How to De stress
Walk away from whatever is stressing you out., Breathe deeply., Take a warm bath., Have a quiet cup of tea., Call a friend and vent., Play some ambient music., Make some noise, if you need to., Sweat out the stress., Try to keep your stress...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Walk away from whatever is stressing you out.
Whether you're at home, at work, or working on schoolwork, it's important to give yourself periodic breaks from whatever it is that's stressing you out.
Even if you're feeling rushed to get something done, even if you're busier than you can believe, you only need to grab 10 or 15 minutes to do a quick de-stress routine and calm yourself down, so you can get back to the task full-strength.
It's good to physically leave the space.
If you're working on a paper, don't just close the window and start watching YouTube.
Get up.
Take a walk.
See something that's not a computer for a while.
If you're busy watching your kids, or you're in a test, or can't physically leave the place that's stressing you out, you can still take a moment or two to center yourself and de-stress.
You don't need to move or anything to calm yourself. -
Step 2: Breathe deeply.
Step back from what you're doing and close your eyes, or look at a blank wall, or through a window outside.
Take 5-10 deep breaths, holding it for about 5 seconds, then releasing each slowly.
Just doing this for a few minutes helps to bring your nervous system back into alignment, helping to calm the fight or flight response associated with high stress periods.Sit comfortably with your back straight.
Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach and breathe in through your nose, enough so that the hand on your stomach rises, but the hand on your chest moves very little.
Exhale through your mouth.
Push out as much air as you can and contract your abs.
The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little, counting slowly while you inhale and exhale. , Taking a quick soak in warm water can be therapeutic, both in terms of stress and your physical well-being.
Sit in the bath, wash your self, and practice your breathing exercises to give yourself a soothing stress-reducer.
Baths should be warm, but not too hot, around 100-110 degrees F (37 C).
Extremely hot baths actually ramp up your nervous system, and the relaxation is a bit of an illusion.
Homeopathically speaking, hot baths do more to misalign your body and mind than a comfortable soak in a gently warm one.Combine warm baths with stretching for added therapeutic effect.
Warm water softens muscles through a “thixotropic” effect, softening and making your muscles more pliable, making it easy to work out knots and stress spots with stretching. , If you can't take a bath, taking a minute with a hot cup of green or herbal tea can have quick therapeutic effects, and give you a little treat as well, perfect for stress reduction.
Green tea has a high concentration of EGCG and antioxidants, helping to fight various cancers, as well as improving cholesterol levels and heart health.
Tea with hibiscus has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels in some patients, making it ideal for stress relief.Many teas include hibiscus, so read the ingredients to find one you like. , Reaching out to your social network can help you de-stress in several ways.
By calling a friend you can forget about your worries or problems for a little while, and allowing yourself to say things out loud can give you the feeling of "releasing" your tension into the world, even if your friend can't do much to solve your problems.
If you are stressing about a decision, you can also share what's stressing you and get their advice and come closer to making a decision. , For many people, listening to wordless music is the equivalent of staring off into space, but for your ears.
If you can, try playing some ambient drones or other soothing music quietly to help distract your brain from what's stressing you out, for a few minutes at least.
Check out YouTube for mixes of quiet ambience, from fire crackling to static hiss to burbling brooks, you can listen to soothing noises for free, sometimes looped to long sleep-able lengths.
Contrary to popular belief, there's no style or genre of music that's more relaxing than others.
Some people like to bliss out to Mozart, while others need to blow off some steam with High on Fire or Darkthrone.
Find your anti-stress band.
Many people have found success relaxing to Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos on YouTube, which feature whispering, tapping, personal attention, and a variety of other relaxing sound triggers. , Primal therapy, sometimes called "scream" therapy, was famously practiced by John Lennon, among other celebrities, and it involves periodically getting in touch with your primal rage centers, through ritualized yelling and other methods.While it's efficacy is debatable, and it ventures into regression therapy territory, it's true that giving a yell can trigger endorphin release, which can have a euphoric and calming effect.Go to a place where you won't disturb anyone and scream wordlessly for 10 or 15 seconds.
But don't do it for too long, you might get a sore throat or damage your vocal chords. , If you can steal 30 minutes of time or so, getting outside and exercising is a great way of de-stressing and getting your body primed for getting back to work.
Exercise sometimes triggers an effect sometimes referred to as "runners high," exercise has been shown to produce a significant mood enhancement effect, as soon as five minutes after getting some moderate exercise.You don't have to start training for a triathlon to get de-stressing.
Taking a brisk 20-30 minute walk can get your muscles moving and your heart-rate up enough to trigger the effect.
You can read about more exercise techniques in this article. , Lots of people think a cigarette break, a shot of whiskey, or other types of relaxation are preferable to the methods suggested in this section.
But alcohol, other drugs, and tobacco all have the tendency to raise your heart rate, increase your blood pressure, and otherwise increase, not receive, the physiological symptoms of stress.While it may seem like these things help, they're really making your stress more pronounced.
Sometimes, when stressed, certain people tend to overeat, or snack on unhealthy snacks.
Having a snack can be a nice way of taking a quick break, but make sure it's something like carrots, or other fresh vegetables or fruits.
Overeating because of stress can make you feel worse about your behavior, which will only add to your stress. -
Step 3: Take a warm bath.
-
Step 4: Have a quiet cup of tea.
-
Step 5: Call a friend and vent.
-
Step 6: Play some ambient music.
-
Step 7: Make some noise
-
Step 8: if you need to.
-
Step 9: Sweat out the stress.
-
Step 10: Try to keep your stress management as healthy as possible.
Detailed Guide
Whether you're at home, at work, or working on schoolwork, it's important to give yourself periodic breaks from whatever it is that's stressing you out.
Even if you're feeling rushed to get something done, even if you're busier than you can believe, you only need to grab 10 or 15 minutes to do a quick de-stress routine and calm yourself down, so you can get back to the task full-strength.
It's good to physically leave the space.
If you're working on a paper, don't just close the window and start watching YouTube.
Get up.
Take a walk.
See something that's not a computer for a while.
If you're busy watching your kids, or you're in a test, or can't physically leave the place that's stressing you out, you can still take a moment or two to center yourself and de-stress.
You don't need to move or anything to calm yourself.
Step back from what you're doing and close your eyes, or look at a blank wall, or through a window outside.
Take 5-10 deep breaths, holding it for about 5 seconds, then releasing each slowly.
Just doing this for a few minutes helps to bring your nervous system back into alignment, helping to calm the fight or flight response associated with high stress periods.Sit comfortably with your back straight.
Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach and breathe in through your nose, enough so that the hand on your stomach rises, but the hand on your chest moves very little.
Exhale through your mouth.
Push out as much air as you can and contract your abs.
The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little, counting slowly while you inhale and exhale. , Taking a quick soak in warm water can be therapeutic, both in terms of stress and your physical well-being.
Sit in the bath, wash your self, and practice your breathing exercises to give yourself a soothing stress-reducer.
Baths should be warm, but not too hot, around 100-110 degrees F (37 C).
Extremely hot baths actually ramp up your nervous system, and the relaxation is a bit of an illusion.
Homeopathically speaking, hot baths do more to misalign your body and mind than a comfortable soak in a gently warm one.Combine warm baths with stretching for added therapeutic effect.
Warm water softens muscles through a “thixotropic” effect, softening and making your muscles more pliable, making it easy to work out knots and stress spots with stretching. , If you can't take a bath, taking a minute with a hot cup of green or herbal tea can have quick therapeutic effects, and give you a little treat as well, perfect for stress reduction.
Green tea has a high concentration of EGCG and antioxidants, helping to fight various cancers, as well as improving cholesterol levels and heart health.
Tea with hibiscus has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels in some patients, making it ideal for stress relief.Many teas include hibiscus, so read the ingredients to find one you like. , Reaching out to your social network can help you de-stress in several ways.
By calling a friend you can forget about your worries or problems for a little while, and allowing yourself to say things out loud can give you the feeling of "releasing" your tension into the world, even if your friend can't do much to solve your problems.
If you are stressing about a decision, you can also share what's stressing you and get their advice and come closer to making a decision. , For many people, listening to wordless music is the equivalent of staring off into space, but for your ears.
If you can, try playing some ambient drones or other soothing music quietly to help distract your brain from what's stressing you out, for a few minutes at least.
Check out YouTube for mixes of quiet ambience, from fire crackling to static hiss to burbling brooks, you can listen to soothing noises for free, sometimes looped to long sleep-able lengths.
Contrary to popular belief, there's no style or genre of music that's more relaxing than others.
Some people like to bliss out to Mozart, while others need to blow off some steam with High on Fire or Darkthrone.
Find your anti-stress band.
Many people have found success relaxing to Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos on YouTube, which feature whispering, tapping, personal attention, and a variety of other relaxing sound triggers. , Primal therapy, sometimes called "scream" therapy, was famously practiced by John Lennon, among other celebrities, and it involves periodically getting in touch with your primal rage centers, through ritualized yelling and other methods.While it's efficacy is debatable, and it ventures into regression therapy territory, it's true that giving a yell can trigger endorphin release, which can have a euphoric and calming effect.Go to a place where you won't disturb anyone and scream wordlessly for 10 or 15 seconds.
But don't do it for too long, you might get a sore throat or damage your vocal chords. , If you can steal 30 minutes of time or so, getting outside and exercising is a great way of de-stressing and getting your body primed for getting back to work.
Exercise sometimes triggers an effect sometimes referred to as "runners high," exercise has been shown to produce a significant mood enhancement effect, as soon as five minutes after getting some moderate exercise.You don't have to start training for a triathlon to get de-stressing.
Taking a brisk 20-30 minute walk can get your muscles moving and your heart-rate up enough to trigger the effect.
You can read about more exercise techniques in this article. , Lots of people think a cigarette break, a shot of whiskey, or other types of relaxation are preferable to the methods suggested in this section.
But alcohol, other drugs, and tobacco all have the tendency to raise your heart rate, increase your blood pressure, and otherwise increase, not receive, the physiological symptoms of stress.While it may seem like these things help, they're really making your stress more pronounced.
Sometimes, when stressed, certain people tend to overeat, or snack on unhealthy snacks.
Having a snack can be a nice way of taking a quick break, but make sure it's something like carrots, or other fresh vegetables or fruits.
Overeating because of stress can make you feel worse about your behavior, which will only add to your stress.
About the Author
Doris Fox
A passionate writer with expertise in DIY projects topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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