5 Favorite Techniques To De-stress Under 5 Minutes

We don't have to be a scientist to know that stress is fatal to our productivity. Memory lapse... tensions... headaches...irritability... The list is long.

Stress makes us less present and mindful. It makes us handle the simplest situations in the worst possible ways and thus, aggravate them.

Meditation and yoga can go a long way in helping us relieve our stress and become more grounded.

But sometimes we don't have 20 minutes in front of us to recover our senses.

Sometimes we get harsh criticism...

Sometimes a question makes us lose the thread of our speech...

Sometimes life's surprises and the unexpected get on our nerves...

And in those moments, we need techniques to quickly de-stress and regain our senses.

Otherwise, we find ourselves in the category of people who regret and beat themselves up... "if I had said this... If I had said that...If only I did this instead of that..."

In this article, you will discover 5 techniques to de-stress in less than 5 minutes.

Technique N°1: What is the next best actionable step you can take?

Oftentimes, we get stressed because we try to control a situation that is uncontrollable, or at least out of our hands.

Stress makes us lose control.

The more we're stressed, the more we lose control of the situation. The more we lose control the more we're stressed.

It's a never-ending circle.

So how do you stop this vicious circle?

One of the most beneficial ways I've personally experienced is to simply shift your focus and ask yourself the question " What is the best next actionable step I can take within MY control zone to make the situation better?"

Taking action makes us feel less stuck. So instead of focusing on what is out of our control, we should simply shift our focus to what is in our control.

Let's say for example that your dog is acting out of the norm, he's whining even though he's well fed, he's anxious, jumpy...Instead of spending hours or days stressing about what may be wrong with him or surfing the net in the hopes of finding a miraculous answer, the next best action you can take is to...take him to the vet!!

If you're dealing with an unsatisfied angry customer, the best thing you can do that is within YOUR control zone is to simply ask him what he needs to be satisfied.

Technique N°2: Try the 4x4 respiration technique

If you only have 5 minutes, you should definitely try this quick breathing technique to calm down your nerves.

It's called the box breathing or the four-square breathing technique and is great for dealing with feelings of anxiety and stress. It can even help with PTSD and insomnia!

You can read more about its tremendous benefits here.

This is how simple it goes:

• Inhale for 4 seconds
• Hold for 4 seconds
• Exhale for 4 seconds
• Maintain for 4 seconds

Technique N°3: Put it all on paper

I can't speak enough of the benefits of journaling. Benefits I've personally reaped.

One of the main reasons I think everyone should start a certain journaling routine is that it allows us to look at the situation more clearly.

I shall mention again the notion of losing control when stressed or anxious; the fact is, in stressful situations, we tend to lose track...not knowing where or how to start fixing what is wrong. More importantly, we lose track of our feelings and emotions, which pushes us to make rash and impulsive decisions.

By putting everything on paper, we begin to grasp the situation better and see the bigger picture more clearly, which ultimately makes it easier for us to find a solution or simply realize that our worries and doubts are unfounded.

Technique N°4: Chew some gum!

Did you know that simply chewing gum reduces your stress and anxiety levels? YES you read that right!! Not only that, but apparently it also makes you more alert and makes it easier for you to multitask.

Who says so you ask? Well, this is the result of an experiment conducted by Andew Scholey, professor of behavioral science at the University of Melbourne.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab some chewing gum!

Technique N°5: Plan your days

According to a study led by psychologist Robert Epstein, where 3000 volunteers from 30 different countries had to answer several questionnaires about how they deal with stress, the best way to deal with stress is to plan!

The feeling of stress arises when our (perceived) resources are less than what is needed to achieve what is expected of us or what we expect of ourselves. Better planning allows us to have more resources to do what is asked of us. It also arms us with the confidence needed to tackle whatever comes our way and turn bad situations into challenges and even opportunities.

Start by setting simple weekly objectives, and daily tasks that will help you achieve your objectives. Another tip would be to add an end-of-the-day (or week) quick reflection. What did you achieve? What could you have done better? What tasks or actions can you switch or replace?

There are a lot of other techniques to deal with stress. These were my personal favorites that work like a charm every time... Whether I only have a few minutes, I'm in the middle of a very stressful situation that needs instant fixing or I'm just having a crazy week, I use these techniques to gather my forces and get back to the game stronger!

Please give them a go next time you feel like you're losing it and remember that you can switch and twitch everything to make it work for YOU.