We all deal with stress at some point in our lives, right? Whether it’s exam season, performance reviews at work, the ongoing global pandemic, a bad work-life balance, or even the crazy rush of the holidays. We’ve all experienced the infamous fight or flight response to stress levels! It’s the worst, let’s admit it. Nobody enjoys the body aches, the sweating, the heart racing, or the shortened breath. Rightfully so, because it can take a toll on your overall health in the long run!
That’s right, stress deteriorates your well-being. And we pretty much live stressed out these days, with all that’s going on with the world. Stress is a natural part of life, sure. But you don’t have to just take the punch, unable to do anything. There are a lot of stress relief techniques you can work with to feel good consistently! Things like keeping a healthy diet, or spending time with a loved family member.
Lucky for you, today’s post is all about stress reduction. We’re sharing our top tips to manage stress at home!
Stress Management Techniques At Home
Practice meditation.
It’s no secret that meditation is a huge tool to help cope with stress. Studies show this technique brings both long-term positive effects to your overall well-being and short-term stress relief with quick results. And there are many different types of meditations for you to try at home! From guided sessions to just music and your own thoughts, you’re bound to find a meditation that works for you. Meditation will help you be more grounded in the present and push the stressful distractions away! For more habits that can boost your happiness, listen to THIS episode of Real Pod where Victoria is joined by Dr. Daniel Amen!
Give aromatherapy a try.
Aromatherapy has a plethora of benefits for stress reduction! It’s an aroma-based treatment that uses essential oils (plant extracts that smell really nice) to activate your smell receptors and send a certain message to your brain through the nervous system. The oils then interact with your limbic system and the hypothalamus to release feel-good chemicals such as serotonin. It’s an easy and rapid way to lower your stress levels and feel more relaxed! Be sure to give it a try, there’s nothing to lose here. Worst case scenario, your house smells amazing. For more at-home wellness Allstar tricks, head over to THIS episode of That’s So Retrograde!
Do yoga.
Yoga is just another one of those stress-relief staples. It goes hand in hand with meditation and is just as popular as it! This technique is a relaxing blend of exercise, mindful breathing, stretching, and meditation. Yoga was developed centuries ago and is widely recognized as a form of mind-body medicine. It plays a key role in relieving stress and improving mental health, as well as a way to improve blood circulation, posture, flexibility, and oxygen uptake.
The best thing is that you can practice yoga at home! All you need is a cushioned yoga mat and a little of your time. There are plenty of free yoga classes on Youtube. Or you can download one of the many workout apps available in the App Store. But there are plenty of premium programs to choose from as well if you prefer live online classes or an accountability system. Think the Peloton app, Equinox app, & so much more. Pick the class that works best for your goals!
Step up your positive self-talk with affirmations.
It’s easy to get caught up in all of our negative thoughts. Still, you need to make actionable choices to shift your mindset to reach a more positive mentality. Affirmations can help create positive self talk and skyrocket your confidence. By repeating motivating sentences you can replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. Studies show affirmations are linked to our self-forgiveness, integrity, and efficacy. This helps to deconstruct stressful information in the long term. And yes, we have just the podcast to learn more about this subject! Listen to THIS episode of The Career Contessa Podcast for a deep dive into how to stop a negative thought spiral.
Do some stress baking.
Who doesn’t love a sweet treat? You probably know that chocolate has an actual effect on our happiness by now. But the process of baking delicious chocolatey treats can also have a positive impact on our wellbeing! Psychologists say baking and spending time in the kitchen helps to reduce stress and improve our mental health. It’s an activity that provides comfort and a soothing distraction from stressful thinking/situations. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider taking a break and do some wholehearted baking!
Take a break when you need one.
Sometimes your body is just begging you to take a couple of deep breaths and unplug. And that’s perfectly fine. Listen to your body and mind! Dedicating time to self-care will make a huge difference in your well-being. You can put these techniques to good use during those personal moments! There’s a lot you can do to unplug and recharge your energy. Maybe you read a riveting story after a bubble bath, or perhaps a relaxing yoga flow is all you need. As you can see, you have plenty of options for relieving stress! Tune in to THIS episode of WorkParty on how to stress less and find joy in your finances for more actionable tips to manage stress.
Give yourself an at-home spa day.
Who doesn’t love a spa day, especially in the comfort of your own home? Sometimes if you’re feeling stressed out all you need is a warm bubble bath, some Epsom salts, a candle, and a little time alone. Heck, you can even give yourself a facial. Shave your legs! Dry brush! Go crazy! Whatever your self-care routine is, take it way up a notch and enjoy some much-needed TLC at home.
Exercise.
This one is no newsflash, but we had to include it anyhow! Studies show that physical activity plays an important part in managing stress and keeping our stress levels in check. Now, let’s keep it real. If you exercise in a way that you loathe and wish it could be over soon for the entirety of the workout, it won’t do you much good. Don’t force yourself to do a workout that feels like torture to you! With the endless amount of exercise methods available on demand (many of them even for free), there’s no need to suffer your way through it. That’ll only stress you even more! So go ahead and figure out which type of exercise makes you feel your best and stick to it!
Go for a walk outside.
A nature walk is always a great idea to decompress! A study by the University of Michigan shows that a 20 minute “nature pill”, AKA a walk around nature, can radically lower your stress levels. How? By reducing the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) by a whopping 10% on average! This is recommended to be a daily practice: 20/30 minutes of strolling around nature to relieve stress. But the study shows that 3 times a week is enough to see a positive difference.
Listen to music.
Music is truly healing. Why, you ask? Because it complements the stress reduction effect! Studies show relaxing music decreases anxiety and lowers stress, relieving the fight or flight response. So if you’re feeling an increased stress, try putting on your favorite playlist, sing as loud as you want, dance even! Listen to upbeat music if that’s your vibe or just anything that is soothing and makes you feel good.
Listen to a mental health podcast.
Sometimes, relaxation isn’t the way to decompress. Maybe you want to dive in and feel your emotions plus explore the why behind the stress. Maybe it’s time for a little self-reflection, growth, and possibly action. Listening to a mental health podcast can make you more aware of your own struggles and give you practical tips on how to solve them. Plus, these podcasts are always supportive, and feel like you’re listening to a friend’s advice! Lucky for you, we have a roundup of the best mental health podcasts HERE.
What are your favorite stress management techniques to do at home?
Now you know how to reduce chronic stress at home! If you follow our tips to manage stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed, you’ll be able to notice a difference soon enough. Remember that, even if stress is a part of life, you should seek professional help if you think you might be suffering from a mental health disorder like anxiety and depression. It’s best to protect your health and be sure! Now, let us share one more thing with you before you go. THIS episode of The Heal Podcast is perfect for those looking to find inspiration in uncertain times and grow from a place of discomfort. So tune in and let us know your thoughts in the comments!