A Quick Way to Relieve Stress (Right at Your Desk!)

STRESS!!!!!  It's a natural part of life and something we all experience and deal with on a daily basis.  Some stress is actually good for us and can help compel us to act and can result in a new awareness or perspective on life.  Take some time and think about what stress you are currently experiencing in your life. 

The key with stress is NOT to eliminate it (especially the positive stress!) but rather, to learn how to manage stress and how our bodies react to it.  I was recently creating a stress management presentation and came across some great tips on how to manage stress in our daily lives.  I thought I would share one way you can moderate your physical reaction to stress.  It's called PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION and its a technique that takes a few minutes and you can do right at your desk!  It's a technique where you tense and release all of your muscle groups.  I outline below how this process works.  Read through it and the next time you find yourself stressed at work, given it a try.  It may sound a little cheesy but it will help you feel calmer and better able to handle the stressful situation you may be experiencing.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

1.  Find a quiet place and a few free minutes.  Make yourself as comfortable as possible.
2. Begin by tensing all the muscles in your face.  Make a tight grimace, close your eyes as tightly as possible, clench your teeth.  Hold this for a count of eight as you inhale.

3.  Now exhale and relax completely.  Let your face go completely lax, as though you were sleeping.  Feel the tension seep from your facial muscles. 

4.  Now repeat the process with the following three groups of muscles

      a) neck, shoulders, and arms

      b) abdomen and chest

      c) butt, legs and feet

Quickly focusing on each muscle group, one after the other, can relax your body and quickly

reduce stress at any time.

Hopefully this will help decrease the stress in your life, even for a few minutes!!

Happy relaxing!

E-