3. Learn diaphramatic breathing

Often called seven eleven breathing, this simple technique is easy to learn, and can be used anytime. The two steps that make this work are; breathing in to a count of seven, and breathing out to a count of eleven.

The numbers are somewhat unimportant so long as the out breath is longer than the in breath.

The reason for making the out breath last longer than the in breath is that inhalation has been shown to trigger the sympathetic nervous system (arousal) and exhalation shown to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation response).

By breathing out more slowly than breathing in, you strengthen the relaxation response over the arousal response.

4. Take breaks during the day

The human brain is made up of two walnut shapes called cerebral hemispheres. The left side of the brain deals with fine motor movement, logical thinking and language and the right side of the brain deals with metaphor interpretation and dreaming.

During the day at 90 - 120 minute intervals for 20 minutes our brain swaps from left hemispheric dominance to right hemispheric dominance. This ultradian rhythm has been studied in depth by Ernest Rossi - ultradian simply means many times a day.

This twenty minute period is often called an ultradian dip. You can recognize this period as it is characterized by difficulty in thinking, loss of concentration and day dreaming. It is possible to override this brain activity, however to do so, the body must produce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

You can take advantage of these periods by first recognizing when they occur, and taking breaks during those periods.

5. Cut down on stimulants

Everybody has their own different stress tolerance levels which, when crossed, can cause unpleasant levels of anxiety. Consuming any stimulant will raise your current stress level taking you closer to your own stress tolerance level. Here is a list of commonly used stimulants that people use everyday:

• Tea (Caffeine)
• Coffee (Caffeine)
• Cola (Caffeine)
• Hot chocolate (Caffeine and Theobromine)
• Chocolate (Theophylline)
• Cigarettes (Nicotine)

Psychological stimulants can include horror films, books and many TV programs. These stimulant their users by increasing your arousal level.

Think about how many stimulants you use everyday. Could you cut back?

6. Learn self hypnosis

On the Internet there are many different opinions on what hypnosis is, and even whether it actually exists. However, hypnosis is now more and more commonly being used for pain control in dentistry and giving birth (hypnobirthing) which gives some idea of it's reality.

Recent technological advancements over the last few decades have offered scientists that ability to monitor changes in the brain when a person is in hypnosis. One of the biggest benefits of this is that hypnosis has started to come out of the realm of mysticism and into the realm of science. This has meant that this useful therapeutic tool has been taken more seriously.

Self hypnosis is a simple and useful tool for aiding relaxation, and because it promotes right brain activity it is a good idea to practice it when you are taking an ultradian break. Try our 5 part self hypnosis tutorial, or find instant relief by downloading a hypnotic mp3 from Hypnosis Downloads.