Exercise really, really helps. I practice Krav Maga regularly. Since I started doing this, my overall perception of stress went down and I get much better rest at night. There is nothing like spending an hour or three hitting people and/or pads to blow of steam. The exercise is great, and the friendly competition of sparring lets you get all of your tension out of your system and release pent up frustration.

I also found that going to the shooting range and doing some target practice can relieve stress. Shooting firearms (or even a bow) accurately forces you to concentrate on your target and technique to the point of pushing other concerns to the back of your mind. Pulling the trigger or releasing the arrow, and then being rewarded with hitting the target gives you a bit of satisfaction. It's basically a Zen exercise.

I also use deep breathing exercises whenever I find that I am stressed out, having problems falling asleep or really stuck on a frustrating problem. If you simply close your eye, breath deeply and slowly, and will your heartbeat to slow, it can be surprisingly relaxing and refreshing. A few minutes of this can help you to escape from daily pressures and clear your head enough to make calm rational decisions.

Finally, I suggest managing your caffeine and stimulant intake. You need only look at my avatar to know that I love coffee, but I am careful to limit how much I consume and when. If I'm having a rough afternoon and go and drink a couple of cups of coffee to "stay sharp", I find that my perceived stress goes up. The caffeine can make you jittery or excitable, and that makes it harder to avoid stress behaviors. A frustrating problem is more likely to increase my pulse if I'm amped up on caffeine.
Source(s):
http://www.mahalo.com/krav-maga
http://media.www.webujournal.com/media/storage/paper245/news/2005/04/07/New...
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1846535
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=e089c22110613b1315f5a84085...
http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/deep-breathing-exercises.html
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.ht...
http://www.stress-and-relaxation.com/deep-breathing.html
http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/caffeine.htm
http://stress.about.com/library/lifestylequiz/blcaffeinecomment.htm

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report