essential oils or burning an essential oil scented candle may help reduce your feelings of stress and anxiety. Some essential oils are especially soothing, such as lavender.

Laugh

It’s good for your health, and there are several ways it may help relieve stress. Also, it’s hard to feel stressed when laughing.

Listen to Soothing Music

Listening to soothing music is just that – soothing – which helps relieve stress. Listening to soothing music has also been shown to release hormones that decrease the feeling of stress.

Write

One way to handle stress is to write things down. While writing out what you’re stressed about is one approach, another is writing down what you’re grateful for. Expressing gratitude may help relieve stress by focusing on what’s positive in your life.

Deep Breathing

Deep-breathing exercises can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the relaxation response. There are a few different easy deep breathing exercises, including diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing, and paced respiration.

I hope the above stress-reducing ideas help you, and our Ann Arbor chiropractic patients, reduce any negative stress you might feel.

If you have questions about this blog post, chiropractic, back pain, neck pain, or headaches, I can be reached at my Ann Arbor chiropractic office at [email protected].