Did you know 43% of adults feel stressed daily?

These figures are unsurprising, considering the recent lockdowns and work-from-home setups. You need not stay stressed all the time. Whenever your day gets tough, stress relief should be your primary focus.

However, you might not know the best way to calm yourself. Lacking this knowledge means taking hours before shedding the stress. It isn’t efficient, causing you to lose productivity.

Do you want faster ways to reduce stress? If so, continue reading below for some activities to get you started.

1. Proper Breathing Technique

Most people suggest taking a deep breath to dispel stress and reorient yourself. However, it is the worst activity you can do. After all, sucking in lots of air will hyperventilate your lungs, ramping up your anxiety.

So, how do you calm yourself down with breathing? Put a hand on your chest while the other rests on your abdomen. Ensure the latter is above your belly button.

Your goal is to breathe from your diaphragm. It means sucking air to your stomach, not the chest. When your lower hand moves, you’re doing it correctly.

Consider taking slow, shallower breaths to get rid of your stress. Wait for five minutes as you settle down and clear your mind.

2. Laugh

Regardless of your condition, laughter therapy can help make you feel better. Studies found laughing can reduce anxiety and stress. It’s a non-pharmacologic approach and has the following benefits:

  • Non-invasive
  • Cost-effective
  • Easy implementation

Laughing reduces the mental health burden without using drugs to manipulate hormones. It reduces the long-term side effects of antidepressants, such as drug resistance and addiction.

The good news is you know what makes you laugh. With a stable internet connection, you can find funny videos or podcasts to watch. You can even listen to these while working to keep stress at bay.

3. Taking a Break From Digital Devices

When using your smartphone, you might do activities in rapid succession. Some of these include:

  • Checking your email
  • Posting on social media
  • Listening to music
  • Texting family members

You might think multitasking is efficient. However, it has harmful mental effects in the long run. It could shrink the part of your brain responsible for regulating anxiety and controlling emotions.

Consider prying yourself away from your phone. Ditch it for an hour or so. If you can’t, at least stick to a single activity to mellow out.

4. Clench and Release

Another way to decrease tension and anxiety is through progressive muscle relaxation. You aim to tense and release various muscle groups systematically.

When tensing a specific muscle group, it acts as a pendulum. It swings to one side before doing the same to the other after release. Once done, your muscles will relax, causing your stress to dissipate.

Progressive muscle relaxation is easy to learn. Use a guide to help focus on every muscle group. After a while, you will memorize the order and accomplish the exercise without guidance.

Look for a quiet place with a carpeted floor. It should be wide enough to allow you to lie down on your back and stretch. 

Once you settle, breathe in and tense your first muscle group for up to 10 seconds. Ensure it’s hard but never to the point of cramping or discomfort. Breathe out and suddenly relax the muscle group.

Stay relaxed for up to 20 seconds before working on the next one. You will notice how different the muscles feel when tensed and relaxed. After finishing everything, count to five before focusing back on the present.

5. Meet Up With Friends

Sometimes, all you need is a companion to calm yourself. Hanging out with friends protects you from anxiety and stress.

After all, prolonged isolation often lowers your feel-good chemicals. This situation is the perfect breeding ground for anxiety. It hampers your mind’s ability to stay calm.

Some quality time with your best buddies causes endorphin release in your brain. These are opiates, giving you a natural high. It makes you feel good without developing addiction in the long run.

Do you want your chill-out session to become more relaxing? If so, consider these different smokable flowers from CBD strains. These have various benefits to relieve your stress.

6. Exercise

Any form of exercise allows your body to unwind and fight anxiety. Like hanging out with friends, exercising releases endorphins and other feel-good hormones. It gets rid of tension while keeping you fit and healthy.

However, consider stepping away from your work and other stressful situations while sweating out your tension. Never answer business calls or check emails while doing your exercise routines. Otherwise, you will never get the relaxation benefits.

The worst part is doing work-related activities during workouts will worsen your anxiousness. As such, focus on lifting some iron and turn your devices off.

7. Spend Time In Nature

Staying within your office cubicle or work-from-home set up for extended periods could make you feel burnt out. Combat this by spending more time in nature. It lowers your stress and anxiety levels, especially when you live in urban settings.

An hour of woodland escapade could mellow out your body and mind. If you’re far from any forest or mountain, a trip to the park could suffice. Sit on a shaded bench and watch nature run its course.

The reason for nature’s stress-relieving effect is our affinity to it. Humans lived with plants, trees, and water for thousands of years. For this reason, our adaptation to cityscapes is incomplete.

Learn How To Calm Yourself Now

These are some tips to calm yourself when your day gets tough. Never let stress and anxiety ruin your resolve. Use these to improve your mood and succeed in your endeavors.

However, prolonged stress could cause some mental issues. Consider looking for a therapist to manage your anxiety symptoms. Ask your friends for recommendations or read online reviews.

Did you find this guide helpful? If so, read our other posts to discover more ways to calm yourself down today.

By Manali