Relaxation at the touch of a button: These exercises will help you reduce stress

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It is often said that stress goes away on its own. But anyone who is constantly under pressure knows that the side effects can be stressful. Restlessness and hectic pace drain our energy and cause us to burn out over time.

After stressful phases, it is therefore crucial to find relaxation again. This balance ensures that stress does not make us sick in the long term. So it's worth pausing and asking: What requirements are putting us under so much pressure? And how can we actively counteract this?

A simple but effective way to calm down is to take small breaks in your everyday life. Here we show you the best relaxation exercises that can work wonders in stressful moments.

Recognize and reduce stress in everyday life

We often associate stress primarily with the professional environment. Ultimately, stress can occur in every area of ​​life. This also includes problems in the social environment.

Typical signs of stress:
You don't sleep well, you're constantly tired, you have trouble concentrating, you're in a bad mood and you lose interest in life.

Relaxation exercises can help in such stressful moments. Relaxation exercises not only help with acute stress, but can also be used as a preventive measure - take a few minutes every morning or evening.

Reading tip:Find out more about theCauses and health effects of stressat Onmeda.de

Sport and exercise are particularly effective against stress

Originally, physical stress reactions served to prepare us for possible escape scenarios. But since modern humans no longer have to flee from predators, it can be helpful to give stress another outlet - namely physical exercise. There are no limits to the type of exercise you can do, whether it's a simple walk in the park or sports like running or strength training. Yoga, for example, is particularly popular.

Yoga is a great form of stress management. The gentle movements of the individual exercises help you relax. The video shows youFitness trainer Andreawhich yoga exercises help you relax.

Would you like a break from everyday life? 10 minutes of relaxation yoga

Relaxation exercises for stress: mantras

are one of the simplest relaxation exercises for stress. You can recite them any time and at any time and modify them depending on the situation.

Good mantras are for example:

  • I'm totally relaxed.
  • I will manage this.
  • I am enough.
  • I am strong.
  • I find the solution to the problem.

In order for the mantras to work, you should look for a place that is as quiet as possible. Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, whichever suits you best. Close your eyes, breathe in and out slowly and consciously and say the mantra several times in a row. By the way, you don't have to say it out loud, you can also do it in your head.

To calm down, it can sometimes help to actually lie flat on your back and use an eye mask. For example, some eye masks contain lavender scent, which is known to have a calming effect on most people. Are the eye masks filled with linseed (like here on Amazon)*, they nestle comfortably against the face.

Also read:

Stress management – ​​The 10 best tips for a more relaxed life

Stress management - The 10 best tips for a more relaxed life

Breathing exercises help against stress

In hectic situations, people often breathe quickly and shallowly. It is precisely this breathing that increases the stress effect. You can easily counteract this by getting into the habit of breathing differently. One of the best relaxation exercises for stress is deep abdominal breathing.

Here's how:
Sit upright. It is best to place your flat hand on your stomach to control your breathing. Close your eyes and then breathe in deeply, very slowly, through your nose. Hold your breath for a short moment and then slowly breathe out through your mouth. Repeat this breathing until you feel more relaxed.

Abdominal breathing becomes loud oneStudyAlso used by elite US soldiers and Navy Seals to maintain calm during acute stress. You can find out more in this article: SOS breathing techniques that immediately reduce your stress levels.

Stressless support from smart helpers

There are now more than just smartphone apps that you can use to do breathing exercises with a timer and instructions. More and more smartwatches are also capable of this, such as the Apple Watch or the Fitbit Sense.

In addition to managing stress, the smart pieces of jewelry can do much more. Among other things, this makes it particularly easy to keep an eye on heart health. On the one hand, this is exciting for athletes to optimize their training. On the other hand, and especially for people with heart problems, there is an integrated ECG app that can be used to check your heart rhythm for signs of atrial fibrillation. You can also use the smartwatch to make phone calls, listen to music, monitor your sleep and even check your skin temperature track.Here you can get the smart piece from Fitbit directly from Amazon.*

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Relaxation exercises for stress: meditation

Meditation is one of the best-known relaxation exercises for stress - and one of the most difficult. But with a little patience it works! Many people have this problem: they find it difficult to switch off and banish all thoughts from their heads. It's not about banishing thoughts. Rather, meditation is a concentration exercise. This relaxation exercise can, for example, help to sort out the chaos in your head.

If you have problems concentrating, it can help to focus on breathing, for example. After a while you will be able to switch off and let go of your thoughts.

Instructions for meditation:
Find a quiet place and either lie relaxed on your back or sit upright in a cross-legged position. Close your eyes and let your arms and hands hang loosely. Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to concentrate entirely on breathing. Imagine the air flowing through your body.

Tipp:Especially at the beginning, it can help to listen to a guided meditation to learn how to meditate correctly.For example, you can find the mini-meditation “Breathing” here on Audible.*

Reading tip:

Mindfulness training as a relaxation exercise

This variant of meditation is particularly suitable for people who have difficulty concentrating. Mindfulness can be trained. The focus is on your body: Try to concentrate on individual areas of your body.

Here's how:
Starts at the bottom of the right foot. Feel into your body, feel every single toe, sole and heel. Is your foot cold, maybe a spot itches, how does the sock feel?

Slowly work your way through the entire body and pay close attention to individual sensations - but without judging them. The foot is cold: That doesn't matter now. You register it, but don't immediately think that you need a thicker pair of socks.

This form of meditation is called mindfulness and it helps you a lot to cope with stress better and to perceive your environment differently and more relaxed.

Read more:Meditation: The traditional path to more serenity

Relaxation exercises for stress: a journey of thought

The mind journey is also a form of meditation and one of the most successful relaxation exercises for stress. Afterwards you will feel really good and full of new energy. In principle, the thought journey is like classic meditation.

Instructions for mind travel as a relaxation exercise:You sit or lie down relaxed, close your eyes and breathe deeply and calmly in and out. Instead of clearing your head, you think of a particularly beautiful place, for example. Maybe to the great beach on your last vacation or to your cozy bedroom. What is important is that it is a place where you feel safe and comfortable.

Concentrate completely on this place and try to notice everything that goes with it. For example, hear the sound of the sea or feel the sun's rays and the wind on your skin. Breathe in the typical sunscreen smell.

Relaxation exercises for stress: progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is also one of the classic relaxation exercises for stress. In principle, it's very simple: you tense every muscle in your body one after the other and then relax them. Tensing and relaxing creates a wonderful relaxation effect. Be consciously aware of the feeling of relaxation. For the first few times it is helpful if you get a CD with instructions (e.ghere on Amazon*) or attended a course.

Further scientific background information on theand oneInstructions for progressive muscle relaxationaccording to Jacobson is available at Onmeda.de.

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Important NOTE:The information in this article is for informational purposes only and does not replace a diagnosis from a doctor. If you have any uncertainties, urgent questions or complaints, you should contact your doctor.