How to Get Rid of Stress Without Using Drugs

Is your work environment getting you stressed out? Do you find that coming home doesn’t relieve that stress and by the end of the week you’re ready to explode?

Many people turn to alcohol or even non-prescription drugs to help them get some kind of release from the anxieties of daily stress. Even though they do give temporary relief, they are not the best choice for stress relief for all the obvious reasons.

Did you know that when you are under stress, your brain releases chemicals that feed the anxiety state you’re in and continue to hold you in that condition even after the cause of the stress is gone? And did you know that your senses hold the keys to stress relief without the aid of addictive inputs going into your body?

Our senses play a unique role in helping to reduce stress. They can relax your body and relieve your mind and emotions.

Hearing: The sense of hearing has the ability to control the responses of both the emotions and the muscles in the body. Listening to quiet relaxing music saturates both the mind and the muscles with a calming sensation that actually stops the chemical release from the brain. The muscles, which helped to enforce the stress on the emotions, then begin to relax relieving the stress of the emotions.

Besides music, there are other natural calming sounds that can quickly release the tensions of stress. One is listening to the birds and the quietness of nature. Not only are the sounds calming, but the sensation of the breeze against the skin can be extremely relaxing.

Smelling: The sense of smell is tremendous in both encouraging and releasing stress. Some fragrances can have an aggressive effect on the brain, which helps to bring on stress especially during a trying time. Whether it’s your home scent or a perfume, it can bring about stressful or anxious tension.

On the other hand, the sense of smell can also relieve stress if it is one that has a relaxing stimulant. For example, lavender is known for its calming effects in relaxing muscles and for relieving tension. Soaking in a nice hot tub with lavender oils is a perfect way to relax the body and the mind.

Tasting: Some foods such as sugar can build up the tension within our bodies and help to keep us anxious and edgy during times of stress.

Fresh fruits and vegetables use up a lot of that stored energy just to get digested. Avoiding foods with sugar and replacing them with these natural foods will help to keep the stress levels under control, especially during those very tense moments.

As well, drinking lots of water will help to keep the toxins flushed out of the body, leaving your mind more refreshed.

Touching: Touching things that are directly related to the cause of the stress can keep the level of stress elevated.

If the stress is caused from working on the computer – whether it’s the computer or the work you’re doing that is making you stressed – get away from the computer and touch something totally unrelated. Washing your hands in water with relaxing scented soap can help to break the tension as the sounds of the running water begin to absorb the stress.

Seeing: Often when we’re stressed out, it’s the sight of the culprit that is edging us on.

Get away from that and let your eyes relax on something that you personally like to look at. Whether it’s pictures of people you love, a flower garden or your favourite rock star poster, if it breaks the contact that you had with the stress, you should look at it.

Sixth sense: Praying is a great way to reduce stress, after all, God said to cast all our problems on to Him and then He would give us peace. And when you get that inner peace, the stress starts to fall off. Just remember, He can do something about the problems when sometimes all we can do is live in them.

So, try letting your senses relax you and give you victory over the anxiety of stressful situations. They may not solve the problem that is giving you the stress, but they will help you to stay calm while you get the through them.