30 Scientifically-Effective Ways to Relieve Stress

The stress is killing me. Honestly, a lot of us have said something to that effect at one time or another. On most occurrences, it’s an overstatement. It’s no exaggeration, however, to state that stress can take a considerable toll on your physical, mental and emotional health.

The physical effects of stress are well-documented — headaches, joint and muscle stiffness, fatigue, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, immune and digestive troubles, as well as increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular issues and diabetes. So are the mental and emotional problems, including anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, unable to concentrate, irritability, mood swings, social isolation and depression.

Anxiety can also create a harmful, somewhat cyclical effect with our hormones. The body can perceive anxiousness as a threat, so it releases stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine and adrenaline to help deal with the problem. Unfortunately, the constant release of these stress hormones can shut down what they deem to be “nonessential” functions in the body, including the production of testosterone. Worse, when your body notices it’s not making testosterone, it may reply by increasing your production of cortisol.(1)

So, how can we cope with feeling unable to cope? First, relax. It can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. There are ways we can go about reducing our stress and anxiety. In fact, here are 30 of them.

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Immediate Stress Relievers

It’s not quite so bad when our stress levels are temporary; we eventually recover from the resulting duress, and our mind and body get back to their normal, everyday business. In fact, short bursts of anxiety can even help us be more attentive and perform better.

It’s a different story with chronic stress. When the pressure and anxiety feel unrelenting, the body eventually has trouble deciding when or if it’s okay to start functioning “normally” again. Of course, our stress often comes at very inopportune times, when we can’t just pull away from everything and reset ourselves. So it’s handy to know of some methods that can be done easily and anywhere to effectively reduce anxiety and enable us to refocus.

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

When our bodies go into “high alert” mode, the increased output of stress hormones can sometimes make us feel like our blood is boiling. Let’s look at some relaxation methods which can help quickly lower your blood pressure and steady your heart rate.

1. Deep breathing. Keeping it simple can often be the best way to go. You already know how to breathe; here, you’ll consciously take deep breaths through your nose, until your abdomen fills up, then breathe out slowly through your mouth. Focusing on deep breathing can go a long way toward relieving stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure, improving mood and even helping treat eating disorders.(2)

2. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Start with a few deep breaths, then tense and relax individual muscle groups throughout the body. Research shows(3) that it’s a great way to bring on the calm; if your body feels relaxed, anxiety levels and feelings of depression become greatly reduced. Don’t forget to breathe in when you tighten the muscles and breathe out when you relax them.

3. Do some math. For easing your worries, you can count on this technique, and in any number of ways. You can count slowly to 10 or 20 and then back, or you can count backward from 100. Make it even more interesting and count backward from 100 in increments of threes. Why math? Cortisol can impair your prefrontal cortex.(4) Doing something unnatural, like counting backwards, can tell your cortisol to chill out and kickstart your cortex back into action.

4. Guided imagery. Stressful environments can often prevent you from physically escaping to your “happy place.” However, studies show that visualizing positive, calm surroundings,(5) like a lake or a beach, can be very effective in providing peace of mind and body. While picturing yourself in one of those settings, add detail to various elements — for example, an ocean spray or peaceful sounds in a forest — to make your experience feel more real. If your brain believes it’s somewhere stress-free, it’ll communicate the message to your immune, endocrine and nervous systems.

5. Work in a quick stretch. You may find yourself too busy at work to head out to the gym or even take a prolonged break. Rather than add to your already-stressful workload, just do some simple stretching around your desk. It loosens tight muscles, improves circulation and promotes the release of endorphins, which can create feelings of euphoria. According to researchers, stretching not only can reduce workplace stress, but it can also decrease the pain(6) that people experience from sitting at a desk for too long.

6. Meditate. It may require some practice, but a few minutes of meditation(7) every day can become a short- and long-term way of bringing down stress levels. There are many different types of meditation programs(8) to choose from, but start off with something simple and reliable — get comfortable in a quiet spot, close your eyes, detach from other thoughts and silently repeat a word or phrase while slowly inhaling and exhaling. It helps keep your mind in the present and away from whatever’s stressing you out.

7. Chew some gum. Scientists say that chewing gum for a period of time helps elevate blood flow to the brain, and studies support that it can reduce stress levels while improving productivity, alertness and mood.(9)

8. Laugh it up. The world may not seem all that funny when you’re feeling frazzled, but there’s a lot of truth in the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Training yourself to enjoy a genuine, hearty laugh(10) when things seem grim can boost your dopamine and serotonin levels, and reduce your levels of epinephrine, cortisol and growth hormone. It takes your mind off your problems, brightens your mood and provides a world of physical benefits, including improvements to your immune system, heart and lungs. When a project or problem stresses you out, try to find the humor in the situation.

SENSORY TECHNIQUES

It makes a great deal of sense that we can address our stress by using our five basic senses — sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. There are multiple studies out there that support how each receives sensory information that can help our body and mind cope within a tense, pressured environment. Here are just a few methods — some fast-acting, some not-so-fast but worth identifying here — in which our senses can help de-stress us.

9. Aromatherapy. Don’t knock the power of essential oils like peppermint, lavender, lemon and chamomile. Inhaling such scents are not only pleasing to our noses, but they can positively impact the amygdala,(11) a group of neurons in the brain that processes emotions like fear. In addition to decreasing stress hormones, aromatherapy is also effective at soothing headaches, improving your state of mind and clearing up brain fog. As a stress reliever, it certainly doesn’t stink.

10. Stay grounded. The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a mindfulness exercise in which you count backward and employ your senses to “ground” you in the present(12) and power you through stressful scenarios. Focusing on identifying the things around you will take your mind’s focus off the anxiety it’s experiencing. Just start with a deep breath, then acknowledge the following:

Five things you can see — the desk in front of you, a laptop, a picture on the wall, and so on

Four things you can feel or touch — the carpet or floor beneath you, the sun’s warmth, a pen, your clothes

Three things you can hear — traffic outside, your stomach grumbling, an air conditioner humming

Two things you can smell — coffee brewing, someone’s perfume; walk around if you can’t smell anything nearby

One thing you can taste — a mint, or maybe some tea you just made

11. Flotation-REST. If you feel like you’re drowning in stress and anxiety, consider immersing yourself in a flotation tank for restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST). You’ll float weightlessly inside a dark, soundproof tank filled with about a foot of water that’s heated to body temperature and saturated with Epsom salt. Through sensory deprivation, REST has emerged as a scientifically proven method(13) for inducing deep relaxation, reducing stress and depression, lowering blood pressure and optimizing your quality of rest.

12. Biofeedback therapy. Any of us can benefit from a little feedback, so if you’re in need of stress management, noninvasive biofeedback therapy may be your solution. You’re hooked up to electrodes that measure for stress response through various body functions, such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. A monitor displays the results and, through different relaxation techniques (including PMR, meditation and guided imagery), your mind can help teach your body to learn to relax and control how it processes stress. Based on researchers’ feedback,(14) the technique has proven quite effective in significantly reducing stress, anxiety and depression.

13. Get a massage. Rub out your anxiety. A good massage can release endorphins, increase blood flow and raise body temperature.(15) When your body temperature rises, your heart rate lowers and your muscles become more relaxed and flexible, all of which helps toward reducing your stress levels. If you can’t swing the cost for a masseuse, don’t sweat it; using your own fingers to massage your hands(16) can release a lot of tension just as effectively.

14. Hug it out. It’s been said that one hug from the right person is all you need to take your stress away. Studies indicate there’s something to that — giving or receiving hugs motivates your hypothalamus to produce oxytocin.(17) Some people call it “the cuddle hormone,” but oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that, when released by the pituitary gland, can flood you with good feelings, help lower blood pressure and reduce the output of stress-producing norepinephrine. If you’re feeling emotionally strained, take a bonding moment and hug someone.

Habit Forming Stress Relievers

There are plenty of ways to quickly lower your anxiety, but most don’t necessarily provide long-term contentment. To achieve that, you need to go all in on techniques that require patience and take time to develop. Living as stress-free a life as possible means playing the long game — embracing creativity and new positive habits, and adjusting them along the way.

CREATIVITY TECHNIQUES

Deepak Chopra summed it up nicely: “The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.” In other words, what makes us so creative and solution-oriented can just as easily become the same source of stress for our problems and worries. Since we’re all for investing in the creative part of this two-sided coin, here are some ideas to help get your productive juices flowing.

15. Take up art. Art therapy(18) is widely regarded as an exceptional method of drawing away stress from your body, according to researchers. A 2016 study reported that cortisol levels in approximately 75 percent of its participants had dropped significantly after 45 minutes of dedicated art making. Worried that you’re no Picasso? No problem — besides becoming quite popular with adults, coloring(19) has been found to calm your amygdala and induce a meditative-like state.

16. Play your stress off. Whether you engage in team sports,(20) solve jigsaw puzzles(21) or construct uber-complex LEGO sets,(22) playing releases stress-combatting endorphins. Plus, it helps put you in a state of mindfulness that can boost your problem-solving skills and self-motivation.

17. Take up music lessons. The brain is much like a muscle in that if you “exercise” it, you strengthen its resistance to the effects of stress and aging. Playing a musical instrument does all of that, plus it can lower blood pressure and heart rate while strengthening just about every part of your brain,(23) including cognitive function as well as your visual, auditory and motor areas. You can’t go wrong with taking up any instrument — it can be a guitar, bagpipes, drums, oboe, whatever — though some studies strongly suggest that a piano or keyboard(24) may be the most effective anxiety-relievers.