August 25, 2021
Have you been stressed lately? With the year we had, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed. Between juggling work, family, and post pandemic life, you can become stressed out. So often, we’re running around that we forget to even fully breathe, let alone be in the moment.
While no one can avoid all stress, we curated a list of 6 stress reduction tools so you can cope in healthy ways.
Get Active: Exercising for 30 minutes a day at home can reduce stress, increase mental clarity and boost your quality of sleep over time. Consider aerobic exercise, strengthening or movement activities like yoga, and make attainable goals for yourself. In addition, stretching is an easy activity you can do at the beginning or end of the day to help you clear your mind.
Getting your body moving releases endorphins and can help improve your mood almost immediately.
Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is another way to quickly reduce stress. Consider picking up a lavender or chamomile candle during your next shopping trip. Or you can purchase a diffuser! You can find many affordable diffusers on Amazon, Target, and more that come with a set of scents to try. There are several scents that can help calm you down after a long day of hard work or a stressful day.
Don’t like lavender or chamomile? Try jasmine, vanilla, sage, eucalyptus, lemon, or cinnamon instead!
Go Outdoors: About three quarters of American adults are vitamin D deficient, which is a problem that can be easily fixed. Get some fresh air and sunlight to boost your energy and mood while also improving your muscle and bone health. Even simply going for a walk around the block a few times a week can improve your mood and reduce stress levels.
Eat A Healthy Diet: High sugar & high fat diets can spike blood sugar levels and result in increased stress and anxiety. Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Fruits and vegetables are always good, and fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce symptoms of stress.
Create Art: Getting in touch with your creative side can help clear your mind. Try drawing or painting or even get a coloring book! Adult coloring books have risen in popularity because coloring can be a great stress reliever.
Breathe: Practice simple breathing exercises to slow your heart rate and calm yourself down. Breathing exercises or meditation can be done in a short amount of time and provide a great way to decompress after work. Taking deep breaths can help center your body, and clear your mind.
Simple deep breathing exercise video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqCwAx3qP4
Additional stress reduction tools:
- Drink less caffeine
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Talk to a friend
- Stop using tobacco
- Set realistic goals
- Listen to music
- Write in a journal
- Learn to say no
- Chew gum
- Make time for hobbies
While reducing stress is not a one-size-fits all model, it is important to keep looking for ways that will help you manage life’s inevitable ups and downs in a healthy way.
Can’t find a method that works for you? Talk to a professional! Sometimes you need an outside perspective to help find different ways to help reduce your stress.