Author:
Monica Porter
Date Of Creation:
19 March 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Stress can sometimes be surprising, overwhelming, and disorienting all day long. Luckily, there are some simple ways to deal with serious stressful situations. These strategies can soothe the stressors very quickly and allow you to keep going through the day. If practiced regularly, they can also be a useful source of longer-term stress relief.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Encourage the senses
Apply aromatherapy. The aroma processing unit in the brain is located close to the emotional control area. Because of that, smelling your favorite scent can quickly and easily hit your mood.
- Apply a few drops of essential oil to your wrists. The scent of lavender helps to soothe, while the scent of lemon and orange is ideal for a quick energy boost.
- You can also use a diffuser at home or at work.
Drink tea. Black tea has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) and promote feelings of relaxation and well-being. Even the ritual of preparing a cup of tea can help calm your mind. Furthermore, tea helps you to retain water for the body, which is great for both body and mind.
Chewing gum. One study shows that chewing gum can reduce anxiety and increase alertness. This is the simplest solution! Keep some gum in your backpack or at your desk. When you find yourself feeling stressed, take out a few chewing gum and chew them until you feel your mood lift.- Choose low-sugar gum, as this is better for teeth.
Listen to natural sounds. Natural sounds (like the murmuring of a stream, a crackling fire, or the squealing of insects and birds chirping in the woods) can almost immediately reduce stress levels.- Look for CDs, applications, or audio and video data on your favorite natural sound podcasts. Listen to them as a way to stop stress, or play natural sounds when you begin to feel overwhelmed.
Listening to music. Music can help relieve stress, relieve pain, and improve overall quality of life. Try listening to music when you feel stressed for instant and easy mood swings.
- Create stress-free playlists by choosing your favorite playful songs.
- Whenever you feel stress coming, open the playlist and choose to play music.
Method 2 of 3: Stimulate the body
Take a shower. Bathing in the shower is a great way to recover, prevent anxiety, and reduce stress. Especially if you're stuck in a loss of interest, just enjoying a moment of showering is an ideal way to practice taking care of yourself and boosting your self-esteem. What's more, the bodily feeling in the shower (hot water, favorite scent, touching yourself) is so enjoyable to relieve stress.
Lie with your feet resting on the wall. "Legs up the wall pose" or "viparita karani" is the ideal yoga posture to relieve stress. This pose improves circulation to the head and upper body. It also induces a rest to the central nervous system.
- Sit on the floor and place your butt as close to the wall as possible.
- Relax, gently lower your upper body to the floor.
- Raise your feet up to lean against the wall.
- Hold this position for 10 minutes.
Dancing. Dancing is very effective at relieving stress in two ways: it immerses you in fun music and provides the benefits of exercise. You can get many of these benefits in just a few minutes. Whenever you start feeling stressed, get up and dance around to a tune. You can even create a schedule that includes breaks for the workday mini-dance exercises to provide regular relief.
Walk. Any aerobic exercise has been shown to soothe a nervous state and improve mood. Walking is probably a quick and simple way to get these benefits. One study found that a brisk 30-minute walk can be just as effective as taking pain relievers. But even a 5 or 10 minute stroll can do wonders for relieving stress.
- Whenever you feel stressed, take a walk for a while.
- Try to walk for about 30 minutes at a time.
- Do this exercise a few times a week (or even daily) to reduce stress and feel comfortable.
Massage yourself. Massage has been shown to relieve stress and promote health. But you don't have to go to see an expert! You can achieve these benefits by massaging yourself. Start with a gentle massage of your eyes.(This is ideal if you've been looking at the desktop for a long time.)
- Close your eyes.
- Place your thumb under the brow.
- Use strength and move your thumb in small circles, moving out of the brow.
- Continue this movement around the eyes.
Method 3 of 3: Attract the mind
Live for the present. Anxiety often arises when we worry about the future or the past. Take a few minutes to actively focus on the present. Choose a simple task, like washing the dishes or making a cup of tea. Spend 5 minutes seriously focusing on one task, working out as many details as possible. As the 5 minutes pass, you will find yourself more relaxed.
Deep breath. Taking deep breaths in and out is a great way to stay focused in the present moment. Furthermore, concentrated breathing has been shown to reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure, both of which have a powerful effect on stress levels.
- Take a deep, slow breath 5-10 times.
- Focus on the inhalation for as long as you do when you exhale.
- Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.
Say an affirmative sentence. Affirmations are positive statements about yourself. Affirmations can be written down, or thought through, but they are most powerful when spoken.
- Prepare some affirmations in advance. Do you experience anxiety when trying to write? A good option might be "I'm a good writer".
- When anxiety and stress increase, calmly affirmate.
- It can be helpful to look in the mirror when you do.
- Some affirmative ideas include: I am a good person; I deserve to be happy; I work well; and I'm beautiful.
Smile. Laughter has been shown to stimulate the production of the chemical compound beta-endorphin in the brain. In fact, even guess Smiles can boost this production. If you find yourself having a stressful moment, take time to identify something funny. Even if you don't laugh out loud, anticipation is probably enough!
- Find funny videos.
- Remember a fun experience with your friends.
- Listen to comedy podcasts.
Do a "body scan". The body scan is a simple meditation exercise that can relieve stress and help you feel real life. This can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. The idea is to bring awareness about each part of the body; not to evaluate or even change it.
- If you have space, lie down on the floor. (If there is no space, that's fine. You can do a body scan while sitting in a chair.)
- Close your eyes and start by noticing whatever part of your body is touching the floor (or chair).
- Relax any part of the body that is in tension (usually the chin, neck, and shoulders).
- Starting with the toes, scanning the body from part to part.
- Imagine you are enjoying the full body examination, not judging, but just watching.
- End the procedure at the top of the head.
Advice
- Make sure not to vent stress / anger on friends or co-workers.
- These tips work to soothe any source of stress or anxiety, but all of them, when practiced regularly, can reduce stress or general anxiety.
