Turkeys, cookies, family, presents, travel, stress. The holiday season is fast approaching and with the joy comes stress. Here are three things you can do today (or any day) to help.
Yoga
All exercise can help reduce stress but researchers have found that practicing yoga seems to be the most effective. Yoga can change chemical levels in the brain more than walking and other forms of exercise (1). Researchers compared a group of participants who walked for one hour, three times per week, to a group of participants who practiced yoga for the same amount of time. The yoga group showed increased levels of brain gamma-aminobutyric, or GABA. Low levels of GABA in the brain are associated with anxiety disorders and depression. On self-assessments the yoga group noted lower anxiety levels and greater improvements in mood as compared to the walking group (2).
Yoga classes come in many varieties and range from very low impact to high intensity. Because of the recent increase in popularity, there is a good chance you have access to numerous yoga classes in your area. Here at Promega, we even have a dedicated yoga room within our ZenZone with classes several times a week taught by one of our very own research scientists.
Laugh
Even just the anticipation of laughter can help reduce stress hormones in the body. Research participants were tested for cortisol and catecholamine, two hormones associated with stress, before and during a funny movie. Stress hormones decreased when participants were anticipating the funny movie and continued to decrease as they watched the movie. These results were statistically significant when compared to the control group who did not watch a funny movie (3).
So plan a night at the comedy club or at home with a funny movie. Don’t have time for that? Try watching a few silly videos on youtube.com and feel the stress melt away.
Music
Listening to your favorite relaxing music or classical music can reduce your stress reactions. Researchers tested this by giving participants a stressful activity and then randomly assigning the participants to listen to classical music, self-selected relaxing music, silence, or heavy metal music for 20 minutes. They monitored the participants’ heart rate, respiration, and skin conductance throughout the experiment. They also gave the participants written self-report assessments that measure anxiety, anger, and relaxation. Participants who listened to self-selected relaxing music or classical music exhibited a decrease in stress and an increase in relaxation compared to those who sat in silence or listened to heavy metal. Participants who listened to heavy metal experienced an increase in anxiety and anger. Those who were able to choose their own music experienced the greatest reduction in stress and anxiety, probably because they had a feeling of control over the situation (4).
If you are having a difficult day, carve out 20 minutes for yourself to sit and listen to your favorite relaxing music, and try to avoid heavy metal music on stressful days.
These are just a few ways to increase relaxation and decrease stress. How do you decrease stress? Share your favorite techniques in the comments!
Sources:
- Streeter C.C. et al. (2010). Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16, 11.
- New Study Finds New Connection Between Yoga and Mood. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October, 27, 2011.
- Anticipating A Laugh Reduces Our Stress Hormones, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 26, 2011
- Labbe, E., Schmidt, N., Babin, J., & Pharr, M. (2007) Coping with Stress: The Effectiveness of Different Types of Music. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 32, 163-168.
Becca McKnight
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Three of my favorite things. :)
What a wonderful article to come across, I am becoming more aware of the traveling community using Yoga as a way of reliving stress while traveling. It is so relaxing and a nice gift to my soul on some very stressful business trips and I am always happy to lay down the mat and return to the breath. I travel frequently for business and my life could be considered a stressful one if being examined by someone on the outside looking through a microscope. Yet, I always have been one to look for ways to relax my mind and find the path less traveled so to avoid that harmful mind eater. You mentioned laughing which is definitely the best medicine. Along with Yoga and laughing, I also have found it very relaxing to bring a hobby along with me so I am not feeling so far from home. I keep a film blog that I am quite passionate about and I found an excellent source for research while traveling which gives me the mental distraction I am looking for. I shook hands with new technology called the Sling Adapter available through Dish Network free thru a rebate to qualifying new and existing customers, which has changed an important part of my life. The Dish Remote Access app is free and downloads to iPads, laptops, and Smartphones plus there are no additional monthly charges and it is really that simple. It has given me the ability to have unlimited access to all my subscription programming and I need those movies. With the online content I can get tons of more movies and thousands of TV episodes but I can also schedule my DVR events remotely if need be and utilize the recordings. I found it strange that other companies restrict programming to their customers then charge for the app and the Sling technology. This technology is important because it challenges my creative side to blossom. My work for Dish Network will always require travel, which will take me away from my blog, but I can research everything I need while I am away. Then when I get home, I am prepared to write.
Thanks for your comment! It is wonderful that you are able to bring your stress-relieving techniques with you when you are traveling!
i loved your article i have so much stress in my life it usually depends on what kind of stress that is going on depends on what i do. if its heavy duty i usally will walk a couple miles to the hobby lobby and walk around if it isnt as bad i will crochet or read a book or watch something really dumb on tv that i normally wouldnt watch to forget aboutwhatever im stressed about. no matter where we go i carry a big bag of books and crafts my nintendo ds my ipod because my motherinlaw can stress me out so bad after reading this blog im gonna check into yoga cause another thing i do when im stressed is overeat and im definitly obese so hopefully i can switch out overeating for yoga.
Hi Karen- thanks for reading the blog and posting your comment. Good luck with your first yoga class; I hope you find it as calming and empowering as I do!