Life Is For Living: Become Stressless: 6 Creative and Alternative Ways to Destress

Look what I found - 6 creative and alternative ways to become stressless from Oprah's Spirit Newsletter. Take yourself out of the loop with one of these techniques and feel lighter and better than ever.

De-stressing is essential for good health. It is therefore my sincerest hope that one of these techniques could help you relax.

1 - Laughing yoga - started in India. Find out if there's a group in your city. What is it? It's just a group of people who get together to... laugh and it could last from fifteen to thirty minutes.

Yes, it feels forced at first and you might feel self-conscious in the beginning... but be a good sport and try it anyway. It turns into genuine laughter in less than one minute, then you can't stop laughing. It relaxes you and releases those feel-good endorphins. Ten minutes a day is all you need. Yummy stuff! To prove my point:

Stressing less with something so simple cannot be beat. I practise sometimes in the bathroom when I need to force myself out of a bad mood. It's just plain old joy in the world. For those who want and can't get into it, read Reggie's story on how he overcame his complaining streak through laughter.

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. Bill Cosby

2 - Mind-body therapies - All creative activities are relaxing. Try yoga, visualization/imagery, meditation, painting, dance therapy - with or without choreography. Simple and effective yoga positions exist which do not involve standing on your head or twisting yourself into knots.

Talking out your stressing issues is also good therapy - with, of course, the goal of finding a solution. Pity parties waste time and suck energy. Listen to Dr James Gordon of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine as he talks about using imagery and drawings to relieve stress.

Healthy minds live in healthy bodies.

3 - Reiki - now don't turn your nose up at this. Reiki is an energy form medicine, and it originated in Japan. Practitioners have to be gifted in order to use it.

Because they capture universal energy which they channel through their hands, which they then place on the client's head. The chi or energy is guided through the blockages in the body to eliminate or reduce the discomfort. Acupuncture also works in this way.

From the first visit with a Reiki expert, you would be able to tell if it worked by how you feel. Always remember, if you do not feel right about a practitioner - in any area of service, doctor, dentist, etc. - leave immediately.

It makes no sense seeking healing from someone who makes you uncomfortable. Learn more about energy therapies with Dr Erin Olivo, Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia. She explains them all very clearly.

4 - Playacting or Role playing - a lot of us are natural hams which makes acting out your drama a fantastic stress-buster. Why don't you find an amateur drama group, or role play with a group of friends of the same mind. Children do this all the time. Follow their lead. You are then able to pour out your frustrations on a regular basis. On "bad" days, you know that you have an outlet to vent. Psychodrama is another alternative. This one is new to me. It's role-playing in a group which is led by a therapist.

5 - Breathwork - Concentrating on your breathing for five to twenty minutes is an excellent way to become stressless, calm and relaxed. It's wonderful. It's an excellent idea is to take regular breather breaks during your day instead of a coffee or cigarette. In my past office life, it literally saved my sanity on more than a few occasions. Here is one ayurvedic breathing technique. It's particularly useful for clearing your mind within five minutes.

6 - Hypnosis - is another great way of breaking through mental barriers and much more involved. Because here you have to trust a stranger to direct your thoughts. I personally would not allow a stranger to meddle in my head. However, that said, Shafin de Zane came highly recommended by someone I trust implicitly, so I'm putting his name forward as a go-to guy.

Take Dr Oz's stress management test and surf his options for some more tips to help you stress less.

Here are some more stress relieving for practising everyday spirituality

Deepak Chopra's heart meditation technique just might be the one you need. So go have a look-see.