Each of us is bogged down by stress in various ways. Stress is that which causes distress. Modern day living with all its complexities is ravaged with tensions, stress, strain and burn out. Stress is unavoidable. But ignoring stress is not the best solution. Stress can be managed but can’t be eliminated completely in any body’s life. Believe me; you are bound to be hit by rock one day. If you are leading the most stress-free life today you are lucky. Don’t expect this to last forever.

I personally suggest these 5 tips for reducing stress:

1. Deep breathe every day for 30 minutes
Breath is the primary cause of life. A minute’s lack of it can kill you. You won’t die if you don’t eat for a day or two. You can live without water for many hours, but you will cease to exist if you don’t breathe for more than a couple of minutes. In India various breathing exercises were (and are even now) practiced since days of yore. Such breathing practices are called in India as ‘Pranayama’. Prana means ‘life force’. Pranayama means ‘Breath Control’. Pranayama is the fourth ‘limb’ of the eight limbs of Raja Yoga. Pranayama techniques are undoubtedly beneficial in treating many stress related disorders. The pranayma technique that I advise you to learn and follow is the basic course from the Art of Living Foundation as taught by the founder of this non profit organization Sri Sri Ravishankar. The foundation course is for 1 week and you are taught the basic course. It takes about 30 minutes to do this. You need no equipment other than your time. It’s amazing to experience the effects of the rhythmic deep breathing technique as taught by the foundation. You are also taught a long duration breathing technique that lasts for more than 1 hour. The effects of this are really fantastic. This long breathing technique may be done once in a fortnight or so and completely cleanses your body of toxins. To those of you who do not know; The Art of Living Foundation originated in Bangalore, India and now has centers all over the world (in USA also). I strongly recommend you to join and learn Pranayama. I have learnt this and have done it for quite some time and can vouch for its effectiveness. I intend to restart this exercise which I gave up due to time constraints some time ago.

2. Keep yourself physically fit
A daily 30 minute physical exercise of some kind is a must to keep you in better shape and to beat the rest of the crowd. You can achieve this by simple Push Up or Press Up exercise. You have all heard and done this at some stage. This is one of the best strength training exercises. You don’t need any equipment and it can be done irrespective of the place you are in. All it takes is an 8 feet x 10 feet room to do it! The pushup should be deep, the chest should near the floor, and the inner elbow should form a 90 degree angle or smaller. Also the feet should be together. 50 push ups a day is good enough. It should not take more than 15 minutes of your time. If you have never done it before start with a small number and then increase slowly. If you are more driven and want to be even fitter then I suggest you learn the 30 minute ‘Body for Life Program’ by Bill Philips. It’s pretty good and does not take much time.

3. Talk it out
Stress is like a pressure cooker. It builds up and gets worse when there is no outlet. Don’t cork up your stress. Speak out. If you are not single then your spouse can be the best confidant you can have. If you are single you can count on your best friend, siblings or a close office colleague.

4. Rest and recoup
Remember the word STRESS contains within it the letters for the word REST. Lack of rest is another cause of stress. 21st century life unfortunately makes it difficult to get enough of this. We end up running too fast; too quickly, we get avaricious, we forget to set limits and go non stop without a break. Take it a little easy at least every now and then. You will feel less stressed.

5. Take a Multivitamin supplement everyday
Yes it actually helps. Take one high potency multivitamin supplement everyday. No human body gets all the organic chemicals required for perfect body and mental function though diet. Your body and mind needs hundreds of trace elements and chemicals to function in harmony. Also add Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) supplements to your diet. It’s a basic requirement.

How do you cope up with stress?

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