In a culture of constant over-scheduling, it seems like everyone is stressed. Think about it: When was the last time you told someone that you had so much going on or that you had just come up for air after a long day at the office? It’s nothing to brag about.
Take a study published last year in the journal Neurology: It found that in otherwise healthy, middle-aged people, high levels of stress were linked with increases in brain thinning and smaller amounts of crucial gray matter in the brain. But the effects of stress on your body go beyond your mind: It can make your more susceptible to illness, lead to addictive behaviors, spike your blood pressure, induce headaches.
The human stress response was designed to be acute (you know, to help you run away from that tiger during the caveman days) not chronic, lingering with you day-in and day-out. If your levels are teetering on the latter? There are endless ways to chill out—starting with these 28 tips from experts and research alike.
Sneak in a workout.
Exercise does just as much for your mind as it does for your muscles. “Blend or alternate aerobics with strength training, stretching, flexibility, and agility exercises for an endorphin boost,” suggests Kathleen Hall, PhD, founder and CEO of The Mindful Living Network & The Stress Institute. Up the ante by making your sweat sesh social. One study found that people who participated in group exercise saw greater improvements in mental, physical, and emotional health than those who worked out solo.
Walk through the park.
About to lose it at the office? A short, 15-minute stroll is enough to lower levels of stress and fatigue, finds a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. (You can thank both a release of feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, and exposure to nature for the benefits.)
Make yourself laugh.
Watch a stand-up comedian you love on Netflix, send memes back and forth in your group text, or meet up with your funniest friend. “Laughter is great medicine,” says Nicole Issa, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in Providence, RI and New York City and founder of PVD Psychological Associates. “It helps you relax your body, lowers cortisol (a stress-inducing hormone), and increases endorphins.”
Act like a kid.
Kind of. “Our mind, body, and soul are renewed when we play,” explains Hall. So go outside for a game of tag with your child or run around with your pup—doctor’s orders!
Gargle water.
Why? “The vagus nerve is the long, wandering nerve that facilitates the relaxation response, or parasympathetic nervous system,” explains Heidi Hanna, PhD, executive director of the American Institute of Stress. “When we are stuck in chronic stress, we can get hijacked by our stress response, or sympathetic nervous system, and similar to muscles that go unused for a long period of time, the vagus nerve can lose its strength or tone.” Gargling stimulates the nerve, increasing your ability to shift to a state of calm, she says.
Do a mindfulness exercise.
“I often teach clients is a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise,” says Sari Chait, PhD, a clinical psychologist and owner of the Behavioral Health and Wellness Center in Newton, MA. How it works: Start by focusing on slow, deep breaths then find five things you can see around you; four things you can touch or feel; three things you can hear; two things you can smell; and one thing you can taste.
“This mindfulness technique, like others, helps ground you where you are,” she says. Doing so can not only calm the stress, but give you a clear mind to be able to problem-solve and focus on what you need to focus on to move forward, she says.
Listen to the waves (even fake ones).
Beach days are relaxing—science shows as much! Sunshine and much needed vitamin D boost your mood and ocean air even has negative ions which can act like airborne antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory effects in the body, says Hanna. But just listening to the sounds of waves (there’s an app for that) has a rhythmic, meditative effect, too, she notes.
Let your mind wander.
“It’s important to allow our brains to just explore on their own sometimes, free from the constraints of our task-focused intentions,” says Hanna. This helps you make connections that aren’t always obvious in your day-to-day grind, ultimately making you a better problem-solver (important when stress hits). To get started, doodle, zone out for a few minutes, or rock back and forth while listening to some music.
Focus on someone else.
Volunteer, call your mom, or pick your hubby up his favorite dessert: Those who help others are less likely to die after experiencing stressful events, according to research in the American Journal of Public Health. When you divert your own attention to someone else, it sinks your stress levels, curbing the cumulative effects stress can have on your health, experts say.
Take a nap.
When you’re stressed, you likely just want to get one more thing done to finally feel relaxed. The reality, though? There’s always more to do. “If we’re not careful, we’ll get so amped up on stress hormones trying to keep pushing through feeling tired that we won’t be able to fall or stay asleep at night,” Hanna says. A short 10- to 15-minute nap (or even resting your eyes for this amount of time) can help both brain and body recharge, which means when you wake up you can get more done in less time with a, well, clearer mind.
Scan your body.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is when you go through each muscle group (think: toes, calves, butt) in sequence, moving up to your eyebrows, tensing each part for 10 seconds and releasing them for 20, explains Issa. “By tensing your muscles first and focusing on it, you are able to achieve more of a release when you do relax the muscle group. You also learn what it feels like to relax and your body starts to relearn it, as well.”
Take a break from booze.
A glass of wine might sound nice after a long, stressful day at the office but substances such as alcohol can intensify stress and anxiety in the long run, says Issa. Plus, it’s easy for alcohol to become an escape from stress.
...and hydrate instead.
Even mild dehydration (which crops up before you’re even thirsty, BTW) can negatively impact cognitive processes and mood, research finds. Aim for at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day, suggests Hall— incorporating in water, seltzer, and even herbal tea (especially green tea) which has an added antioxidant bonus of potentially reducing the effects of environmental stressors on the body, she says.
Dunk your face in cold water.
If you’re feeling *incredibly* stressed to the point that you’re not quite sure what to do, try using a skill from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and use cold water to activate your ‘dive reflex,’ by soaking your face around your cheekbones and above your mouth (where a mask for diving would not cover), she says. “When this location gets cold, your parasympathetic nervous system is immediately activated and your heart rate slows, your breathing slows, and your body kicks into a mode of using less energy.” Don’t want to dunk? Holding a cold pack on the area will activate the response, too, she says.
Plan a fun outing with friends.
Heaps and heaps of research find that people with strong social connections experience less stress, less disease, and live longer than those without close ties, says Hall. Not to mention that loneliness is actually a risk factor for earlier death (yikes!). It’s easy to pull away when you’re wound up, but try to set up a coffee with a coworker or plan a weekend away with your best friend when you need to de-stress.
Take a deep breath.
‘Diaphragmatic breathing’ isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a scientifically-sound way to sink stress levels. “Breathe deeply into your stomach so that you feel it and then exhale,” explains Issa. You want your belly to be filling with air and rising on your inhale. Try to make the exhalation longer than your inhalation, she suggests. “When you engage in deep belly breathing, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system and your body starts to relax.”
Quit checking Instagram.
Constantly checking your devices isn’t doing anything for lowering your stress levels. In fact, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), constant “checkers” are far more stressed than their less connected peers. At least 10 minutes twice a day to completely unplug from tech, suggests Hall, who notes that this can lower blood pressure, your heart rate, and give you an immune boost.
...and check your email less frequently.
When adults were asked to only check their email three times a day they were significantly less stressed than when they could check it an unlimited number of times a day, according to one study. While you might not be able to back off email *that* much, consider keeping your phone away from you when honing in on a task or closing out of your email entirely when working on a project so that your brain can, well, focus on one thing.
Sign up for a few yoga classes.
By now it likely comes as no surprise that yoga—with its feels-so-good stretches and poses and strong focus on the mind-body connection—can work to relieve stress. But that’s not where the benefits stop: The ancient practice can also build stress resilience by increasing levels of a brain chemical called BDNF, which plays a role in everything from inflammation and mood regulation to stress response, meaning you’ll be stronger next time you come face to face with stress.
Be your own cheerleader.
Make a list of positive statements or affirmations about yourself, suggests Issa. (You could also make the list when you’re feeling good and review it in times of need.) “You’ll boost self-esteem and feel more competent by reviewing some positive self-talk instead of tuning into the negative self-talk and doubt that usually accompanies stress or anxiety.”
Fill up on omega-3s fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids can play a role in reducing anxiety in healthy people, according to an Ohio State study. The effects likely come down to the fatty acids’ inflammation-busting properties. Your best source will be fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, but you can also find them in walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.
Smile—even if you’re faking it.
If your muscles form a smile, your brain doesn’t *quite* know the difference between a real one and a fake one, which is, perhaps, why both smiling people and those who held chopsticks in their mouths to form a smile both reported lower heart rates during a stressful task, one study found.
Give your commute a makeover.
It’s likely one of the most stressful parts of your day, research finds. Flip that on its head, suggests Hall, and instead of dreading the day the whole way in, use the time to get into a new podcast, learn a new language via an app, practice gratitude, or jam out to some of your favorite tunes. “It’s a great time to change bad habits,” she says.
Take a whiff of your partner.
Breathe in your partner’s pillow or just give their t-shirt a sniff—their natural scent could help lower your cortisol levels and reduce your perception of stress. In fact, women who smelled their partner’s shirt (as opposed to a stranger’s shirt) felt less stressed out even when they were exposed to a stressor afterward, shows a recent study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Plant some flowers.
“Gardening is a natural stress reliever when you immerse yourself in the sunlight and nature,” says Hall. Researchers agree. Digging in the dirt can lower cortisol levels and even symptoms of depression, a recent study in Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine shows. For an added social benefit, visit a community garden with a friend. (Indoor plants can have a similar stress-busting impact, too.)
Spend some time barefoot.
A dose of nature can help you recover from stress, face future stressors with more ease, and think more clearly, many studies show. But to amp up the benefits, take your shoes off. ‘Grounding’ or ‘earthing,’ as it’s called, may help normalize cortisol levels, lowering your stress. Plus, how often are you really barefoot anymore?
Prioritize sleep.
It’s a vicious cycle: You’re stressed, so you can’t sleep—and not getting enough sleep leads to more stress, since it causes your body to pump out more cortisol, according to the National Sleep Foundation. If you’re having trouble clocking in at least 7 to 9 hours a night, try keeping your phone out of bed, refreshing your bedding, or these other expert-backed strategies for sleeping better every night.
Confront the stressor itself.
“Stress, like any emotion, is fueled by ‘playing into it’ by doing what comes naturally,” says Issa. For sadness, that means withdrawing. For stress or anxiety, it’s avoidance. “If you find yourself avoiding opening a bill or procrastinating with work, the most effective way to reduce your stress around this is to confront what you are avoiding.” You’ll put the issue behind you and learn that you will be okay after facing the stressor, she says.
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