How Working Moms Manage Stress
Relaxation is Available on Line for Mothers on the Go
Stress can cause many physical symptoms and has been related to illness. Taking a few minutes each day to relax can improve your health and your mood.
From the early morning rush to get everyone out of the house and on their way until well past the kids going to bed at night, working moms never stop. Some days their lives can seem like one blur, going from task to task without a moment’s break. According to the American Institute of Stress, there are 50 common signs of stress.
Some of the symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Inability to concentrate, lack of focus or trouble learning new things
- Stomach problems
- Depression or mood swings
- Loss or gaining of weight
- Heart palpitations
Meditation or deep breathing exercises are one recommendation from Cigna Insurance to help relieve stress. Although working mothers do not often get a break to sit down, relax and unwind, there is some online help that only takes a few minutes out of your day. Many sites offer free online relaxation videos. Even with only a few minutes, you can be transported to the beach or to a meadow. Most of these videos have soothing music to accompany the scenes. Breathing deeply and exhaling slowly while watching a peaceful and beautiful scene may be just what you need.
This site offers several different scene slideshows:
- Soothing Seas
- Meditation Mountains
- Whispering Waterfalls
- Serene Skies
There is accompanying music which can be turned on or off, depending on your preference. Sit back, watch the scenes, breath deeply and feel the stress melt away.
The Ocean at Dusk is a 15 minute relaxation video. It does require Real Player to be installed in your computer to work. There are additional videos for sale on the website; however, you can view this one for free.
This video is 22 minutes in length and the soundtrack includes Coyote Oldman on Native American flute. The scenes in the video are from Big Sur beaches and the Redwoods of California. The video reminds you to breathe deeply and relax.
If you find relaxation in watching animals, the San Diego Zoo offers four different live videos. Although not exactly for meditation, this certainly provides a few minute relaxing and fun diversion. These are live cameras, so you never know exactly what you will see, or if the animals are all sleeping or in another part of their house.
- Polar Bear Cam
- Panda Cam
- Ape Cam
- Elephant Cam
Other sites from San Diego include:
- Del Mar Beach
- Imperial Beach
- Scripps Pier
- Seaworld
You will need to supply your own music for these.
Whether you have five minutes or twenty minutes you can float away on the top of a mountain, on a beach or gaze at the clouds passing by. Taking just a few minutes can help you relieve stress and be more invigorated and ready to take on the rest of your day.
