While life can be enjoyable, at times, it can get stressful too. And this stress is like a pressure cooker, ready to be let out at any minute. Also, a stressful situation will not give you any solutions to your problem. Hence, it is essential to calm yourself down and take a step back.
There are some really helpful exercises listed in this article to keep you cool, relaxed, and positive.
The Four-Four Technique
The technique is simple. You have to breathe in to the count of 4 and then exhale to the count of four. It’s all about deepening your inhalation and exhalations and taking a bit more time with your breathing, making sure it’s very deep belly breathing and that you are not just doing some rapid breathing from your chest. Usually, if you are quite stressed, you will notice that your breathing is shallower, and it’s not actually in your diaphragm; it a lot more in the chest. You need to be mindful when doing these breathing techniques. You can also place one hand on the chest and one hand on the abdomen. Where you focus, your breathing makes this technique a lot more effective. You should try and aim more towards the belly.
The Four-Six Long Exhalation Technique
This technique slightly differs from the one mentioned above. You have to inhale to the count of four and then lengthen your exhalations to be longer than your inhalations. So, breathe into the count of 4 and exhale to the count of 6. If you can, then try to lengthen your exhalations to be even longer than six counts. You can take some cues from breathing apps or meditation apps, giving you a visual representation of your breath.
Shoulder Circles
Start by moving your shoulders forward, up and back, nice and easy. As you inhale, draw the shoulders up towards your ears. As you exhale, let it go.
Side Body Stretch
You have to inhale, lift your arms, stretch your entire body, lengthen the tail bone down, grab the left wrist with the right hand and stretch your body sideways. Come back to the same position and do the same on the other side.
Backwards Stretch
Bring your hands behind your back, fingertips pointing up, and take a second to stretch your chest. As you do so, bend backwards by pressing your palms into the lower back, take a deep breath in and exhale and come up back to the centre.
Sitting Twists
You need to be in a sitting position on the ground. Take your left hand to your right knee and inhale. Lengthen your spine and lift your chest. Exhale gently and twist to your right. Inhale again and lift your chest and exhale. Come back to the centre position. Place your right hand on your left knee, inhale, exhale, and twist. You can repeat this ten times on each side.