Five ways to cope with stress by Kate Johns

Stress is a killer. Over a long period of time, stress will cause harm to your body that you have no control over. Stress can lead to high blood pressure, illness, even colds and some allergies are brought on by acute stress. So what can you do to combat stress, and send some positive endorphins throughout your body?
First let's discover some helpful information about stress:

Stress is an emotional and physical reaction caused by your body's response to pressure from the outside world. Stress can actually be good for helping  to meet life's demands. Having too much stress can become a threat to both your physical and emotional well-being. When you are stressed for long periods, your body can't shut off the fight or flight response that elevates heartbeat, and blood pressure to handle stressful situations. Then it is hard to relax and enjoy life, and you can be in danger of stress adversely affecting your health.

When you are stressed  out, you feel it in your body. Your muscles become tense, you may experience headaches, your stomach becomes upset, and you can have difficulty sleeping. It's important to get rid of stress to feel better. You are ridding your body of the negative chemicals your body sends out in response to the stress.

Recognizing the symptoms of stress will help you deal with and handle it more effectively. Try these five stress- reducing techniques:

1.What is one of the best things you can do when you are in a stressful situation? You could break into a little dance while doing that all important presentation. But, that would probably get you fired. Instead break into a smile. Breaking into a 90 second smile will relieve all that tension in your body. It brings on positive hormones that make you feel better. And while you're at it, break into a silly laugh and feel that stress leave your body.

2.Try taking  deep breaths.The deep breathing technique forces the tension out of your body. When the kids are driving you crazy, go outside for two minutes. Count to ten slowly breathing in fresh air. Count to ten while slowly exhaling. Try this next time you are stuck in a traffic jam, or while listening to one of your relatives ranting on about another relative.

3.Take a break by giving yourself a mini-massage! You can massage the temples of your head or your shoulders right in the car, while you are stuck in traffic. Massage your tight, aching neck. Roll your shoulders forward and back to help loosen the tension out of the body. Repeat this about ten times, and you can just feel the tension melting away. Feels good now doesn't it?

4.Relax that jaw! Did you ever notice that when you really tense, you clench your jaw? Move your jaw around and give it a mini-massage to work out that tension. By unclenching your jaw, you release the tension buildup in your head, and your neck and sometimes your entire body.

5.Daydream your tension away. Compare daydreaming to sitting in a Jacuzzi, filled with hot sudsy water, soothing your aching body and releasing the tensions from your body. That is how daydreaming will make you feel, calmer, more relaxed and better able to handle the rest of your action-packed day.

Short-term stress can be a great motivator helping you accomplish tasks in a small amount of time. But long-term stress can harm your health. Ease stress out of your body by scheduling a few minutes every day for a massage, deep breathing and for some necessary daydreaming. Your body will thank you!