While we tend to think of stress as something situational in nature, it’s actually more helpful to think of it in terms of a cumulative effect. By themselves, unexpected gridlock on the way to work the deadline of the important project being moved up a week and an argument with your significant other may not stress you out.
However, if all of those events happen to occur on the same day, you can find yourself feeling incredibly stressed out. When you find yourself in such a state, you might fill the impulse to indulge in some fatty fast food or alcohol, but doing so will only cause you to feel more stressed out.
Instead you might consider doing something that would trigger the body’s natural relaxation response. The term relaxation response refers to the process wherein the brain releases stress busting hormones into the bloodstream which have the effect of inducing a state of profound calm.
As this Fitness Republic piece explains, there are a few different ways of triggering this response, including the practice of meditation or yoga. It’s also worth noting that a session with a qualified massage therapist or a quality massage chair can induce the relaxation response as well and it’s especially useful for those who have not had much experience with meditation or yoga.
Read the full article here: https://fitnessrepublic.com/live/stress/the-relaxation-response.html