10 Stress-Reducing Techniques to Try
Try these tips to chill out. (Photo: twenty20/@kirillvasilevphotography)
Americans are feeling increasingly stressed, according to a 2012 Carnegie Mellon study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. When researchers compared self-reported stress levels from 1983, 2006 and 2009, they discovered that stress had risen between 10 and 30 percent across all demographic categories over the last three decades. Even more worrisome? According to the American Psychological Association, only 37 percent of Americans feel they are actually succeeding at managing their stress, resulting in negative health effects like skipping meals, lying awake at night and overeating or eating unhealthy foods. If you’re among the many people who are in dire need of a stress intervention, take a deep breath and check out 10 stress-reducing techniques.
1. Practice Public (and Private) Displays of Affection
Reach out and kiss someone! In a 2008 study of 2,000 couples at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, researchers determined that those who kissed spontaneously and often were eight times less likely to experience chronic stress and depression. Even the simple act of saying “I love you” or expressing affection can lower your levels of stress hormones like cortisol and DHEA-S, according to a 2008 Arizona State University study published in Communication Monographs. The finding proved researcher Kory Floyd’s “affection exchange theory,” which posits that affectionate behavior has made significant contributions to human viability and fertility throughout evolution.
2. Treat Yo’ Self
Rough day at the office? Or having a tough time corralling the kids into bed? Take some time out for yourself. Schedule a massage, take a long bath or relax in the sauna. According to a 2011 study from Duke University Medical Center, cancer patients who participated in regular massage therapy sessions experienced lower stress levels than those who didn’t.
And if you’ve ever gotten a massage, you don’t need science to tell you that massages seem to melt the stress away in a matter of minutes. The sauna is also a great way to relax and unwind. Aside from the peace and quiet you can find during “you time,” the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in 2015 that frequent sauna use was associate with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality.
3. Get Organized
Yes, your environment can be stressing you out. A 2010 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that women who described their homes as cluttered or full of unfinished projects had higher levels of stress than those who described their homes as restful and restorative. So if your desk is piled high with half-finished projects, your home is overrun with dirty laundry or your to-do list is never-ending, take some time and prioritize getting organized. Not everything needs to be perfect, but having a more organized home or work space will help you stay calm and focused.
Related: How to Give the Best Massage Ever
4. Indulge in a Power Nap
Too busy for a nap? You may want to reconsider. Research has shown that even a 10-minute power nap can work wonders. Those who take a brief nap exhibit significantly improved alertness and cognitive performance compared with those who don’t nap at all. “People are actually getting the same benefit from a nap as a night of sleep,” says Sara Mednick, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside.
Surprisingly, shorter naps actually prove to be more effective than napping for 30 or 90 minutes – lengths of time that may cause grogginess. So go ahead and allow yourself to take that short siesta and consider wearing earplugs and/or an eye mask to truly unplug.
5. Remember to Breathe
We have the terrible tendency of holding our breath when we’re stressed. But this only compounds the problem. Instead, try practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing. A 2010 Spanish study found that slow, controlled breathing decreased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in both men and women. And a 2006 Indian study found that mental relaxation and slow breathing help lower blood pressure.
So when you feel stress start to creep up on you, take a few minutes and breathe deeply. There are a few techniques you can try: Breathe deeply in though your nose, hold and breathe out through your mouth; use a finger to block one nostril and breathe in through one side of your nose and out through the other; or place your hands on your belly and breathe in and out through your nose, paying special attention to how your rib cage expands laterally.
6. Thump Your Thymus
When therapist Neca C. Smith trains corporate clients to reduce workplace stress, she suggests a technique known as thymus tapping. “When stress is present, the immune system shuts down,” she says. “Thymus tapping is an energy-medicine technique used to give the immune system a jolt of energy and relieve stress.” To practice this, locate your thymus, which is at the top of your chest just below your collarbone, and use your fingers to tap for 20 seconds while slowly breathing in and out. Take it up a notch by tapping a waltz-style beat, a method recommended by holistic physician John Diamond.
7. Try Aromatherapy
Stop and smell the rose oil. “Using essential oils in your environment can actually affect the entire body, [improving] mood and reducing stress,” says natural health expert Kathy Gruver. The reason? Aromatherapy interacts with the brain’s limbic system and hypothalamus, encouraging the release of stress-fighting serotonin – though some experts think it may simply be an emotional placebo.
Along with rose oil, lavender and chamomile are also effective agents for releasing stress. Depending on the type of oil, you’ll find many options for incorporating your preferred scent into daily life – from drinking teas to using diffusers to wearing them as perfume or in jewelry.
8. Find Something That Makes You Laugh
Turns out, laughter really can be the best medicine. A number of studies, including a 2003 study published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, have shown that laughter can help ease feelings of stress. And a 2008 study from the American Physiological Society found that even anticipating a laugh can reduce stress hormones. While a lot of these studies are small (and isolating variables in an experiment like this can be tricky), a good belly laugh certainly won’t make your stress worse.
So consider this science’s way of telling you it’s OK to watch that stupid cat video at work or take a quick break to catch up on some clips from the previous night’s late-night TV shows.
Related: 5 Reasons Why You Need Meditation AND Exercise
9. Keep a Journal
Ever heard of the HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) model? It’s used to illustrate the poor reaction to stress that can result when your basic needs aren’t being met – and that’s exactly where therapist and counseling educator Diane Lang’s Journal of Truth exercise comes in.
For one week, her clients keep a record of how much water they drank, what they ate and when and how much sleep and exercise they got. “At the end of the week, it shows why you’re stressed and unbalanced – whether it’s having large gaps between meals and causing your blood sugar to drop or too much caffeine or sugar,” she says. “Keeping this journal shows which basic needs are being met and what changes you need to make.”
Additionally, writing in a journal, even for just a few minutes, can be very therapeutic and allow you some time to step back from a stressful situation and reflect on why you’re feeling so stressed. It’s not always possible in the moment, so if you can’t break away from a tense conversation, write about it afterwards and reflect on how you can handle similar situations in the future.
10. Put Down Your Smartphone
Between social media, texts, apps and games like Words With Friends and Candy Crush, it’s no wonder that smartphones have the potential to stress us out – after all, wielding a smartphone can feel like a full-time job by itself.
A 2012 study of more than 100 people by British psychologist Richard Balding showed that the number of times you check your phone daily directly relates to the amount of stress that you feel. Balding also concluded that the stress was more closely associated with personal than professional use of smartphones, stemming from compulsive checking for texts and social media notifications.
The original article “21 Stress-Reducing Techniques“ appeared on LIVESTRONG.COM.
By Jen Jones Donatelli
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