Have you ever been standing in the kitchen and thought, ‘my back feels really tight’? Or perhaps you have been working at the computer and felt an ache in the side of your face? Only to realize that you are tensing your jaw.

We hold on to tension in so many different ways that often we don’t notice it building up.

If you often let your tension build up, getting tension headaches, tight muscles, and jaw aches, then it is time to tackle that tension.

There has been more availability and accessibility of information, techniques, and wellness content in the last few years. It is possible to create a tension-releasing plan for yourself with all of the extra information.

Creating a list of things that you can do to lower your stress levels will mean that you are less likely to turn to unhealthy methods of tension and stress control—things such as becoming isolated, stopping communications with others, and turning to alcohol or drugs. If you recognize those behaviors, it is important that you consider alcohol rehab and honesty with yourself.

So what can you do to create a tension-releasing plan than can help reduce your stress and free your mind from worries?

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Walking

If you want to clear your mind quickly, then going for a walk is one of the best ways to start that process. It usually doesn’t happen when you have a goal, like picking up the children from school or getting milk.

But if you go walking with only the intention to walk, you will soon notice that you aren’t thinking about anything.

If you can walk somewhere green, that will work even better, so try to head somewhere like a park.

Tense up

If you can’t pinpoint where you are feeling tense in your body, but you just know that you are having trouble relaxing, this is a great thing to do.

Starting with your hands and feet, tense all of the muscles in your body up, hold that for between 3 and five seconds, and then release it.

One of the best things about this type of tension release is that you can do it anywhere. At your desk at work, in bed, or just in the middle of your day.

You can do it multiple times to get the ‘ahhhhh’ feeling when the tension leaves your body.

Comedy

If you are a social person, then invite one of your friends to an open mic comedy night and laugh the night away. Laughing is one of the best tension releases that we have available to us.

For those who are less social and prefer to belly-laugh and let it all out at home, check out some of your favorite comedians on Netflix or YouTube. Find something that makes you laugh all the time and let yourself indulge in it for a while.

Aside from releasing the tension, laughing will flood you with those happy, feel-good hormones that naturally help reduce tension.

Music

The music we listen to can influence our mood a lot. And one of the side effects of great music is singing it out and moving your body. Dancing around too fast music, singing to ballads – all of these things help to reduce tension.

If body tension and mental tension prevent you from getting a good night’s rest, then checking out music designed to help us sleep can work wonders.

Breathing

There are several breathing techniques that can help bring us into the moment and reduce worries and body tension.

One of the most commonly recommended and used is something called box breathing.

The box breathing technique can also be called square breathing. It is good to ground yourself a little by placing your feet firmly on the floor and sitting comfortably.

Breath as you normally do for a short time, and just relax. Try to pay attention to how your body moves when you breathe – is it just your chest or your belly and chest?

If you only notice your chest moving, you are only shallow breathing. Take a bigger breath and notice how it expands your chest and stomach.

Once you begin to see the deeper breathing and the belly moving as you breathe, here is the process:

• Breathe in counting to four, but do it slowly
• Hold your breath for 4 seconds
• Exhale slowly for 4 seconds

Repeat these steps until you feel notably calmer and less tense.

There are many ways to help reduce your tension levels so that they are manageable.

It might be time to change some other things in your life, too: How To Change Your Life.