10 Ways to De-Stress Anytime, Anywhere

Before you leave work: Prep for tomorrow. Nothing is more stressful than being unprepared, says Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., Ph.D., author of The New Feminine Brain (Free Press, 2005). Get organized so you're ready for the next day, taking a few minutes to make a to-do list and clean up before you leave. Knowing you've got everything covered means you'll be less likely to fret about work in the evenings. "When you come in the next morning, you'll have the sense that you're in control of the situation and can handle it," Schulz says. "This sets a positive tone for the day, which can help you get more accomplished." Before you leave the house: Arm yourself with snacks. According to the APA survey, more women than men (one in three) turn to comfort food such as ice cream and cookies to ease stress. "It's common for women to deny themselves favorite foods because they're trying to lose weight. But under stress, the urge for them becomes even stronger," says Ellen Frankel, coauthor of The Diet Survivor's Handbook (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2006). In fact, researchers at Montclair State University in New Jersey recently confirmed that dieters are more likely than nondieters to overeat when under pressure, bingeing on the very same high-fat foods they normally try to avoid.

The key is to not deprive yourself, Frankel says. Her advice: "Keep three or four snacks on hand that you know you'll probably want -- peanuts, if you like salty; string cheese, if you crave protein; a small piece of chocolate for something sweet -- so you aren't tempted to binge." When you have only five minutes: Try a repeat performance. Doing almost any routine, repetitive activity (like vacuuming, shredding paper or knitting), or reciting a word that represents how you wish you felt (such as "calm") is a quick way to achieve a Zen-like state. Studies show the effects -- lower blood pressure and slower heart rate and breathing, and decreased muscle tension -- are the result of the relaxation response, says Herbert Benson, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and Shape advisory board member. The crucial elements are to focus on a word, your breathing or a movement and to bring your attention back to your task if your mind wanders or negative thoughts intrude. Or look to your religion for a mantra: A recent study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that repeating phrases with spiritual meanings helped participants cope with a range of problems from anxiety to insomnia. In the bathroom: Wash your hands. When you're under pressure, you're more susceptible to cold viruses and other germs because your immune system is suppressed. Hand washing is your best defense. Lather up with soap and warm water for 10 to 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday." In your car: Turn on some tunes. According to a recent study published in the British journal Heart, slow or meditative music (such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9) is a proven stress buster, so set your dial to a soothing station during your commute. And, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, sneak in this quick exercise from Pelletier: Grab your steering wheel and clench the muscles in your fingers, arms, shoulders and back. Do this until your muscles begin to tremble (about 4 to 5 seconds), then release. "You'll produce a wave of relief in your upper neck and arms all the way down to your fingers," Pelletier says. Just make sure your foot's on the brake when you let go of the wheel! On weekend errands: Use the ATM -- once. Limiting your cashwithdrawals to once a week is a quick, easy way to monitor yourspending habits, says Deborah Fowles, author of The Everything Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s Book(Adams Media, 2003). "Multiple trips to the ATM make it harder to trackyour money," Fowles says. "If you put yourself on an allowance and paycash for everything, you're more aware of what you're spending and morecareful about what you buy."

And while thinking about your finances may be enough to send youover the edge, it turns out that getting them under control easestension in the long run. (Money and work tied for first place as theleading sources of stress, according to the APA survey.)When you have a weekend afternoon free, do Fowles' No. 1take-control move: Write everything down, so you can see exactly whereyou stand financially -- what you owe, the amount of interest, yourmonthly income, your budget. "Not facing what you're up against createseven more stress, because it's always in the back of your mind," Fowlessays. "But once you have the information down, you can begin settingconcrete goals using real figures. And taking action will make you feelso much better." At the gym: Hit the pool! You'll beat the heat andsquelch stress: A new Swedish study published in the InternationalJournal of Stress Management found that floating in water triggers thebody's relaxation response, helping lower stress-hormone levels. Evenbetter, nearly 80 percent of the subjects showed improvements such asfeeling less tense and depressed. At home in the evenings: Give your thumbs a rest.Thanks to e-mail, cell phones and BlackBerrys, it seems like your jobnever ends. The increasingly blurry boundaries between work and homelife leave us with less downtime than ever before (and in some cases,no downtime!). "Advances in technology are a leading source of chronicstress, putting many of us in a constant state of alert," says ReedMoskowitz, M.D., founding medical director of Stress and DisordersServices at New York University Medical Center in New York City. Not tomention, it draws our attention away from our families: A recent studypublished in the Journal of Marriage and Family found a link betweenthe use of cell phones and pagers at home and increased stress, whichspills over into family life. To make technology work for you, screencalls with caller ID or, better yet, limit your cell phone and e-mailuse to working hours only. Can't kick the "CrackBeny" habit? Set aregular time you'll check it in the evening (say, after dinner), soyou're not constantly disrupting home life to keep tabs on work. When you're facing a major life change: Recall a pastsuccess. Taking five minutes to reflect on how you pulled through otherstressful situations, like your last breakup or when you switched jobs,can help you reconnect with your resilient side, Schulz says. "In themoment, it may feel as though you'll never get over your presentproblem, but when you look back, you realize that you felt similarlybefore and found a way to overcome it." If you're going through adivorce or recently lost a loved one, you also may want to seek out asupport group: Research on grieving presented by the Center for theAdvancement of Health in Washington, D.C., suggests that talking withpeers is even more beneficial than one-on-one counseling in the initialmonths after a loss. Before bed: Do an asana in your pajamas. A simple spinal twist can help you get a better night's sleep, says Edward Vilga, author of Yoga in Bed(Running Press, 2005), now out on DVD. "It alleviates tension that'sbuilt up in your lower back along the day," he says. Sitting on yourbed with legs crossed, place your right hand down on the bed behind youand rest your left hand on your right knee. Sit up straight and inhalefor four to eight counts, lengthening your spine as you breathe. Onyour exhale, begin to twist toward your right hand (don't strain yourneck). Hold this position for four more full breaths, lengthening yourspine on the inhales and deepening your twist on the exhales, if itfeels comfortable. Repeat on opposite side.Your Body, Under Stress"We all need a little stress to keep us going," says Daniel Amen, M.D., psychiatrist and author of Making a Good Brain Great (Harmony, 2005). "But, as we've all heard, it's chronic exposure that can seriously harm your health."How stress works: When you're under pressure, the hormonesadrenaline and cortisol kick in, making your muscles tense andincreasing your heart rate and blood pressure, so you're alert andready to leap into action. This "fight-or-flight" reaction is often agood thing: It's what prompts you to swerve out of harm's way on theroad or to push to meet a really tight deadline. After the danger haspassed, your body stops producing stress hormones and within an hour,tops, returns to its normal state.When you're under chronic stress, Hormone levels stay high."When cortisol is elevated, it causes trouble for virtually everysystem in the body, affecting everything from memory and sleep tofertility and immunity," says Pamela Peeke, M.D., Shape advisory boardmember.Gail O'Connor is a freelance writer who lives in New York City.Source: Shape. Powered by Yellowbrix.