Life without stress is something that can only be possible in a dream these days. Stress can anytime creep into our lives and disrupt them. The worst thing about stress is that it can affect us in both ways physically as well as emotionally. It would have been so nice if we had some quick fixes for our daily life stress.
We did some aggressive research on this topic and found 10 quick stress busters that can calm down your mind, and make you feel balanced, and uplifted.
1. Perform Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is scientifically proven to reduce stress in the body. A study published on the National Institutes of Health website explores the role of breathing in stress.
When you perform slow and steady deep breathing, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes a relaxation response in the body, calming down the super active nervous system (while in stress) and reducing the stress hormone called Cortisol. Not only that, it can instantly improve conditions like Anxiety and Depression.
The best part of Deep breathing is it can be performed anywhere and at any time. You just need a break of a few minutes either from a personal or professional work environment.
2. Listen to Calming music
Music of any kind can relieve your stress and when it comes to Calming music, the process gets much faster. Music in general can trigger physiological and psychological effects on the body. Calming music has soothing melodies and slow to a medium rhythm which reduces the alertness of the mind, taking you to the horizon of calmness and relaxation.
Other benefits of listening to Calming music are that it reduces Blood pressure, relaxes Muscle tension, calms down your over-the-top heart rate, refreshes your mind, and promotes mindfulness.
Relevant Article: Releasing stress through the power of music
3. Connect with loved ones
One of the simple ways to reduce your stress is to talk to someone who you can approach. It could be a friend, family member, or cousin.
You can talk to them over texting, call or a Video call. Share all of your problems that are causing you the stress. And the person would listen without judging you. You don’t know just by sharing your things with your friends you can start feeling lighter.
And the best part of talking to a friend is that they can add their viewpoint to this and suggest something that’s for your betterment. Overall connecting with a friend isn’t just about good happy moments. A good Friend will always be there in all the stages of your life and will give you comfort, strength as well as the right direction.
4. Go for a Quick Walk
A quick walk is always a quick way to take a break from the stressed environment. A stressful environment could be anything that bothers you, be it about your life, work or relationship. Whether you walk in a city or a natural environment, both will have beneficial effects on your mind that will work towards reducing stress and make you feel better.
However, a study named Walking for Well-Being tells us Group walking in a natural environment is far better than in an Urban site. It suggests that specific natural environments such as Farmland, and Green Corridor that are full of trees on both sides are far better for mental well-being.
5. Checkout Funny Jokes and Memes
Don’t you agree Funny jokes and memes are hilarious and can make you laugh at any given time?
They often contain relatable scenes, and jokes which will trigger a sense of connection between the joke and what you can relate it to. On a broader picture, it helps you to shift your mind away from the problems and unload some stress.
Scrolling through memes promotes a feeling of relaxation in life’s everyday stress. You can share the jokes and memes with your friends and family so they can laugh too, eventually fostering a strong social connection between you and them.
Laughter is the best Medicine. Grab the pill of this medicine each day and be mindful and stress-free.
6. Practice Visualization
Visualization is a technique through which you can imagine yourself in a peaceful situation such as enjoying a beach vacation or looking at the beautiful landscapes on a hill station.
Practising Visualization can benefit you in various ways such as shifting your focus from something that is causing stress to you. Since the visualization is related to calmness, it will make your mind feel relaxed and calm. Thirdly it will get you ready to tackle the problems again and fix it.
Visualization is like a short pause to your busy mind when things are too overwhelming and busy.
7. Chew Gums
Several research have suggested that chewing gum can help in managing stress in several ways.
Firstly when you start chewing gum, the activity of chewing signals the brain to release feel-good hormones like Dopamine and Serotonin. This will automatically make you feel better and lighter.
Secondly, it will also activate the Vagus nerve that works between the Brain, Digestive System and Heart. This calms down the anxious you and gives you a reason for a sense of mindfulness and betterment.
These processes altogether increase the blood flow into the brain which provides Oxygen and other nutrients, making you calm and relaxed.
8. Herbal Tea works as a Stress Reliever
Do you know several herbal teas have worked as Stress relievers for centuries? Yes, you heard it right. These Teas are not only stress busters but also have several antioxidant properties like reducing inflammation, promoting better sleep, reducing anxiety and more.
Chamomile tea, Lavender Tea, Lemon Tea, and Ashwagandha Tea, etc are a few examples of stress reliever tea that you can take a sip of and feel relaxed and calm.
An important thing you should be considering is that it’s not necessarily that you will have the same effects as others. Everyone’s body reacts differently to herbs as yours. Do some experiments and find which herbal tea suits you best.
9. Inhale Calming Scent Oils
A soothing scent can quickly settle your mood. Some oils such as lavender oil, chamomile oil and peppermint oil have a distinctive aroma. When you inhale the aroma of these oils, it activates the limbic system in the brain and releases happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine.
The aromatic essential oil also contains linalool, which is known to soothe muscles and calm you down. This method of breathing Calming scent is also called Aromatherapy. So yes you can take aromatherapy when you are stressed and stop feeling overwhelmed under the stress.
10. Do Physical Activity
If you feel stressed, go and get engaged in some physical exercise. It could be as simple as doing pushups. Engaging in any Physical exercise can help to shift your mind from problems to physical engagement. This focus shift and physical simulation releases endorphins, one of the body’s feel-good hormones that makes you feel relaxed and refreshed.
Some of the exercises you could do to shift your focus away from Stressors are Running, Dancing, Swimming etc.
11. Take Break from Screen
If you are stressed and you keep focusing on digital screens such as TVs, Computers, Mobile phones etc, it will give more stress and cause more strain on your eyes. Instead, you should take a break from any screen that could potentially cause stress and eye strain.
Breaks like this only give you the chance to talk to someone, relax a bit, do book reading, etc. It will eventually reduce the stress level and make you more focused and energized once you go back to work.
12. Start Writing a Journal (Not For Everyone)
When you share your thoughts and problems with someone you feel better. Writing a journal gives a similar feeling to someone who writes it. Although not everyone is comfortable writing their private life which gives the scope for someone to find and read. But for people who usually write it’s a great way to reduce stress. It gives you relief from the build-up of tension and you get stronger emotionally.
Also when you start journaling your experience you tend to find some similarities and patterns that usually lead to stress. Hence after analyzing you can improve it.
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