As a caregiver, you are no stranger to stress. Taking care of another person often leads to neglecting the needs of oneself. It might seem as if there is no time for stress relief in your busy schedule. However, there are some simple practices that can help alleviate stress in under ten minutes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, unmanaged stress can lead to both mental health and physical health issues (Stress Management, 2021). These include depression, anxiety, muscle strain, insomnia, weight fluctuation, and more. The long term effects of stress are an increase in risk for heart disease and other diseases. An article by the National Health Institute recommends techniques that have been reported to work to lessen the burden of stress. Some of the most popular techniques are yoga and mindfulness meditation practice (Stress, 2021). While these practices are not proven to be effective in everyone, they remain an act of self care for stressed out individuals. Below, you will find resources for each technique and information on how to get started.
Yoga:
Yoga is not a new practice; it has been around for thousands of years. The deep breathing and stretch not only provides a calming effect, but also increases muscle mobility and strength.
This New York Times article explains how to do the most basic yoga poses for beginners. Pictures and step by step directions are provided.
Yoga with Adriene is a famous YouTube channel that is known for her short and easy instructional yoga videos. This video linked above is specifically for stress relief and processing emotions. The duration is about 27 minutes total.
10 Minute Morning Yoga is a shorter yoga practice that provides a mindful start to your day. There are many yoga practices that take less than 15 minutes to complete.
Mindfulness Meditation:
Meditation is practiced all over the world by people in all walks of life. Although focusing and being still can be difficult to imagine, meditation alleviates stress by calming the body and mind simultaneously.
Insight Timer is a FREE app that has guided meditation practices, most of which are under 10 minutes. There are also meditation live streams, as well as week-long courses for any issues imaginable. Although it is commonly used on the apple and android app stores, you can also access meditation through their website.
Headspace is another app that provides meditation practices. Headspace does require a monetary subscription. However, you can find guided meditations from Headspace on Netflix without any added charge.