Stress is a major factor when it comes to headaches. Most of the time, the headaches we experience are triggered by physical, emotional or mental stress. If you’re the type who suffers from chronic stress-type headaches, avoiding these painful episodes is easier than you think.
In this fast paced, highly competitive world, rest and relaxation is a luxury not everyone can afford. While the idea of taking a few days off to de-stress is ideal, it is not always possible. When taking time off work is not an option, people need to have activities that they can perform on a daily or weekly basis in order to de-stress and prevent the occurrence of headaches triggered by stress. Here are some fast and easy ways to reduce stress and prevent headaches:
- Breathing Exercises – This relaxation technique only lasts for a few seconds up to a couple of minutes, depending on how much stress you are in. Taking in long, deep breaths can help us relax when we are feeling tense. Take in a slow, deep breath through your nose, and just as slowly, exhale through your mouth. Feel the stress leave your body with every breath. Repeat the process until you feel relaxed and headache-free.
- Visualization – Mental imagery can help reduce stress. By closing your eyes and visualizing calm and serene image and holding the picture in your head, you can feel your mind and body start to relax. Keep your eyes closed and hold the image in your head until you feel that your body and mind are already relaxed.
- Muscle Relaxation – Like mental and emotional stress, physical stress can also help trigger a headache. Make sure your shoulder and neck muscles are always relaxed by performing muscle relaxation exercises. Slowly roll your head around clockwise a few times and repeat in a counterclockwise motion. You can also roll your shoulders backwards and forwards in order to loosen up your muscles.
- Massage – Feel the stress and muscle tension leave your body when you get a full-body massage. Try to get a massage on a regular basis in order to fight stress more effectively. If you don’t have time to go to a spa, a neck and shoulder rub whenever you feel your muscles tensing up can also help alleviate the stress that causes painful headaches.
- Workout – Exercising is a great way to reduce stress. It also helps improve blood circulation which can also contribute to a headache. 30 minutes of running, jogging and other cardio exercises in the morning is already a big help in getting your blood pumping and relieving headache-causing stress.
Stress is everywhere and one can’t successfully avoid every stressful situation that comes your way. If you can’t steer clear of stressful events or activities, the best thing to do is to deal with the tension properly. Aside from all these relaxation techniques, living a healthy lifestyle and making sure that you get all the important nutrients in your body is also a good way to equip yourself to handle tense situations better.