5 All Natural Stress Relievers

#1 Meditation – Mediation is an all-natural ancient strategy, originally used to strengthen and deepen the connection between humans and the mystic forces of life and the natural world; now commonly used as a quick way to relieve anxiety and stress as well as finding your inner self. Meditation entertains your feeling of self-awareness and self-being, giving off a sense of peace, relaxation and steadiness which could not only impact your immediate emotion, but your overall health in ways that man-made medicine could not.

How to meditate – There are many ways to meditate, as it is sort of an “acquired taste”, and personal preference. The most commercial and universal way to meditate would be sitting with your legs crossed (like a normal kindergarten crisscross applesauce style), wrists placed onto knees, while making an "OK" symbol with your hands while bringing your index finger and your thumb together, leaving the free.

Be sure to seat yourself in a room without sound (or with calming music), and for dramatic effect, dim the light and burn some incense. From here, I count up to 100, pacing myself and then counting down from 50 while simultaneously focusing on each part of your body for a few seconds; starting at your feet, legs, hips, stomach, arms, hands, chest, neck and ending at the head. At this point, I am normally calmed and focused on nothing but myself. You are now free from your worries, at least temporarily. More than anything, this helps me realize that there is more to do in life rather worry and that your mind is capable of millions.

#2 Be expressive – Whether you paint, draw, write, sing or dance, there are tons of ways to express yourself and nothing makes you feel more invincible than succeeding at something you love. Exercising your abilities will ensure you that you are great at completing tasks and handling your emotions safely as well as making yourself happy with the outcome of whatever it is you may be doing. As an artist, nothing makes me feel less weightless than completing a project does - the moment you hold up your canvas/sketchbook and realize you've done something beautiful as well as contributed to the art scene, you will feel more important than ever before. Your worries will cease to exist for the time being, replacing themselves with a feeling of accomplishment.

#3 Talk about it – As irritating as hearing "Get some help" may be, it might be time and not always professional. Simply speaking audibly about what may be causing you stress lifts a heavy weight off of your shoulders. Whether it be your mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, dog, etc someone is always curious to hear what you have to say. Someone listening will ensure you with safety in knowing that someone will always care, even if its just a little. 

#4 Exercise – Not all of us are ones to exercise, I certainly am not, although many are. Putting feelings into action may be the perfect situation to put yourself in. While exercising, your body releases endorphin's which are hormones known to combat stress. 

Ways to relieve stress whilst exercising – 

• One way to relieve stress would be in a high activity exercise like running, jumping, dancing, spinning, roller skating, etc as it increases your heart rate, forcing endorphin to be produced.
• Yoga, much like much like meditation slows breathing and thought processes easing your mind of unnecessary and toxic issues.
• Mixed Martial Arts is a way to fight off stress and anxiety in a literal sense. Doing this releases tension, energy, and frustration along side of keeping you active and teaching you self- discipline and defense. 

#5 Focus on the Present – Although stress seems unavoidable, it is easy to void it by simply focusing on the present. What ever may be stressing you likely will not effect current day, rather your past or future. Remember, some things are unavoidable and at the end of the day, you are still human. 


“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” -

John Newton