Stress Relief Tips for Busy Lifestyles
Stress is a constant and controlling it might seem like an impossible effort when you consider everything else you have to do, like working, grocery shopping, paying bills, engaging in hobbies, exercising, and attempting to maintain a good social life. When you add back-to-school stressors like extracurricular activity schedules and irregular pick-up and drop-off hours, it can seem like there is no end in sight.
While we are aware that you must pay your credit card bills on time and complete your work, we also understand that you want to be able to spend time with your family at meals, laugh with friends over coffee, and engage in self-care practices to keep yourself energized. That’s where practical stress-reduction advice and stress relief tips come in!
We are advocates for your mental and emotional well-being as well as your physical health as your healthcare partners. Although we can’t eliminate pressures from your life, we can share our best stress relief tips to help you navigate the stressors of daily life.
- Get Moving – Research on the benefits of exercise for mental health is still expanding. Adrenaline and cortisol levels are specifically lowered by exercise. That indicates that doing exercise actually helps to lower your body’s stress levels. Though having a full schedule can make it challenging, think about substituting physical activity for phone browsing. To fit exercise into your schedule, try to integrate walking, stretching, or quick workouts at home.
2. Interact with Others – Social interaction and conversation with others lowers your body’s stress hormone levels. Make sure the person you select to talk to will support, laugh, and encourage you so that the conversation won’t drain you. Additionally, studies have shown that laughing and smiling also help relieve stress that your face is literally holding onto! Remember, socializing is one of the best stress relief tips you can adhere to.
3. Get Enough Sleep – Despite the fact that it might be challenging with a hectic schedule, especially if you have young kids, getting enough sleep is essential for giving your body the resources it needs to handle stress. If tension is what keeps you up at night, make sure you’re using other stress-relieving techniques, like yoga or meditation, to release stress throughout the day and give your body a rest.
4. Get rid of the stressor – Even though you can’t escape every stressor, try exchanging it for something simpler or more energizing. Consider using paper plates if washing the dishes makes you anxious. Take a break from social media if scrolling through it causes you to feel anxious or compared. If pick-up complicates your schedule, try coordinating pick-up with a neighboring family or a family whose kids play on the same sports team. Remember, there’s always a way to work around stress and adopting these little yet impactful stress relief tips will do wonders for you.
5. Observe What You Eat – Since stress won’t go away, you should put a lot of effort into giving your body the assistance it needs to manage and physically tolerate the stress it is experiencing. Foods can have a huge impact on cortisol levels, especially stimulants like coffee, processed sweets, and alcohol. A diet high in whole foods, however, can support normal cortisol levels. It will be more challenging to control and tolerate stress if your body is already tense and irritated. Since your gut and mental health are intimately related, it’s critical to pay attention to your nutrition if you want to reduce your stress.
6. Talk About Your Issues – Talking about the things that are stressing you out can help you feel better. You can consult your doctor, a therapist, a trustworthy clergyman, family members, or friends. You can converse with yourself as well. Self-talk is something we all engage in and its a great stress relief tip. But in order for self-talk to aid in stress reduction, it must be positive rather than negative. So pay great attention to your thoughts and words when you’re under stress. Change the negative message you’re sending yourself to a positive one. Don’t tell yourself, for instance, “I can’t do this.” Instead, tell yourself, “I can handle this,” or “I’m doing the best I can.”
7. Enjoy a Break – To truly decompress and give your mind a break from stress, you must schedule some downtime. If you enjoy setting objectives, you might find this difficult at first. But if you persevere, you’ll come to relish these opportunities. You can relax by doing things like:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Prayer
- Tai Chi
- Playing your preferred music
- Time spent in the outdoors
8. Be Thankful – Gratitude enables you to become aware of all the reasons you have to be grateful. Consider all the wonderful things in your life, maybe you’re thankful for a beautiful day or that you got to work safely. Gratitude can be quite empowering because it makes you aware of all the tools you have at your disposal to handle stress. According to studies, those who are appreciative have better mental health, less stress, and a higher quality of life. Make gratitude a regular practice by noting three things you are glad for each day in a gratitude diary or by making it a routine to express your thanks as a family at the dinner table.
9. Hug A Loved One – Your stress can be greatly reduced through physical touch. Hugging a loved one has several advantages. Oxytocin (often referred to as the “cuddle hormone”) is released during a hug. Higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress are linked to oxytocin. Additionally, oxytocin lowers blood pressure. It can result in a feeling of calm and lower levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine. So, if you need a hug, don’t be hesitant to ask a loved one for one. It benefits you both and is among the most straightforward stress relief tips.
10. Get Expert Assistance – Consider seeking professional assistance if anxiety and worry are dominating your day and preventing you from making healthy adjustments. By chatting with a trained therapist, an increasing number of people have discovered practical and beneficial stress relief tips to deal with stress, worry, and anxiety.
Moving Forward
It could take some trial and error to find the best stress relief tips. Some tactics could require additional practice and time as well. It takes time to develop excellent stress management skills. We advise trying one of these strategies at a time for a week to determine if it works for you and your way of life.
However, it’s crucial to continue looking for the resources that will enable you to manage stress with life’s unavoidable ups and downs.
