Orlando Health

How to lower your stress level in 10 minutes

by Wendy Bacigalupi-Bednarz

Whether you find yourself facing a minor fender-bender, a looming deadline, or a fast-approaching locomotive, any stressful event can trigger a series of well-coordinated, nearly instantaneous reactions in your body. Often known as the fight-or-flight response, this process evolved as a survival mechanism for humans and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations, helping them to fight off danger or escape to safety.

While the stressors may have changed over time, the body’s response has not, and the more stress you have, the more it can affect your health and well-being. Sometimes, all we need is a few minutes to slow down, reevaluate why we are stressed, and make a conscious choice to relax, says Diane Robinson, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist with the Integrative Medicine Department at Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

Fortunately, there are some surprisingly quick and fun ways you can cope with stress that take 10 minutes or less:

Practice Your Breathing

Slowing down your breathing is one of the simplest ways to de-stress. One technique is known as Sama Vritti or equal breathing. Pay attention to how you breathe. Inhale and count to four, hold it briefly, then exhale and count to four. Slowing your breathing tells your brain to stop releasing stress chemicals.

Aromatherapy

Studies show that specific essential oils used in aromatherapy can help relieve stress, relax the body, and promote better sleep. Essential oils such as lavender, bergamot, ylang ylang, clary sage, and jasmine can be diffused into the air or applied to acupressure points on your body.

Take a Walk

Walking helps your body produce endorphins – Mother Nature’s feel good chemical – and releases some of the physical tension building up in your muscles. In addition, exposure to sunshine helps our bodies manufacture vitamin D, a natural stress buster that regulates serotonin.

Bring Your Pup

Take that walk a step further. Bring your dog along, says Dr. Benjamin Kaplan, an internal medicine physician with Orlando Health Physician Associates. Walking your dog helps reduce stress levels and can increase oxytocin levels, another stress-busting happy hormone.