Exercise your stress away

Learning a few techniques to de-stress is important for improving your energy level, mood and sleep. Vigorous physical exercise stimulates the production of endorphins, your body's "feel-good" neurotransmitters, and is a tremendous stress reliever. But even less intense physical activity reduces stress, so schedule some kind of physical activity into your schedule each week. This simple step alone — making time for yourself and your own needs — is a powerful stress-reduction tool. Here are three of my favorite de-stressing exercises:

1. Belly Breathing
Breathing deeply — bringing air down to the lower portion of the lungs where oxygen exchange is most efficient — is a powerful anti-stress technique. Unfortunately, few of us do this naturally. Though babies breathe from the belly without even thinking about it, most adults in this country are shallow "chest breathers" who walk around in a state of subtle but chronic oxygen deprivation. It's no wonder so many of us complain of having no energy.

It may seem strange to have to learn to breathe like a baby, but many of us have been trained to suck in our gut and puff out our chest. Training yourself to breathe slowly and deeply, from the belly rather than the chest, is well worth the time it takes. To learn this technique, you'll need to lie down on a comfortable surface — a carpeted floor is ideal, but you can also use your bed or sofa.

Start by lying on your back with your arms out at approximately a 45 degree angle from your body. Simply observe your breathing for a minute or two, noticing whether it is slow or fast, shallow or deep, regular or irregular.

Rub your hands together until they are warm and then place them on your belly, with the center of your lower hand touching your navel. Continue to breathe naturally with your hands resting gently on your belly. Don't try to force air into your belly, but simply observe whether your belly expands as you inhale and retracts as you exhale.

If your belly seems tight, massage it gently, using circular motions and focusing especially on the area just around your navel. Then place your hands back on your belly and observe your breathing. As your belly relaxes, you should notice it rising and falling gently with each inhalation and exhalation.

Once you've done this exercise a few times, you'll be able to recognize when you're breathing from the chest and learn to switch easily to belly breathing while sitting or standing. Doing a few minutes of deep, slow belly breathing when you feel stressed is a simple but effective way to ease tension throughout your body.

2. The Relaxation Response
Encountering a stressor literally takes your breath away. You might be driving down the road without a care in the world, but if another driver starts tailgating you, stress hormones kick in and your breathing changes, going from slow and deep to rapid and shallow. Your body is preparing for action, and your breath is quickening in anticipation.

An easy way to interrupt the stress response — and one that you can do anytime and anywhere — is to consciously slow your breathing. Inhale slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Try it: Inhale, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Exhale, two, three, four. Repeat this three or four times.

Once your breath normalizes, your body will follow. It may not "hear" you right away, but if you continue to breathe slowly and deeply, your brain and body will get the message and calm down. Instead of churning out more stress chemicals and setting you up for chronic stress, your body will learn a much healthier relaxation response. Your heart rate will slow, your blood pressure will drop, and less easily measured signs of stress will also abate.

For many people, combining slow, deep breathing with the mental repetition of a word is easier than focusing on the breath itself. Choose a word that you find soothing and mentally repeat it with each inhalation and exhalation. The silent repetition of a word pulls your attention away from the alarm bells going off in your body and frantic thoughts running through your mind. You pass from the hyperalertness of stress to the alertness of focused attention, and finally to a state of relaxation and peacefulness.

3. Smile Therapy
I learned about the healing power of a smile from the Whitaker Wellness Institute’s medical director, Svetlana Stivi, MD. She had read about it in a book by Mirzakarim Norbekov, a Russian researcher who investigated a monastery that was having remarkable results with patients with all forms of degenerative diseases. (I’d recommend the book to you, but it’s in Russian and not available here.)

Part of the therapy employed at the monastery could not be simpler. Each individual — visitor and permanent resident alike — is required to have good posture (to sit or stand erect) and to wear a smile at all times. That’s right, they’re required to smile. As Dr. Stivi explained how smiling could be healing, it dawned on me that here was a pathway to wellness, right under our noses!

You see, a smile is the physical manifestation of contentment and joy. When you feel content and joyful, you smile. No other part of the body registers any kind of visible change, particularly nothing as dramatic as a smile. The act of putting a smile on your face registers in the hypothalamus where endorphins are produced. Endorphins are substances that relieve pain and give a sense of pleasure, peace, and well-being. Smile and you immediately feel better.

Try it. Just smile. Hold it for ten seconds.

Every person I’ve asked to do that says they feel better. The experience of joy travels both ways on a two-way street. If you experience joy, you smile. If you smile, you will experience joy. You can’t have one without the other. Therefore, if you want to experience joy, simply smile.

If you have a hard time smiling, think of a close member of your family or a loved one, and remember the last time you saw him or her laughing. You will smile. This is joy traveling outward. Now, if you want joy to travel inward, simply configure your face into a smile.

Now don’t discount this advice, inaccurately assuming that I am suggesting insincere, senseless grinning. No, I am suggesting warm, sincere smiles. If this is difficult, then you simply need some practice.