Lower Your Stress in 5 Minutes

02/10/2004

Lower Your Stress in 5 Minutes

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

LOWER YOUR STRESS IN 5 MINUTES

Is tension getting you down, reducing your ability to concentrate? Dawn Groves, writing in BottomLine Personal (October 15, 2003) offers these tips to unwind and refresh your mind in only five minutes . . .

Move around. Take a quick trip through the halls of your workplace, or around the block. Walk up and down a flight of stairs. Do 15 jumping jacks.

Stretch while seated. Lace your fingers under your knee, and draw it to your chest. Repeat with the other knee. Next stretch your arms above your head, palms up and fingers interlaced. Drop your hands to your sides, then raise your right shoulder to your right ear, keeping your head vertical. Repeat with your left shoulder. Finally, bend back the fingers of each hand. This is especially important if you use the computer for long periods.

Take 10 long, deep breaths. Your belly should expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale.
Massage your eyes and ears. Place your palms over your eyes. Slowly spiral your palms while applying gentle pressure. Do the same for your ears.

Try aromatherapy. Put a drop of lemon-lime or orange essential oil in a saucer. These gentle scents relax you without making your home or office smell like an incense store.

How Stressed are you? We are surveying early childhood professionals on their sources of stress in the Exchange Insta-Poll for the week. Share your perspectives at http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0117
For more ideas on reducing job-related stress, check out our Articles on CD collection "Avoiding Burnout," with 20 articles on techniques for overcoming stress, at: http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0109

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.