Not too long ago, I published a blog post that went into detail about surprising things that cause stress in your daily life. It was an eye-opener for some people as they soon realized what was making them feel so much stress. To follow that up, I want to show you some everyday solutions you can try to relieve stress almost instantly.
For a more stress-free life, follow these tips:
Breathe
Deep breathing is proven to help relieve stress almost instantly. All you have to do is spend five minutes breathing in and out for a count of 3-5 seconds each time. This immediately lowers your heart rate and helps control your blood pressure. I do this every morning and night, but also during the day at work or if I feel myself getting really stressed out. If you have a Fitbit Charge 2, then it has a breathing function where it helps you breathe for relaxation, and you can actually see the effect it has on your heart rate. Other fitness bands may also have these functions, I only used this example as I’ve tried it before.
Exercise daily
Exercising is the easiest and most effective way of relieving your daily stress. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your fitness goals might be; exercise will always be beneficial. From a scientific perspective, working out releases endorphins, which are basically chemicals our body creates to make us feel happy. What’s more, exercising can help you let out some of your frustrations, while also tiring you out, so you’re more relaxed and ready to sleep come bedtime. This leads nicely into the next solution…
Sleep more
Getting more sleep is essential when it comes to managing stress. Get less than 6 hours every night, and you’ll soon become more tired and stressed. Again, there are all kinds of things released in our bodies when we don’t get much sleep, and none of them are good. Plan your days, so you allow at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. You’ll feel more refreshed each morning, and way less stressed.
Stretch
Sometimes, a lot of your stress can be caused by a build-up of physical tension. When your muscles feel all hard and tensed up, then you start to develop aches and pains, muscle cramps, and it just adds to your mental stress. This is why you should stretch every day to combat your muscular tension. Try things like yoga, pilates, or just a good old-fashioned daily stretching routine to limber up. I also think it’s worth buying a foam roller or some massage balls to help self-massage the tense areas and help your stress melt away. All it takes is a 20-minute stretching and massaging session every evening to help you feel better.
I’ve called these ‘everyday solutions’ as I truly believe you can do them all every single day. If you start planning your days better, then you will find time to try these ideas and tackle your stress. All it takes is a little bit of work to get rid of stress for good!
