8 relaxing exercises for stress that work immediately!

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You don't have time for anything? With these relaxation exercises for stress, you'll see everything a little more calmly and can finally switch off.

An important meeting is coming up. Work is piling up in the office, the car has to go to the garage today and it's your mom's birthday tomorrow, so you wanted to bake something delicious.

And then your best friend has a love crisis and needs you urgently.

You don't know where to go first and you don't have time for everything. What can help you now are relaxation exercises for stress.

Everyone knows short stressful phases. Fortunately, they also pass. But anyone who is constantly tense and under stress knows the side effects only too well.

Relaxation exercises for stress will help you

  • sleep better again
  • no longer be tired throughout
  • that you can concentrate better
  • to get new power again and to see life more positively.

There is a whole range of effective relaxation techniques that can eliminate negative feelings in a few minutes and are like a rest for body and soul.

Relaxation exercises against stress

8 relaxation exercises for stress that always work

Important: It will not work overnight and with one execution alone. The secret of relaxation exercises is that you have to do them regularly. Because then you won't get that feeling of stress in the first place.

Or in other words: These relaxation exercises for stress do not only help when stress has already broken out. They are a wonderful way to prevent it.

If you suffer from inner turmoil and stress for a longer period of time, you should not leave your body alone. Support it during this difficult time.

I take a dragée with passionflower extract on days when I am restless inside. Within an hour, the passionflower has a relaxing effect.

It also helps me to turn off the head cinema and in doing so to see things that are really unimportant, but grow into a huge thing in my head, in a more relaxed way.

I have tried a few preparations, but I am stuck with Dr. Boehm Passionflower Coated Tablets* got stuck. Thanks to the coating, they are very easy to swallow and work best for me. Just give them a try. They are currently on offer at Shop Apotheke.

1. deep breaths as relaxation exercises for stress

When we have stress, we breathe fast, irregularly and shallowly. In other words, incorrectly. But this is exactly what leads to our body getting even more stress.

The best and simplest of all relaxation exercises for stress is breathing.

In the long run, breathing the wrong way is not good for us. We get tired, can't concentrate, get tense and even become more susceptible to infections and cardiovascular diseases in the long term.

So: Relaxation exercises for stress should always include the breath. Because if you breathe correctly and consciously, you have already breathed away a whole lot of stress.

  • Sit upright
  • Beginners place their hands on their abdomen to check whether the abdomen rises and falls as they breathe.
  • Close your eyes and breathe in very slowly and deeply through your nose.
  • Hold your breath for about 3 seconds.
  • Now exhale slowly through your mouth until you feel that there is really no oxygen left in you.
  • Repeat this exercise for at least 10 breaths.

2. grin makes happy

When you grin, you're telling your brain that you're happy. No matter whether you really feel it or not.

Relaxing with stress by grinning

As soon as we grin, our brain releases happiness hormones. Provided that your grin lasts longer than a minute. Why does this help? Happy hormones have a relaxing effect and lower the stress level.

Having a hard time with it? Then watch a cute cat video. It just works every time :)

Those who have a lot of stress and are internally restless must pay attention to sufficient vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Our body consumes a lot of it during stressful periods. That is why we often get sick after the stress subsides.

3. fill up with energy after getting up

There are days when you feel stressed as soon as you get up. But right now it is important that you take some time for yourself. This rest period is very important for the balance of your body and mind.

  • Stand hip-width apart on the floor. Straighten the body.
  • Breathe in deeply through your nose. Feel how you take in the energy and how it flows through your body.
  • As you exhale, let go of tension and bad thoughts.

Do this at least 5x, better still 10x.

4. mantras as an anti-stress exercise

Do you know mantras? No? You should. Especially if you are always suffering from hectic. Mantras are the simplest of all relaxation exercises for stress.

Relaxation exercises for stress

How does it work? You simply say the sayings silently. Either just mentally or you whisper them to yourself.

  • Sit down. You can also stand or lie down.
  • Close your eyes.
  • Breathe in consciously and deeply into your belly. Breathe out deeply. Do this 3 times and then begin to speak the mantras.
  • Recite at least 10 times.

For mantras to work properly, find a quiet place. One where you can withdraw and not be disturbed. The cell phone is best on flight mode.

Why does it work? It may sound ridiculous to some. But it actually works. It's because you consciously take yourself out of the stressful situation.

You step back and focus only on your body and mind. On top of that, there's a charge of oxygen that improves your concentration.

5. relaxation exercises for stress with progressive muscle relaxation.

Have you ever heard of progressive muscle relaxation? It's a classic relaxation exercise for stress. This may sound mega strenuous. But it is not. In fact, this technique is quite simple.

  • Stand up. You can also do this while sitting or lying down.
  • Now tense each muscle in turn and then relax them again immediately.
  • This leads to a pleasant relaxation effect when you fully concentrate on your muscles.
  • By the way, there are also Youtube videos for this. Because especially in the beginning it's easy when someone tells you which muscle is next.

6. meditation against stress

Suitable for advanced users!

There are also relaxation exercises for stress that do not work so well for beginners. The best example is meditation. It sounds simple but it is one of the most difficult tasks.

This relaxation technique must first be learned slowly. The preliminary stage for this is conscious breathing.

Meditate as an anti-stress exercise

However, with a little practice and patience, meditation succeeds.

The biggest problem with this is that you consciously switch off and try to just allow your thoughts to happen and still be easily controlled.

You can start by trying to focus your thoughts on one thing. For example, your breath. Focus your whole body and mind on it.

  • Find a quiet place to meditate where you will not be disturbed.
  • Lie on your back or sit down in a relaxed position.
  • Close your eyes, let your arms and hands hang loosely.
  • Breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. Do you feel how your belly lowers and bulges?
  • Try to focus on breathing
  • Feel the air flowing through the body. Focus on the place where you feel the breath best.
  • Do your thoughts wander? That is quite normal. Accept it and focus on the breath again.
  • Stir very slowly and stretch very slightly before opening your eyes.

7. sports against stress

Running, boxing, strength exercises - all of these should make you sweat and work out your body. If you have a little more time, you should carve out time for regular workouts.

When you work out, you simply sweat away the stress. In addition, stress hormones in the body are reduced.

If you sit a lot at work, you should get plenty of exercise after work. Even if it's just a very long walk every day.

By the way, sports that require a lot of concentration also help me a lot. Bouldering, for example. If you're not completely focused, you end up on the mat.

8. dream journeys are good relaxation exercises for stress

Thought journeys, fantasy journeys, dream journeys - call it what you like. It helps! Even if you immediately shake your head and think to yourself that this is guaranteed not for you.

Just go with it and get used to it.

There are many websites that offer texts for fantasy journeys. For me, it works best when I read the text myself. You prefer to hear the words? Then grab texts that are read aloud.

By the way, the same works with music only. For that, google "meditation music and lyrics".

Advanced relaxation exercises for stress

In addition to simple breathing exercises, there is a whole range of methods and relaxation exercises against stress for advanced.

Have you ever heard of Bikram Yoga? It's a very athletic form of yoga that requires a lot of strength. And you shouldn't mind the heat either. Bikram yoga involves breathing and stretching at 40° Celsius.

Yoga relaxation exercises for stress

Kum Nye Yoga is also nothing beginners. Tibetan healing yoga is a mix of meditation, yoga and self-massage. In addition, mantras are incorporated.

But no matter what you decide: It's all about feeling into your body and recognizing the needs.

Why relaxation exercises help with stress and are important

Inner restlessness, tension and so on are all signs that our body is currently overwhelmed. We do not know where our head stands and where we should start.

You should be working on 10 things at the same time and do everything as quickly as possible and, best of all, perfectly. But it just doesn't work that way.

And this is exactly where exercises come into play. Because our body can only perform at its best in the long term if it also gets a load of rest. It needs time to recover.

Relaxation always works on a physical and psychological level. That is why relaxation techniques always consist of both components.

Relaxation exercises for stress physically cause you to

  • lower your blood pressure
  • normalize the heart and breathing rate
  • relax your muscles
  • strengthen your immune system
  • Headache and back pain get better

Yes, you read that right. Too much stress and hectic actually lead to our immune system being in the basement. We become more susceptible to all kinds of diseases and aches and pains.

When we relax, brain waves change. Headaches and backaches also get better.

But long-lasting stress also has mega bad effects on our psyche. But here, too, relaxation exercises can help you.

Relaxation exercises for stress psychologically cause you to

  • you become calmer and tension leaves you
  • you no longer feel so powerless and helpless
  • do not let conflicts upset you so easily
  • arrive in the here and now and distance yourself from hecticness
  • become more open for new things again

The alternation between tension and relaxation helps us maintain balance and is enormously important. If we are constantly under pressure, we do not function for long.

Our conclusion

We must succeed in bringing body and mind into balance. Even if you don't have much time and can only do a few relaxation exercises when you are stressed - don't do without them! Whether they are exercises for beginners or advanced - with every single execution you do something for your health.

Good luck! :)

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