No matter what you do in life, chances are that you’re going to run into stress from time to time. Since we all handle stress in different ways, you don’t want to stress out too much because it’s just going to cause too much harm to your health.
Thankfully, there are thousands of ways to help reduce the stress in your everyday life.
To help you control the stress that you see here and there, here are 12 great stress relievers to try:
#1 Meditation
While it’s well known as a great stress relief, meditation is an amazing way to beat stress. It has many benefits and there are so many different forms to try. If you don’t know how to meditate, consider signing up for a local class.
#2 Yoga
Like meditation, yoga can be done on your own or in a class. There are thousands of YouTube videos and DVDs on the market. Again, if you don’t know how to do yoga, you may want to consider signing up for a class or getting yoga guide such as The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: A Personalized Practice for Strength, Flexibility, and Focus.
#3 PMR
Known as “progressive muscle relaxation,” PMR is a technique that allows you to relax all of the muscles in your body. By practicing these sessions, you will quickly find ways to bring your stress levels down to next to nothing.
#4 Breathing
Breathing exercises are a great way to get rid of stress no matter where you are. Used anytime, breathing slowly and exhaling slowly can do wonders. Consider watching a few videos online that can help with your techniques.
#5 Laughing
Laughing is an awesome way to keep you energized and it also gets rid of stress fast. Consider laughing at something such as a movie you like or even look up funny videos online.
#6 Music
Did you know that there are music therapy classes that you can take advantage of to help soothe your soul? Even if you don’t want to go to a class that helps with this, turning on your favorite tune can help release some build up on the inside.
#7 Exercise
Try to get out and take a walk. Even if you can only go for a while, every step and breath of fresh air can help your body tremendously. If it’s too cold outside, consider going on the treadmill.
#8 Manage your Time
A main cause of stress can often be due to your time restraints. Don’t overwork yourself and try to create a schedule. By doing so, this is a great way to manage your stress throughout the day.
#9 Diet
Like the exercise mentioned above, your diet can help get rid of your stress as well. Experts note that those that eat a well balanced diet are often less prone to stress.
#10 Watch your Caffeine
Too much caffeine can often make you a little too jittery. To help you get more sleep at night, try to reduce the caffeine intake. While you don’t have to get rid of it completely, watching your intake can help a lot. A great drink that has caffeine that can help is green tea.
#11 Plant a Garden
If you have the yard and the time, consider planting a garden. This is a great way to grow healthy food, keep you busy and help reduce stress. By planting a garden, you can get out, enjoy the fresh air and free your mind of any stress related activities.
#12 Talk
If something is bothering you in life, pick up the phone and call a friend. If you don’t have that friend, consider venting online. These are both great ways to free your mind and get the stress off your shoulders.
Excellent list. Gardening isn’t even one you would normal think of but you’re so right. It’s such a good way to de-stress and it gets you outdoors too.
Talking is indeed so helpful to me. I true friend would really pick up his/her phone for a 2am call and I’m one of those people who loves to talks things out early in the morning. It helps me think more clearly and calm. Thanks for sharing this useful post that you got in here. It’s worth the read!
Great list. More than anything else laughing will reduce your stress a lot. I personally feel even doing just 4 to 6 things will be more helpful. Thanks for the share.
Yoga helped me a lot in relieving stress. I’ve learned to meditate and control my breathing, which I find very relaxing, not only for my body but also for my mind.