Emergency stress relief strategies: Seven supplements and tips.
Taking active steps to beat stress and calm your nervous system is essential for fat loss, not to mention optimal health. However, even if you are doing everything right to modulate cortisol, there may still be moments of crisis, exams, deadlines, meetings or presentations that send your heart racing out of your chest and your stress levels through the roof. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to take the edge off in any situation.
Breathe: Sounds simple right? We do it all the time. However during time of stress most of us take rapid, shallow breaths from our upper torso. Abdominal breathing is a much healthier, more relaxing way to breathe. Just four deep belly breaths will also trick your body into a relaxation response and get you out of that flight-or-fight mode so common with stress. Best of all, you can be right at your desk. Simply inhale for four seconds (while expanding your stomach like you are filling up a balloon) and then exhale for four seconds. Pause for two seconds before the next inhale and repeat then repeat the process as many times as you need (for a minimum of four).
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Go for a massage: We know that the cortisol and adrenalin we produce when we're under stress are destructive to our body tissues, immune system and adrenal glands when they are present in high amounts for long periods of time. A study from the International Journal of Neuroscience (October 2005) found that massage increases endorphin release, which is excellent for treating pain, depression and anxiety. It helps ease activity in the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and increases our parasympathetic response (rest and relax). So beyond simply feeling good while you are on the table, massage has definite physiological benefits. If you work in a busy downtown core you may just be able to find someplace that offers short, seated 15 - 20 minute massages that you can get on your lunch hour.
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