Skip to main content

10 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress

10 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress

Tips to manage stressful situations

It might surprise you to learn that biological stress is a fairly recent discovery. It wasn't until the late 1950s that endocrinologist Hans Selye first identified and documented stress. Symptoms of stress existed long before Selye, but his discoveries led to new research that has helped millions cope with stress. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 ways to relieve stress.

Listen to music

If you're feeling overwhelmed by a stressful situation, try taking a break and listening to relaxing music. Playing calm music has a positive effect on the brain and body, can lower blood pressure, and reduce cortisol, a hormone linked to stress.
We recommend cello master Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach, but if classical really isn’t your thing, try listening to ocean or nature sounds. It may sound cheesy, but they have similar relaxing effects to music.

Call a friend

When you’re feeling stressed, take a break to call a friend and talk about your problems. Good relationships with friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle, and they’re especially important when you're under a lot of stress. A reassuring voice, even for a minute, can put everything in perspective.

Talk yourself through it

Sometimes calling a friend is not an option. If this is the case, talking calmly to yourself can be the next best thing. Don’t worry about seeming crazy — just tell yourself why you're stressed out, what you have to do to complete the task at hand, and most importantly, that everything will be okay.

Eat right

Stress levels and a proper diet are closely related. When we’re overwhelmed, we often forget to eat well and resort to using sugary, fatty snack foods as a pick-me-up. Try to avoid sugary snacks and plan ahead. Fruits and vegetables are always good, and fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the symptoms of stress. A tuna sandwich really is brain food.

Laugh it off

Laughter releases endorphins that improve mood and decrease levels of the stress-causing hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Laughing tricks your nervous system into making you happy. Our suggestion: watch some classic Monty Python skits like “The Ministry of Silly Walks.” Those Brits are so hilarious, you’ll soon be cracking up, rather than cracking up.

Drink tea

A large dose of caffeine causes a short-term spike in blood pressure. It may also cause your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to go into overdrive. Instead of coffee or energy drinks, try green tea. It has less than half the caffeine of coffee and contains healthy antioxidants, as well as theanine, an amino acid that has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Be mindful

Most of the tips we’ve suggested provide immediate relief, but there are also many lifestyle changes that can be more effective in the long run. The concept of “mindfulness” is a large part of meditative and somatic approaches to mental health, and has become popular in modern psychotherapy. From yoga and tai chi to meditation and Pilates, these systems of mindfulness incorporate physical and mental exercises that prevent stress from becoming a problem. Try joining a class.

Exercise (even for a minute)

Exercise doesn't necessarily mean power lifting at the gym or training for a marathon. A short walk around the office or simply standing up to stretch during a break at work can offer immediate relief in a stressful situation. Getting your blood moving releases endorphins and can improve your mood almost instantaneously.

Sleep better

Everyone knows stress can cause you to lose sleep. Unfortunately, lack of sleep is also a key cause of stress. This vicious cycle causes the brain and body to get out of whack and only gets worse with time. Make sure to get the doctor-recommended seven to eight hours of sleep. Turn the TV off earlier, dim the lights, and give yourself time to relax before going to bed. It may be the most effective stress buster on our list.

Breathe easy

The advice “take a deep breath” may seem like a cliché, but it holds true when it comes to stress. For centuries, Buddhist monks have been conscious of deliberate breathing during meditation. For an easy three- to five-minute exercise, sit up in your chair with your feet flat on the floor and hands on top of your knees. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply, concentrating on your lungs as they expand fully in your chest. While shallow breathing causes stress, deep breathing oxygenates your blood, helps center your body, and clears your mind.


    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    6 Foods That Help Reduce Anxiety

    6 Foods That Help Reduce Anxiety Anxiety is a common problem for many people. It’s a disorder characterized by constant worry and nervousness, and is sometimes related to poor brain health. Medication is often required as treatment. Aside from medication, there are  several strategies  you can use to help reduce anxiety symptoms, from exercising to deep breathing. Additionally, there are some foods you can eat that may help lower the severity of your symptoms, mostly due to their brain-boosting properties. Here are 6 science-backed foods and beverages that may provide anxiety relief. 1. Salmon Salmon may be beneficial for reducing anxiety. It contains nutrients that promote brain health, including vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and  docosahexaenoic acid  (DHA) ( 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ). EPA and DHA may help regulate the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which can have calming and relaxing ...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    How Poor Sleep, Depression, and Chronic Pain Feed Each Other

    How Poor Sleep, Depression, and Chronic Pain Feed Each Other How we see the world shapes who we choose to be — and sharing compelling experiences can frame the way we treat each other, for the better. This is a powerful perspective. We all know how just one night of bad sleep can put us in a total funk. When you struggle getting restorative rest night after night, the effects can be devastating. I’ve spent much of my life lying awake in bed until the early morning, praying for sleep. With the help of a sleep specialist, I was finally able to connect my symptoms with a diagnosis:  delayed sleep phase syndrome , a disorder in which your preferred sleep time is at least two hours later than conventional bedtimes. In a perfect world, I’d fall asleep in the early morning hours and stay in bed until noon. But since this isn’t a perfect world, I have many sleep-deprived days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , adults like me who sleep less than t...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    More Than Just Spasms and Pain: What It's Like to Live with MS

    More Than Just Spasms and Pain: What It's Like to Live with MS Feeling disconnected from their bodies, people with multiple sclerosis find ways to adapt. Photo: Getty Images Creating a sense of well-being can help mitigate the negative effects of multiple sclerosis. That’s what researchers in the Netherlands are saying in their recent study on the debilitating disease. With multiple sclerosis (MS), the body can start to fail and falter due to various symptoms. Feelings of “I can” are replaced with “I might be able to.” “I still remember the first time I experienced muscle spasms in my arm and leg. I could no longer walk or sit normally. It scared me and made me wonder whether it was really my body as I felt totally disconnected from [it],” one person with MS recalled. As the body is able to do less, experts advise healthcare professionals and people living with MS to focus on the what the body can do. “I would like to know whether this paper reson...
    Post a Comment
    Read more