1. Go to the Gym
Nothing beats stress like going to the gym to take the weight off your shoulders. Literally. According to the Mayo Clinic, going to the gym can help improve your mood and reduce stress in your life.
Physical activity has been helpful for me to take my mind off the stress of the day and focus on my workout routine. After a while, I forget what was stressing me out and focus on my own physical fitness.
2. Mindful Meditation
Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and close your eyes. It does not have to take a lot of time. I have seen people start off with one minute and gradually increase the length of time. There is no expectation that you need to do this for an hour.
Once you are in this space, focus on your breath. Notice how it courses throughout your body. Notice every sensation in your body. If you find your mind focusing on something else, bring it back to focusing on your breath.
If you feel comfortable focusing on your breath, you increase the length of time you focus on your breath. Some people have exercises where they switch how their breath enters and leaves the body. You can inhale or exhale through your mouth and nose.
Switch up between these two parts and challenge yourself to find where the breath is always in your body. You can also slow down or speed up each breath.
I would love to hear how it went for you.
3. Serve Others
I volunteer as a crisis counselor and listen to people in pain but never knew that this gave me a positive benefit as well. A 2015 study found that behavior that impacts your community positively helps reduce stress.
I felt good helping people feel better and it warmed my heart to know that I helped make a positive difference in their life.
Take the opportunity to volunteer your time to help others in your community. There is no need to wait until the holidays to give back. Volunteer today!
4. “Me” Time
In our busy lives, there are times where it is impossible to get a moment alone to ourselves. Taking care of our family, work, and other obligations can put tremendous stress on your mind.
In my book, I wrote about how it should not be interpreted as selfish for people to take care of themselves first. It actually makes them better people.
I take the analogy of oxygen masks deploying on airplane flights. Take care of yourself first before assisting others. Once a person takes care of themselves, they can better take care of others in their lives.
Find a few minutes in your day to just dedicate to yourself. It’s essential for your own well being.
5. Go out on a Nature Walk
If you live near a park, take the opportunity to go out for a walk. It can be during work breaks or weekend trips near your house. A study found that trips to nature areas have led to reduced stress levels.
You can walk around and take deep breaths of the air around you. It can definitely feel relaxing for a person to unwind themselves out in this environment away from other people.
Bonus challenge! If you are able to walk around your park, notice what is around you. It allows you to be mindful and pay attention to what is around you. You can choose to focus on the bird noises, the colors of the trees, the feeling of the ground, or anything else you observe.
6. Breathe Deeply
Deep breathing can help us slow our breathing and reach a state of calm. Deep breaths also cause our body to trigger a relaxation response. It can take a few minutes of deep breaths until your body starts mimicking the rate of your breathing.
7. Maintain Boundaries
Sometimes, we need to keep boundaries with people around us who stress us out. This can range from staying away from them to telling them that their actions are stressing you out.
8. Talk to Someone
When the day weighs on our minds, we should be able to turn to friends and family members to vent about how our day was. Be upfront with them that you are venting and not looking to solve your problems.
It can be helpful to have a listening ear who is looking out for you with the best intentions. When we share our thoughts, we know that they understand what we are going through and will support us no matter what.
9. Journal
When our mind is stressed out, it is impossible to focus properly. It can seem like a mess with unclear direction about where to go next. Most of the time, we may be stressed about more than one thing and it can be hard to focus on one topic.
I recommend people write down all their thoughts in a journal. This allows them to see everything out on paper and hone in on the first thing that they want to tackle.
10. Declutter your Space
A messy space is natural to have. Things will naturally go to a disorganized state. This disorganized state can stress us out because we want to have a clean area around us. I know I do!
A study found that wives who described their household as being more stressful had “flatter diurnal slopes of cortisol,” which is an indicator for chronic stress. Their cluttered home made them feel more stressed out.
In that same study, they found that homes that were described as restorative had “decreased depressed mood across the day.” A home that elicited a positive response improved the person’s mood throughout the day. A warm and inviting home would definitely make me feel better compared to a home that felt stuffy.
Start off slow and clean up an area you have always wanted to tackle. If the clutter is too much, consider bringing in a friend to help or clean up small parts over a longer period of time.
If you enjoyed this article on stress management or have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below!
Wen is a Certified Health and Wellness Coach who helped people change their behaviors. He brings experience from educating people about their physical health, nutrition, sexual health, and substance use. As a coach, he has worked with over one hundred clients in changing their tobacco use and had over five hundred conversations as a crisis counselor.
