February is all about heart health—what you can do to improve it, ways to prevent damaging it, and finding out what heart-healthy habits work for your lifestyle. Stress is a big contributor to poor heart health, so relieving stress is a natural way to improve your odds.
But reducing stress, especially when you’re a nurse, is not always as easy as it sounds. Sure, you can try (and probably have great success with) yoga classes or even with the scientifically proven meditation. But if you want to find something a little off the beaten track, try these odd ways to give your stress the boot.
1. Bake Bread
Baking bread is such a huge stress reliever that some medical professionals tell their patients to try it. But you have to put the bread machine away for this one. This is bread baking the old-fashioned way. All the banging and kneading of the dough not only gives your upper body a workout, but the repetitive motion is incredibly soothing. Then call a friend to come over and share your wonderful loaf of bread.
2. Laugh Really Hard
There are lots of formal and informal laughing groups that gather strictly for the purpose of laughing. People get together and try to force a few big laughs, but the resulting honest laughter can really relieve your stress. You can also get your laugh meter going the old-fashioned way. If you want your laughs to come from something funny, tune your radio into some comedy stations, download some funny podcasts, or get some comedians’ CDs from the library. You might have to seek it out, but ticking your funny bone really is good for your health.
3. Carry a Fragrant Cotton Ball
This might sound weird, but carrying around a cotton ball infused with an essential oil can have a huge impact on your mood. Carry your scented cotton ball in a baggie or a small plastic container (remember the idea of this blog is weird ways to relieve stress!) so you can sniff it periodically throughout the day. Lavender is an excellent and well-known relaxing scent. Citrusy scents like lemon, lime, or grapefruit are invigorating and might help your brain out of an afternoon slump.
4. Rest Your Eyes on Beauty
When there’s no way you can step outside or escape to the blue ocean of the Caribbean, find an app with a flickering fireplace or with soothing ocean waves or the bird songs in a rainforest. Spending a few minutes looking at something peaceful (bonus for added sounds) will bring your blood pressure down a few notches even if it’s not the real thing. You can spend just a few minutes gazing and then get back to your day a little more relaxed.
5. Watch a Sad Movie
This is not for everyone! But if you are one of those people who feels relieved after a good cry, you might want to turn on a good tearjerker. A good crying jag can release a lot of pent-up emotions and, in fact, get rid of some of the stress you’re holding in. But, if you’re someone who takes a long time to shake the sad feeling of movies that make you weep, skip this tip.
Finding out what makes you feel better is always good–even if it is a little out of the ordinary. In the end, what matters is your health, so find a great stress reliever and stick with it..
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