In today's busy and bustling world, it's nearly impossible not to have experienced stress or anxiety at one point or another. Stress can come from many places, from unhealthy habits to a lack of self care to having just too much on your plate. Stress can wreak havoc on your immune system, and actually increase your risk of heart disease. So it's natural to wonder how to relieve stress and anxiety from our lives. In this article we'll go through some of the healthy ways you can deal and cope with stress, habits that will help in regulating stress response, and quick ways to decrease stress hormones by triggering your relaxation response.

What Makes Us Stressed

There are many stimulants that can trigger our stress response, including imminent danger, too much work, or circumstances beyond our control. When we are stressed or anxious, our body goes into "fight-or-flight" mode, activating our stress hormones, epinephrine and cortisol.

We may start to pant, or breath very shallowly. You may sweat or even panic as you feel the stress arising. Whatever your stress response is, it's definitely not the best feeling to say the least. That's why it's helpful to know what helps you relieve stress and anxiety, and calm your nervous system down.

Yoga

Yoga helps with stress in 3 ways: it can help to reduce muscle tension, improve breathing, and promote relaxation and mindfulness.

When we are stressed, our muscles tense up, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Yoga poses can help to stretch and relax muscles, releasing built-up tension.

Another symptom of stress is shallow and rapid breathing. Yoga breathing exercises can help to slow down and deepen our breathing, which can have a calming effect on the mind, nervous system, and body.

Lastly, yoga teaches us to focus our attention on the present moment, which can help to quiet the mind and reduce stress levels.

Here are some yoga poses for stress reduction:

• Child's pose: This pose is a great way to relax the body and mind. Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart and your big toes touching. Bring your hips back to your heels and rest your forehead on the ground. Relax your arms by your sides, palms facing up. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

• Cat-cow pose: This pose helps to stretch the spine and relieve back pain. Start on your hands and knees with your back flat. As you inhale, arch your back like a cat, looking up at the ceiling. As you exhale, round your back like a cow, tucking your chin to your chest. Repeat 5-10 times.

• Downward-facing dog: This pose is a great way to stretch the hamstrings and back. Start on your hands and knees, then step your feet back so that your body forms an inverted V shape. Keep your back straight and your heels pressed towards the ground. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

You can find more yoga poses as well as somatic therapy exercises and many other methods in the Hack Your Nervous System card deck, made by a licensed mental health counselor here!

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity can help reduce stress by releasing endorphins, hormones that improve mood. Of course, regular exercise has a multitude of other benefits and even taking 15 - 30 minutes every day to move your body will greatly help your physical and mental health. So get out there and move your body!

Meditate

Just a few minutes of meditation a day can help you reap several health benefits and improve your overall well being. Among the many different meditation methods out there, one that can help quiet your stress response is mindfulness meditation. Start off with deep breathing, and try to divert your focus solely on your breath. If you find your mind moving away from your breath, warmly and carefully redirect your focus back to the breath.

If you find it hard or uncomfortable to meditate there are a number of aids that you can use including a meditation cushion, guided meditation videos, relaxing music, and sound bowls. Of course, the more you practice mindfulness and meditation, the better you will become. And with prolonged practice, you are sure to notice the effects on your stress levels and emotional well being.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

You've probably heard time and time again to stick to a well balanced diet to stay healthy. Believe it or not a poor diet can contribute to your stress response, since your body uses the nutrients in your food to create the chemical transmitters that keep your body functioning properly.

Not only does food impact stress, but the reverse is also true! Stress affects how our body absorbs the nutrients from the food we give it and can also impact the foods we crave, leading to deficiencies of essential bodily nutrients!

Read more about important foods to make sure you're eating when you are stressed here.

Sleep Hygiene

Improving sleep hygiene is the key to enhancing sleep quality and effectively reducing stress. By establishing a consistent bedtime routine and creating a calm sleep environment, individuals can fall asleep more easily and enjoy a restful night. Prioritizing practices like dimming lights before bedtime, minimizing screen time, and avoiding caffeine in the evening can signal to the body that it's time to wind down. Furthermore, maintaining a regular sleep schedule helps regulate the body's internal clock, ensuring a smoother transition into slumber. When we prioritize sleep hygiene, we not only improve our chances of falling asleep peacefully but also set the stage for reduced stress levels, increased resilience, and improved overall well-being.

Time Management Skills

Not everyone has good time management skills, which could make big tasks seem daunting and lead to feeling overwhelmed. Creating a to do list and breaking up big tasks into smaller chunks can help take the weight off your shoulders and will help you handle stress that comes along with big projects.

Start off small, what's one small thing that you can do today that future you will be thankful for? Maybe it's doing a single load of laundry. Or making an outline for your next essay. Or even just prepping a meal for you to take to lunch this week. Whatever it is, you'll feel a lot better when you have it crossed off of your list.

Many times we also overestimate the amount of time we realistically have in a day, which can make piling on many tasks easy. But we need to remember to care for ourselves by

Short Term Stress Relievers

In contrast to long-term lifestyle changes that aim to address the body's stress response at its root, short-term stress relievers offer immediate relief when you're in the midst of a stressful situation. These quick-fix stress relief strategies encompass a range of relaxation techniques designed to provide rapid relaxation and emotional balance, helping you regain composure and manage stress in the moment. These techniques can include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness meditation, or even a brisk walk in nature. By incorporating these short-term stress relievers into your daily routine, you can better equip yourself to navigate life's daily challenges with a greater sense of calm and resilience.

Deep Breathing Exercises

There are many breathing exercises you can do to instantly combat stress. As mentioned before, when we're under stress, we have shallow breathing. This actually increases the amount of carbon dioxide in our system and reduces the amount of oxygen, so deep breaths help release all that pent up CO2, and replace it with much needed oxygen.

One famous exercise is called the physiological sigh:

1. Start by breathing in through your nose and fill up your lungs.

2. When you think you've filled them all up take another breath. This expands your lungs.

3. Now, breath out through your mouth in a sigh.

Aromatherapy

Every smell has a different impact on us. Aromatherapy uses the pleasant scents of essential oils from plants to enhance well-being and promote relaxation. We can use fragrant essential oils to help reduce stress. Some known aromatherapy stress reliever scents are: peppermint, lavender, and ylang-ylang. This blend by the certified aromatherapists at Madison + Green is carefully crafted to both promote relaxation AND sleep!

Listening to Birds

Back when we were cavemen, birds were a sign that there were no predators around. No wonder that now, it's a stress reliever and gives us a sense of calm! There are a few studies that actually show this, if you're interested.

Music Therapy

Listening to soothing music can greatly reduce stress levels as well. Listening to music has actually been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (the stress chemical), and, on top of that, when we listen to music we enjoy, our brain releases dopamine (the rewards chemical).

Stress Ball

As the name implies, a stress ball is another great way to relieve stress. You're taking that energy built up inside you from an intense emotion, and transmuting it into physical activity. Additionally, the contraction and release of the muscles in your hand can release some of the tension carried in other parts of your body.

Hug Someone You Love

Yes! It's actually backed by science! Getting a 20 second hug from a loved one or family member releases oxytocin, which helps relieve stress. So go on and hug your favorite people.

Conclusion

Managing stress is important not only for our mental health, but also for our overall health and well being. So the next time you find yourself tackling stressful situations, use the knowledge and tools you have at your disposal to relieve your stress in a healthy way. Find more stress relieving tools at Mili!