It's difficult to fathom a life without stress and anxiety. No matter what we do, there are things that we encounter in our day to day lives that challenge us. As the challenges build, so does the anxiety and frustration with which we all have to live.
Given these challenges, it's incumbent on everyone to figure out how to take care of themselves. That includes taking care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Of course, learning to take care of oneself also creates challenges, and the cycle continues.
No one knows you better than you know yourself. That's why you are the one who needs to learn how to take care of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Keeping in mind that stress and anxiety adversely affect our lives profoundly and in so many ways, we need to figure out ways to manage the negativity.
Believe it or not, we all have the tools we need to soothe the anxieties and stresses that interfere with our quality of life. Those tools include our own hands, self-awareness, and imagination. The following sections are going to focus on 12 ways you can self-soothe with the magic of touch. If you will give these self-soothing methods a try, you might find yourself better able to take control of your life.
1. Massage Your Temples
Many times, stress is nothing more than a mental state of mind. If you want relief from mental stress, it would make sense to go right to the source. Your temples are pressure points. When you get a headache, you can soothe the pain of the headache by massaging your temples. Since stress and anxiety are two of the top causes of headaches, it makes sense that massaging your temples for stress relief is appropriate.
2. Take a Warm Bath with Epsom Salts
When stress and anxiety come calling, your muscles tend to tighten up. That's the body's way of saying everything is not okay. Warm water has a calming and relaxing effect on the skin and muscles. It could be quite a treat to run yourself a warm bath, toss in some lavender epsom salts, and let yourself relax while your problems are washed away. After a nice long warm bath, it's hard to walk away feeling anything but relaxed and refreshed.
3. Squeeze a Ball
With a lot of stress and anxiety building up inside you, you might have a tendency to get uptight. That might lead to feelings of aggression. If you are looking for a way to soothe your feelings of aggression while not being aggressive, you might find that squeezing a runner ball or maybe even silly putty will help. It might afford you a chance to transfer your aggression to the item you are squeezing—without hurting yourself or others.
You can create your own stress ball by following these instructions.
4. Get a Massage
Something is amazing about human touch. Mentally, another person's touch reminds us we are not alone. Physically, the body just loves human contact. The reason most babies don't feel stress is because they are constantly receiving physical comfort from the touching of other people.
If you have never had a truly soothing massage, there's a good chance you haven't lived yet. From your skin through to your muscles and organs, every part of your body will experience the soothing benefits of a really good massage.
5. Give Yourself a Pedicure and Manicure
A lot of people find it very pleasurable, soothing, and satisfying to do something caring for themselves. Taking care of one's hygiene is a great way to show you care about yourself and your wellbeing. The simple act of giving yourself a manicure and pedicure can benefit you in two ways. First, it's very relaxing. Second, it requires just enough mental focus that it helps take your mind off the issues of the day.
6. Walk Barefoot in the Sand or Grass
The simple pleasures in life can be very soothing and fulfilling. While you might take nature for granted, there is something very soothing about having physical contact with the earth. Can you imagine a better way to enjoy nature than taking off your shoes and socks for a walk on the sand or plush grass?
The reality is most of us live in a concrete jungle where the grass is something that only exists in books. If you have never walked barefoot in the grass, you should seek out a nice patch of grass and give it a shot. Getting in touch with nature is very soothing.
7. Use Aromatic Oils
There are a lot of health benefits you can enjoy by treating your skin to body oils. From a physical perspective, it can help keep your skin moist and looking healthy. From a mental perspective, the act of applying the oil to portions of your body can be very soothing.
By the way, the sense of smell can play a key role in your psychology. Certain fragrances are very pleasing and soothing to humans, thinking about scents like lemon and lavender. If you are in the mood to oil up, you can always find ways to increase your pleasure by appealing to your sense of smell at the same time.
8. Take a Meditation or Yoga Class
Some people find it very relaxing to do something physical that also requires a level of mental focus. That describes meditation and yoga to a tee. Admittedly, meditation and yoga don't require a lot of physical touching, but there is something very soothing about getting in touch with one's inner self. Some people have described mediation as the process of massaging one's soul from the inside.
9. Brush Your Hair
Brushing your hair might seem like one of the most mundane things you can do to try to soothe yourself. However, you might want to try to think about it from a different perspective. The reality is your scalp and hair follicles can be very sensitive. The act of brushing your hair stimulates both your scalp and hair follicles. Anything that acts to stimulate a portion of your body can be very soothing.
10. Place Hand Over Your Heart and Count Heartbeats
When a baby is upset or feeling stressed, a mother's most natural instinct is usually to rub the child's chest and tummy. Maybe that has something to do with the heart being the center of human life.
If you want confirmation that you are alive and everything is going to be okay, you should place your hand over your heart and press in hard enough to feel your heartbeat. You might find great comfort in knowing everything is working the way it should. Peace of mind and soothing seem to go hand in hand.
11. Give and Get Lots of Hugs
How many times in your life have you felt bad, only to seek out comfort in the form of hugs from people who you believe care about you? If you think about it, you have been seeking hugs since the very moment you were born. We never seem to lose the desire for the comfort of a good hug. The fact is hugging can be one of the least threatening and most soothing forms of touch between people. By the way, hugging a pet has its benefits as well.
12. Use a Weighted Blanket
Awhile ago, I went to the dentist for surgery and they placed an extra heavy blanket on me right before they began working. I was amazed to observe how quickly I felt more relaxed. The truth is that weighted or heavier blankets help many people to relax during a moment of anxiety or when they anticipate a panic attack.
You can purchase weighted blankets (click here to see what’s available now on Amazon.com) or you can layer three or four blankets on your bed, crawl under the covers, and see for yourself if this is something that may be soothing for you. If this strategy works, you should begin to feel better within five or ten minutes.
