Four Popular Ways to Relieve Stress . . . And Four New Methods That Work Better:

According to the health magazine "Prevention", some of the things people do to relieve stress don't work as well as we think they do. Here are four old methods that don't always work, and four NEW methods that work better.

#1.) If You Like Yoga, Keep Doing It . . . But You Don't Have To. In a recent study, 54% of people said they felt anxious while they were doing yoga, which means it's actually STRESSFUL for a lot of people. --Doctors say you're better off doing basically any repetitive activity you enjoy, including jogging, swimming, painting, walking, knitting, and even praying.


#2.) Talking About Your Problems Isn't Always Helpful. Researchers at Kent State University studied people who'd recently suffered a stressful event, or lost someone they cared about.
--And a lot of them were better off if they avoided thinking or talking about it. Psychologists call it "repressive coping", and for a lot of people, it works better than therapy. --In another study, people who talked about their stressful event ALL THE TIME were more likely to develop depression and anxiety.

#3.) You Shouldn't Eat Away Your Stress, But Dark Chocolate Is Okay. Some people eat throughout the day to relieve stress. But if you start gaining weight, it can mess with your self-esteem and make you even more stressed out. --But the one food you SHOULD eat is dark chocolate. In one study, stressed-out volunteers who ate one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks had fewer stress hormones. --But if you like MILK chocolate, you're out of luck. Researchers think Vitamin P is what reduces stress, and even though milk chocolate has some, they think the milk prevents it from absorbing into your body.

#4.) People Used to Say You Should Control Your Temper. But throwing a temper tantrum every now and then is actually better. --According to at least one study, occasionally showing how angry you are causes your brain to release less of the stress hormone cortisol. --But you can't go overboard because obviously, if you constantly yell at people, you'll get more stressed out, and everyone will start hating you. Just ask Mel Gibson.