How To Relieve Stress Quickly: 9 Easy Tricks To Feel Calmer in as Little as 60 Seconds
The best part? None of these tips require complicated relaxation rituals
Whether you’re dealing with everyday tension from things like a packed to-do list or running late for an appointment, or you’re under chronic stress from health problems or an unexpected bill, you know the toll it can take on your wellbeing. The good news? You don’t have to suffer in silence. Here we reveal how to relieve stress quickly and naturally so you can feel your best (even when life throws you a curveball).
How to relieve stress: 9 easy tips
Learning how to cope with stress and find ways to unwind can improve both your physical and mental health. In fact, studies show relieving stress can lower your blood pressure, lift your mood and make it easier to sleep. Ready to reap the long-term rewards? These study-backed tips are a great place to start.
Relax on a porch swing
Ever notice how rocking in a hammock, on a porch swing or even the grandkids’ swing set instantly makes you feel more at ease? A preliminary Chinese study on animals suggests that an hour of rocking after a stressful event may lower stress hormones by nearly a third compared to not rocking. Gentle movement signals the brain that everything is okay in your environment, helping deactivate stress circuits and chasing away “stress hangovers.”
Woman's World Answers
Soak up the sun
Just 10 minutes spent basking in the sun may help relieve stress quickly. Sunlight triggers your skin to produce vitamin D, which helps your body regulate mood-boosting brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Indeed, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that raising participants’ vitamin D stores to healthy levels helps lift low moods and keep you feeling good. (See how much vitamin D women over 50 need per day.)
Prune your plants
There’s real science behind why planting and pruning is an effective way to deal with stress. A Japanese study reports that simply touching plants sparks a stress relief response in the brain. Meanwhile, a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that the combined sensory experience of seeing and smelling plants helps dial down the body’s physiological stress response.
No garden? No problem! A study in HortTechnology found that when stressed workers took a three-minute break simply to gaze at a small potted plant they were nurturing, they relieved feelings of stress and anxiety. Focusing attention on the “pet plant” lowered participants’ heart rates, leaving them feeling calm and relaxed.
Catch a sunset
The sky puts on a dazzling show on clear evenings—and admission is always free! A study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that pulling up a lawn chair to take in the sunset’s changing colors can boost feelings of beauty and awe, leaving you calmer, more present and better able to shake off the day’s stress.
Line dry your linens
According to research in Environmental Chemistry, sunlight and outdoor air trigger a natural reaction on wet fabric, creating compounds responsible for that distinctive “fresh laundry” smell. Because our brains often link fresh scents with feelings of cleanliness, calm and happiness, letting your clothes air-dry in the sun may help relieve stress quickly.
Bite a pencil
It may sound strange, but one of the quickest ways to relieve stress is biting on a pencil, pen or even a chopstick. Research out of Australia found placing a pencil across the corners of your mouth and very gently biting down engages the same facial muscles as when you grin—literally turning a frown upside down in seconds. Researchers say mimicking a smile in this way triggers the emotional center of the brain to release mood-lifting compounds that trick the brain into feeling upbeat.
Tap your temples
When worries have your mind in a stress loop, try this simple stress management technique: Turn on a cheerful song, rest your elbows on a table and gently tap your temples to the beat for two minutes. Research shows this unique type of tapping, called emotional freedom technique (EFT), reconnects the mind and body, calming the brain and lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 37 percent. Meanwhile, Canadian research suggests hearing a song you love as you tap works as well as anti-anxiety drugs at relieving stress.
Blow out imaginary candles
The next time you feel overwhelmed, pretend it’s your birthday as you close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then slowly exhale, imagining you’re blowing out all the candles on a cake. Dutch research suggests that a long, slow exhale stimulates the vagus nerve, which connects the body and mind, reversing the stress response.
Slip off your socks
One of the easiest ways to relieve stress naturally: Slip off your shoes and socks and step onto the grass when you grab the mail. A University of California study finds that contact between the soles of your feet and the earth (a practice known as grounding or earthing) signals the body to lower cortisol production, noticeably reducing your stress levels.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
