Simple solutions for letting go of stress

The school nurse calls: Your child is sick. Your car has a flat. Do you feel a headache coming on? Of course. Stress, well, stresses us out. You know the signs: Your shoulders tense, your breath speeds up, your heart races, you clench your teeth, all of which can make chronic pain worse. That can create a cycle: Your stress worsens your pain, and your pain stresses you out. Read on to learn more.

Under normal circumstances, some stress is a good thing. But if you're stressed all the time, learning how to let go is key. Start by learning to relax. It's a skill like any other. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation all work by reversing the dust-up stress causes: Stress hormones fall, your heart and breathing rate slow, and your muscles relax, lessening pain.

In fact, relaxation decreases signals to your brain's pain centre. Relaxation doesn't just undo the bad effects of stress; it also adds to the balance sheet, increasing your energy and focus, boosting your immune system, and even letting you focus on solutions instead of problems. Ever wonder why you come out of a hot shower or back from a walk knowing the solution to a pesky problem? That's the power of relaxation working.

You can't always eliminate the cause of your stress, but you can still get stress relief instantly. Try a few of these stress stompers.

• Breathe. Take a deep breath through your nose, hold for four to six seconds, then purse your lips and let the air escape through your mouth. Continue for five minutes, and you'll be so relaxed no one will know you.
• Avoid. Hate the highway traffic jam? Take the back way home. Too much on your plate? Say no to the next request. Worried about world events? Turn off the news.
• Run early. Stressed by time pressures? Leave for events 15 minutes earlier than usual.
• Don't do it all. Once you take a breath, you'll realize that maybe not everything has to be done, or done yesterday. The leaves can wait until next week. The big project can be broken into small steps. Pizza can replace a home-cooked meal. Perfection is a pain.