How to Quickly and Effectively Reduce Stress

Making everyone happy over the holidays can produce as much stress as it does joy, especially for mom. 

The kids are out of school for about two weeks, which means that in addition to making Christmas and New Years Eve and Day perfect, you’ve got to figure out how to keep them entertained while you’re in the midst of holiday preparations.

Even for those who really enjoy the holidays, it’s inevitable that you, your partner, and your kids are going to endure times of stress along the road to those delightful celebrations.

Since there's no time now to sign up for a yoga class or read a book on how to meditate, we’re going to explore a simple, yet really powerful way to reduce any stress you find yourself having over the holidays and going forward into the new year.

Even better, the techniques we’re going to learn today can be used by even our youngest kids when they find themselves stressed out by the burdens of childhood.

The Magic of Breathing

The answer to quick and effective stress relief is to breathe, believe it or not.

If you’re thinking that sounds a little ridiculous, seeing that you’re clearly breathing constantly yet still have moments of stress, keep reading.

The key is in how you breathe when you’re stressed.

The cure lies in taking a time out and being conscious of how you’re breathing.

We’ll cover a few specific techniques in a minute, but first let’s talk about why this works. 

If you’re skeptical, you might be happy to learn that it’s not just readjusting your mindset, but that there’s a science-based reason for breathing to cure your stress.

When you’re stressed, you breathe quicker, your heart begins to race, and your blood pressure rises.

When you make a conscious effort to breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to relax and become calm. 

Your brain conveys these instructions to your body, and your body returns to its normal state of calm. Your heart rate decreases, blood pressure returns to normal, and breathing regulates to your resting state.

Having your physical body back in balance allows your mind to relax and relieves the stress of the situation. 

There are several different breathing techniques you can use. Experiment to find the one that’s best for you. The two we’ll cover today, like all breathing exercises, are easy and can be done anywhere at any time.

Box Breathing

Box breathing is especially good for kids because they can actually use their finger to draw a box on their hand to help guide the exercise. It can be done anywhere without drawing attention or making your child feel self-conscious.

It goes like this: 

Breathe in for four counts,

Hold your breath for four counts,

Exhale for four counts,

Rest for four counts.

Repeat the “box” four times. Rest and repeat if necessary, but it probably won’t be.

This isn’t just for kids, it’s a perfect solution for adults too. 

But it’s a nice method to use for kids because of how simple it is, and because they can draw out the box if it helps, or you can play a part in helping to calm them by drawing the box on their hand (or yours).

Of course drawing the box is completely optional, it’s the breathing that holds the real stress-reducing benefits.

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is a good one to use at home, or somewhere that you can easily lie down. You can also do belly breathing in a seated position if it’s more comfortable for you or the situation requires it.

Here’s the process:

Sit or lie in a comfortable position,

Put one hand on your belly (below your ribcage) and the other hand on your chest,

Breathe in through your nose, letting your belly push your hand out (keeping your chest still),

Exhale through your lips as if you were slowly blowing out a candle, using the hand on your belly to push all the air out.

Repeat this sequence as many times as you need to, usually four to 10 times will do the trick. Check in with yourself when you feel done and make sure you’ve experienced a shift in how you’re feeling.

Mini Meditations

In addition to these two breathing techniques, if you’re anticipating a stressful situation, have had an all around “blah” day, or just need a quick pick me up, go for a one to five minute meditation.

The easiest way to do this is through a meditation app on your phone, and which one you use makes zero difference as long as you like it. 

We’ll recommend the Insight Timer because it’s completely free and has a good variety of one to five minute meditations designed to help you relax or renew your energy.

Experiment and find a few you like. These can become your go-to stress busters and you can train your brain to reset into happy and calm mode by just listening for a couple of minutes.

Of course one of the keys to the success of these mini-meditations is they have you putting at least some focus on your breathing.

The "No Time" Myth

A final word of advice for relieving stress. It’s easy to say you can’t even find an extra five minutes in the day to pause and breathe. 

Some people might laugh at that “excuse” but all moms feel your pain here. However, it’s critical that you make the time. 

What you’ll find is that the five minutes you spend in reset mode will actually buy you more time in return, as your day becomes smoother and more productive. 

Stress-Free Party Planning

When it comes to planning your child’s next party, you can keep the stress from ever appearing by booking your party with Kids Party Characters.

At Kids Party Characters, we’re your one-stop shop for all the entertainment your party will need.

We start with over 200 characters to choose from, virtually guaranteeing we’ll have your child’s favorite. 

In addition to your character putting on a full show for your child and her guests, we’ll bring along face painting, balloon twisting, cotton candy, and our latest edition — bouncy castles — to make your child’s party complete.

Even better, when you put down a deposit on your party at KidsPartyCharacters.com by the end of the year, you’ll receive either a 15% discount or a free upgrade to the next level package when you book the party.

So whether your party is this December or next summer, get your deposit in now and enjoy the savings when it’s time to book the date.

Learn more about the magic we bring to children’s parties by joining us on Facebook for daily updates, including our best strategies for raising happy and healthy kids.