5 Tips for Reducing Everyday Stress

While I do not consider myself a competitive athletic, I am someone who recognizes that being physically active is critical for maintaining my overall health and well-being. I definitely engage in regular activities and some could even say I am a bit compulsive. Regardless, being active helps me to manage everyday stress more easily. But what works for me may not work for you. Discovering how you best reduce stress and manage life’s daily challenges can often mean trying things that don’t work to discover the things that do.

Some days you feel like you’re on your own personal journey to climb Mount Everest. Maybe it’s a big meeting at work that has you feeling bogged down or an argument with a friend that’s weighing on your heart. When it comes to stress triggers, the list is endless.

“Stress can result from a lot of everyday happenings,” says Farrah Hauke, a licensed psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Chronic worry, negative thinking — such as ‘catastrophizing’ the worst possible scenario happening, not sleeping well, not eating well, suppressing and ignoring problems as opposed to expressing and addressing them, toxic work environments, abusive relationships, procrastinating, poor health … the causes are almost endless.”

If you’re part of the 79% of Americans who report feeling stressed throughout any given day, take a deep breath. Here are some essential tips, some strategies you can try to better navigate everyday stress, try them for a few days and see what sticks.

1. Practice Mindfulness

There are piles of research that show the benefits of a regular meditation practice, ranging from making you a better athlete to dramatically lowering stress levels. In a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, people who received just three consecutive days of mindfulness training felt calmer when faced with a stressful task.

“Sitting quietly for 10 minutes at the start and end of the day helps center us,” says Lara Pence, MBA, PsyD. “When we are constantly reacting to people and situations, we feel disconnected from ourselves. It’s as if life is happening to us. When we sit still without any distraction and quiet the mind and observe our thoughts, we are able to see how we can control our thoughts as opposed to having our thinking controlling us.”

2. Start your day off on the right foot

Although using an alarm to wake up during the week may be a necessity, that doesn’t mean your whole morning has got to be a jarring experience. Create early rituals to start your day in a way that soothes you, not stresses you.

“If checking your email immediately increases your heart rate, don’t let it be the very first thing you do when you wake up,” suggests Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, a New York City-based licensed clinical psychologist, faculty member at Columbia University Teachers College and founder and clinical director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services. “Get out of bed and have some tea first. Or read one paragraph in a book you enjoy.” Although it may feel like you’re delaying your day, those simple 5-minute routines actually make you more productive in the long run, he says.

3. Write Things Down That Stress You Out

Journaling has become a hallmark of self-care, right up there with mindful meditation. This is for good reason; scientific studies have shown it to be truly a remedy for modern life.

Me? I am a list maker. My two sons like to say that “my lists have lists”. Yet, studies suggest that putting pen to paper can improve immune cell activity as well as improve memory, set the stage for better sleep, and even help us chill out. When you know there will be stress, such as the holidays, write out what currently stresses you out, then cross it out with a red pen. This conditions us to adopt a new approach.

“When someone has a limiting belief that they only can achieve success through sacrifice they will tolerate more stress, thinking it’s the sacrifice to achieve success,” she says. For example: If you cross out a belief that says “to be successful I have to work hard and extra hours” and replace it with a new belief that says “my success comes from maintaining my peace,” then you may be delighted with the result.

4. Get Physical

I like to think of physical activity as moving meditation. Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. If you’re not an athlete or even if you’re out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day.

Research shows exercise can help alleviate depression and feelings of anxiety, largely due to the chemical reactions that happen in the body as soon as we work up a sweat. “It helps release your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins,” says Hauke. “No one ever regrets a workout.” As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything you do. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence, it can relax you, and it can lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise can also improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All of these exercise benefits can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

5. Connect in Person

In today’s digital age, people are constantly accessible behind a screen. However spending time, in person, with someone can drastically impact your mood and ease feelings of stress. Within your social group, identify one or two people that always make you feel relaxed and spend time with them. Meet them for coffee, lunch, a glass of wine and sunset. Enjoy the laughter that comes with friendships. Your brain will reward you and the stress will feel less heavy.

So, put down your digital devices (including smart phones/watches, iPads/notebooks, and computers), get outside and do anything. Take some time to reflect on the past year, write down what lessons were learned and your path into the next year.

Happy Holidays and a Joyful New Year

We hope you, your family, colleagues, and friends have a very happy holiday season and joyful New Year.

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