Managing Stress

How can we best manage the stress in our lives?

Breathing techniques

There is so much power lying in controlling our breath and using it to relax our mind. Check out our recent blog on breathing techniques here: https://osteopathicworks.com.au/lifestyle-tips/breathingtechniques

Mindfulness

The concept of mindfulness, which originates from practices of Buddhism, is defined as “a focused awareness of one’s experience and purposeful, non-judgmental focus on the present moment” (1).

Mindfulness can include practices such as:

Meditation – meditation can be defined as “a set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention”. Check out the resources below for our favourite meditations.

Journaling – taking time to check in with yourself and how you’re feeling can be a powerful mindfulness technique. Some people prefer ‘free journaling’, however if you’re not sure where to start, here are some journaling prompts that we’ve found to be helpful –

“What went well today? What didn’t go well today? What can I do differently tomorrow?”

“What is making me feel stressed?”

“What makes me happy”

“What goals do I want to achieve in the next week/month/year”

Self-Praise - “What did I do well today?”

Gratitude – Focusing on gratitude helps us momentarily shift out of a negative mind frame and feel happier and more satisfied in our lives. You can practise gratitude by creating a mental list or through journaling. (2)

Affirmations – Positive statements about yourself, either written down or spoken out loud.

Exercise

Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins which are chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. (3) Our favourite ways to exercise include:

Walking, running, bike riding, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), yoga, pilates, low impact weight sessions. Accidental exercise like gardening, cleaning and dancing! And for ours Osteo’s, Gab – marathons and ironman competition, Taylor- golf, Ryan- cricket, Cody- basketball, Kane- gym workouts!

Some resources to help you get started:

Apps for Mindfulness

Smiling Mind AppHeadspaceInsight Timer

See below for some resources to help you get started:

Spotify

Relaxation playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWZqd5JICZI0u

Guided Meditations https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWVS1recTqXhf

Exercise

Free Exercise https://makeyourbodywork.com/how-to-exercise-at-home/

Yoga for Beginners https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yoga+for+beginners

Affirmations

https://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=affirmations

References:

Worthen M, Cash E. Stress Management. [Updated 2021 Aug 27]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513300/

Brown J, Wong J. How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain [Internet]. Greater Good. 2017 [cited 1 March 2022]. Available from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain

Exercising to Relax - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health [Internet]. Harvard Health. 2022 [cited 2 March 2022]. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax