11 Ways to Quickly Stop Stress in Your Life
How to reduce stress fast and enjoy your day.
It seems as though more people are stressed out and anxious than ever before. And in the middle of all of this stress, we start to lose control. We become dependent on over-the-counter drugs, self-indulgence, and escape to try and cope with it all.
We’ve all experienced stress. Whether it is due to our jobs, finances or strained relationships, there is always something that can stress us out.
The problem is this: When it feels like all hell is breaking loose in our lives and we have so much going on it can start to cripple us.
And if this happens, we have much more work to do to get back on track with our lives. When we fall to pieces and don’t want to get out of bed. Or when we finally snap at our boss at work and give them a piece of our mind, we have clean up to do.
But what if we don’t have to deal with this stress all the way until we explode or breakdown?
We can reduce or cope with stress in an instant and then move on with our lives. And when we have the tools to do this, it helps us in the long run.
First, we need to identify when stress is starting to build up inside of us.
The Effects of Stress in Your Life
Stress affects us in a few major ways. It affects our bodies, our mood, and our behaviors. Sometimes we don’t notice where symptoms that we are experiencing come from and ignore the fact that we are experiencing stress.
We need to understand the effects of stress on our body, mood, and behaviors in order to reduce stress fast.
Stress on Your Body
Pain. That is typically how most people feel stress in our bodies. We feel headaches and muscle spasms. Another one is when our guts start to sing with issues too.
Nevertheless, pain and discomfort start to show up in our lives when we are stressed. Most of the time, we start to feel bad and don’t know what. We didn’t eat anything bad or workout or do anything to cause injury.
Stress and Your Mood
Have you ever said anything that you regret later on because you were stressed out? I have. It sucks. There is nothing worse than yelling at someone in a phone conversation because you're not handling life well.
Our moods can also turn very sad as well. When we experience stress, we can start to feel sad, melancholy, and depressed about whatever is going on with our life. And this can slow us down and paralyze us ever so quickly.
We need to communicate how we are feeling, but we don’t know why. We end up expressing ourselves in crazy ways and all of it starts to snowball upon ourselves.
Stress Impacts Your Behavior
Stress eating, chain-smoking, getting drunk, binge-watching Netflix. All of these are symptoms of stress coming out in our behaviors.
When we are stressed, we begin to look for escapes. Or for instant comfort that will just make us forget about the problems at hand. And while this works at the moment, it is not something that will help us long term.
11 Top Ways to Reduce Stress When It Strikes
These are the top eleven stress reducers I have found online and have put into practice in my own life. These are are the most referred and encouraged steps to take to reduce stress now.
Up until two years ago, I didn’t realize how much I lived under a constant cloud of stress. And then, I started looking for ways to get rid of stress and found these.
***You may want to bookmark this story for reference as you work to fight stress in your everyday life.***
1-Exercise
This is the number one most suggested tip when it comes to reducing stress. When we get moving, it releases endorphins into our system to help regulate our brains. And it is as simple as taking a walk.
When you’re stressed just stop and go for a walk for a simple five minutes.
2-Meditate
While getting our body moving is important for reducing stress, so is slowing our minds down. When we meditate, it helps us take our focus away from our problems by focusing on breathing and being in the moment.
When stress starts up, step back into a quiet room and meditate.
3-Listen to Music
Another helpful tactic is listening to music. It can act as a way to focus our attention like mediation while helping us explore our emotions. As we do this, it takes us into space where we can release stress by finding what is causing it.
Create a playlist that helps you when stress is high, and play it at the moment or take a quick break to unwind.
4-Talk to Someone
Sometimes, our stress just needs a voice. When we are experiencing stress, we need to find people who can identify and listen to how we are feeling. This will help us let go and feel heard but will reduce stress and get us back on track.
When you started feeling stressed, grab a decaf coffee with someone you trust to help you work through what is going on.
5-Take a Nap
Another top habit for stress reduction was learning to take a nap during the day. As we become tired, it is easier for us to experience stress in different situations. But a nap will help us recharge our energy, focus, and critical thinking.
Schedule a 15 or 20-minute nap into days you know will be stressful.
6-Breathe Deeply
When we are stressed, we start to hold our breath a lot. Much like meditation, taking deep breaths help us to release tension, get oxygen into our blood to help us think, and slow our minds down. And it can work almost instantly.
When stress comes up, stop and breathe deeply for a few minutes.
7-Journal
Sometimes, simply writing out our problems helps. Or writing down the things that bring us joy helps to remind us of all the good in life. The benefits of journaling are wild because there are lots of ways to reduce stress by looking at the positive and the negative.
Next time stress comes up, pull out a notepad and write out what is bothering you.
8-Listen or Watch Something Funny
When we start having a laugh, it has both psychological and physical effects. We start to feel better about our day and our body starts to release the tension that we are holding up inside of ourselves.
Pick a TV show episode, podcast, or comedian that makes you laugh and keep them on stand by for a stressful day.
9-Avoid Caffeine
Another tip high on the lists was to reduce caffeine in your day. While your third cup of coffee might be helping you stay awake in the afternoon, it is also increasing your flight or fight response which causes unneeded anxiety.
Go decaf in the afternoon or drink herbal tea to keep yourself from contributing to your stress.
10-Start Doing Yoga
Yoga is a great combination of breathing, movement, and mediation. And it is good for both mind and body. While this might be more difficult to jump into during the day, having a regular practice at the end or beginning of your day will help keep stress away.
Start spending 20 to 30 minutes a couple of times a week learning yoga to reduce your stress.
11-Essential Oils
In the 90’s we had this crazy aromatherapy trend. And now, we have essential oils. While I was skeptical at first, there are a few blends of essential oils that have helped me with stress at the moment. They smell good and they have small benefits to help release stress too.
Find a couple that you might like and try them out. You will be surprised!
Fight Stress in Your Life Today!
We can learn to reduce stress quickly and at the moment as well as preparing ourselves for the day with stress management techniques. Each of these techniques can be related to different ways we are exhibiting stress in our lives.
And so, be mindful of how you are experiencing stress. Is our mood changing? Try breathing, meditation or yoga. Is our body starting to hurt? Try walking, essential oils, or napping.
As we learn to fight stress in different ways, we will begin to unlock more happiness, calmness, and freedom in our lives.
Jack Heimbigner is an author, creator, and coach. He lives in the country in Eastern Washington State with his family. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Learn more about what it takes to succeed in life and achieve your dreams with his Life Planning 101 Course. It shares more on life planning and seeing your dreams come true.
