Feeling a little stressed? You're not alone. In a recent American Psychological Association survey, 75 percent of respondents reported feeling moderate to high stress in the past month, and nearly half reported that their stress had increased in the past year.
And it's no wonder, with sky-high jobless rates and extra workloads for people lucky enough to have work--on top of all of modern life's normal stresses.
What to do? We searched the world over for unique stress busters--and then looked closer to home for practical and relaxing alternatives that will melt away work-related stress:
1. Plate throwing in Tokyo
Frustrated workers can head straight to The Venting Place for a chance to smash plates, cups, and saucers against a concrete slab. "To break something, as all of us know from experience, is something extremely exhilarating, and it helps bring down pent-up anger," Venting Place brainchild Katsuya Hara told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Bring it home: For most of us, it's best not to smash things at work. Instead, try to fit in a cardio kickboxing class during your lunch break if you really want to throw a fist at stress. Or find other ways to exercise during your work day. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that people who exercise every day reduce anxiety and stress levels by 40 percent.
2. Sleeping with the fishes in Japan
Yes, another entry from Japan, where the business of healing stress and its related ills is a whopping $30-billion-per-year industry. Tokyo's Enoshima Aquarium offers an overnight program where you can sleep in a room gently lighted by biofluorescent jellyfish. The aquarium's marine biologists claim that observing the slow undulations of jellyfish produces a chemical relaxation response in the body.
Bring it home: Set up a fish tank at work if possible. When on-the-job tensions are mounting, look to your fish to soothe your nerves. Research has shown that watching fish swimming in a tank lowers stress levels. That's one reason so many doctors' offices have them.
3. Laughing yourself silly in India
Throughout India, thousands of Laughter Yoga Clubs meet in public parks every morning so participants can start the work day with low stress and an inner (and outer!) glow. "Laughter ... can change your mood within minutes by releasing endorphins," explains Madhuri Kataria, the Indian physician who founded Laughter Yoga International 15 years ago. "They bring good feelings in your body, and the moment you feel good, you perform to your maximum."
Bring it home: You could join one of 6,000 Laughter Yoga Clubs around the world. Or you could simply bring more laughter into your life. Go out to lunch with your most entertaining colleagues, for instance. And plan to have a few belly laughs on May 2--World Laughter Day.
4. Bathing in beer in the Czech Republic
Beer spas are all the rage in th
e Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. As you relax in barrels, tubs, or pools full of specially made brew, your troubles bubble away, say beer-bath aficionados. It helps that in some spas you get to imbibe beer while you soak in it.
Bring it home: While beer and work generally don't mix, you can take advantage of this stress-buster at home--and you don't have to actually fill your tub with beer to get the benefits of a beer bath. There are plenty of herbal bath oils that combine hops (a key ingredient in beer) with valerian (a plant widely believed to have relaxing effects). Sprinkle a few drops in a bath before bed so you can sleep off the stresses of your workday.
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