Tips for Stress Relief

Stressed? With our busy lifestyles it is no wonder that so many of us are on the hunt for some stress relief tips. Stress is something that is almost impossible to avoid completely due to the way we are wired as well as our day-to-day lifestyles. But, with that said stress can be easily dealt with and minimized.

Here is Positivity Toolbox’s Top 31 Stress Relief Tips for Simply Living Well.

Remember: The worst thing you can do is nothing! So don’t delay. Start on these recommendations right away. Do something about your stress today!

31 Days of the Best Stress Relief Tips

*How to relieve stress/ Tips for relieving stress:

Stress Relief Tips #1: Exercise.

Exercise seems to always creep into articles like this, but that is because it is so totally foundational. Exercise has the ability to relax both the mind and body. In addition to so many benefits, one of its big advantages is that exercise provides stress release.

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. It can easily be incorporated into your daily activities. It may be difficult to begin an exercise program, but almost anyone who does it will say that it becomes easier after you get started. Of course, talk to your physician before beginning an exercise program. You clear your mind, increase your health, and relieve your stress with exercise. A perfect form of exercise for almost anyone in almost any health condition is yoga.

Stress Relief Tips #2: Nutrition.

Another foundation to stress relief is wellbeing. A healthy diet with the proper nutrition keeps you at your optimal physically, mentally, and emotionally. Frozen TV dinners or Big Macs are never good choices. Consuming unprocessed food is key.

Eating organic whenever possible enables you to avoid unnecessary excess toxins in your diet. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, raw if possible, and fruit too. Nutritional eating habits and eating small meals helps to keep your blood sugar stabilized. Many people reach for something high in sugar content when feeling stressed which only compounds the problem.

Stress Relief Tips #3: Hydrate!

Drink lots of water! Again, this one is also foundational. Drink plenty of good clean water to keep those brain neurons communicating and able to function at their best! A hydrated body is a healthy body.

Bring water with you everywhere you go!

Stress Relief Tip #4: Get the Right amount of Sleep.

Getting enough sleep at night – meaning restful, uninterrupted sleep – is crucial to keeping stress at bay. Try to relax the best you can in the evening prior to bedtime. If you watch television in the evenings, ensure it is not violent or exciting so your rest will not be disturbed. Better than television, however, is to read something soothing or listen to soft pleasant music.

There are several factors when it comes to getting the right sleep: (1) Not too much. (2) Not too little. (3) Good quality. If sleep is an issue for you, take a look at Brainwave Entrainment to aid with your sleep.

Stress Relief Tips #5: Relax.

Yes it is hard to relax when you are experiencing stress. There are so many relaxation tips though. Too many to mention here. They include deep slow breathing with visualization. For example, as you breathe out, picture all the stress leaving you.

Other relaxation techniques include meditation, yoga, EFT, biofeedback or brainwave entrainment, listening to soothing music, prayer, asking for help, and joining a support network to name just a few.

Stress Relief Tips #6: Reward Yourself.

Too often we get into patterns where we work too much, sleep to little, and run our body into the ground. Take breaks daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Get up during the day from your work and take a brief walk. Stretch throughout your day. Take a weekend get away to freshen up your mind from your work. Take a yearly trip to experience something different from the 9-5.

Even just an evening or a Saturday morning of rewarding yourself with some “me” time will do the trick!

Stress Relief Tips #7: Balance.

Living a balanced life is very important in order to maintain limited stress. Balance means not living all work with no play or no rest. Create a good balance of work, family, friends, exercise, hobbies, and other things that are important to you.

It means doing your best in all areas of your life and then letting go.

Stress Relief Tips #8: Get Rid of Emotional Vampires.

It may seem harsh to some, but eliminating people from your life that cause you stress, negative emotions, and that drain your energy are not worth your time. They’re called “Emotional Vampires.” If you feel you cannot eliminate these people, at least keep their presence in your life to a minimum and seek lifestyle changes to avoid them entirely.

Last, if it is someone you cannot get rid of, such as a boss, parent, child or teacher, seek healthy ways to process their role in your life.

Stress Relief Tips #9: Plan.

Who ever said “Fail to plan, plan to fail” was on the ball!

There is also an element of stress in unplanned situations. Unknowns cause us to worry, and to get stressed out about situations that we could have taken a little time to plan ahead is something we can avoid.

Stress Relief Tips #10: Practice Mindfulness.

Sit quietly for five, ten, twenty minutes a day, following your breath. This is a good way to begin creating a personal practice called mindfulness. In today’s speed-of-light world, it’s common to feel scattered with the mind thinking about one thing, while the heart reaches toward another and the body hangs out someplace else.

Mindfulness is about bringing all these aspects of the self together. It is practicing being fully and deeply present, aware of each passing moment. And the simplest, easiest, and best place to begin is your breath. Take some time to sit each day in silence, breathing, and over time this mindfulness practice will find its way into other areas of your life.

Stress Relief Tips #11: Become a Clock, But Not a Robot.

Make your life regular like “clock work.” Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Get in a routine and stay with it. This can provide you with a level of certainty and help avoid stress.

It is important however, to remember that while we can have a set plan of when we do things, it might not always work that way 100 percent of the time. It’s perfectly okay. Flexibility can also relieve our stress.

Stress Relief Tips #12: Be Easy on Yourself.

Give yourself a break today. Stop negative self-talk. Be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

Also make sure to reward yourself every now and then. Indulge!

Stress Relief Tips #13: Say “NO!”

Say “no” more often when other people want your time, but only when you feel less than enthusiastic about giving it. This includes social engagements, the family dinner on Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.

It may also include projects and volunteer positions that you simply do not have the time for without sacrificing your personal time or sleep.

Stress Relief Tips #14: Become More Efficient.

This means getting things done in less time. We so often choose a more difficult way to get things done than is necessary.

Learn the most efficient way for you to do things then keep at it. It will help you save time and energy so you can be stress free.

Stress Relief Tips #15: Reduce the Number of Hours You Spend at Work or School.

If you are a work-a-holic or school-a-holic, consider reducing the energy drain on your body by lessening your load wherever possible. And if its just not possible to reduce hours, see Stress Relief Tip #14 above!

Keep yourself busy with other important things in life too like family, friends, or hobbies.

Stress Relief Tip #16: Rest Your Mind.

These mind activities include reading, working on a craft, listening to music, playing a musical instrument, meditation, self-relaxation, dancing, and biofeedback.

The mind needs rest too and relaxation too as does the body.

Stress Relief Tips #17: Have a Worry Time If You Must Worry.

When you find yourself worrying over a problem, set aside a time for worrying about it. Then put off worrying until that time is over. Worry if you want, but chances are you need to view this time as a problem-solving session where you are able to find solutions.

Either that or you may not even remember what you were stressing yourself about when worry time is over.

Stress Relief Tips #18 Play Games.

Doing something to take your mind off your stress, such as playing games is a great way to relieve stress. This works in a number of ways: (1) It instantly reduces the stress through distraction. (2) It helps you gain perspective by taking your mind off the stress for a little bit. (3) It gives you enjoyment.

It is a great idea to have some little hand-held “do-dads” that you can play with throughout your day.

Stress Relief Tips #19: Have a Massage or another Form of Self-Care Activity.

If you cannot afford a professional massage, maybe you do you have a spouse, friend, or a loved one that you can do a massage exchange with in the afternoon or evening.

This also helps strengthen bonds and take a load off of relationship stress.

Stress Relief Tips #20: Relieve Stress with a Stress Ball!

Stress Balls are wonderful for relieving tension and pent up frustration. Many people will find that when they are going through a period of stress, they feel the need to do something with their hands. For example some people play with the loose change in their pockets while others make patterns and shapes with their fingers or tap them rhythmically on the tabletop.

Stress balls are a cheap alternative to the incessant hand movements that some people find annoying. They can be squeezed over and over again until you feel your nerves calming down because most are made from materials that regain their original shape when not being squeezed.

Stress Relief Tips #21: Look into What Causes Your Stress.

You may not know what is inducing you stress so try to understand where the source is coming from if possible. Once you understand what is causing your stress, you can try to change these problem areas.

If you can not eliminate the source of you stress, can you substantially reduce them. And if nothing else, maybe you can look at these stressors in a different way.

Stress Relief Tips #22: Have a Positive Attitude.

Always look on the bright side of things. Don’t think about what may go wrong. Take positive steps to improve yourself, your business, your spirit. Work on your ambitions. Find methods to enhance your routine activities.

At the end of the day, understand that you have done all you can to maintain a healthy lookout on Life. Now you can relax and enjoy the remainder of the evening either by yourself or with your family and friends.

Stress Relief Tips #25: Take a Bath.

Take a bath with bath salts. The bath itself is soothing and relaxing and bath salts extract toxins from the body. They don’t have to be expensive. Plain old Epsom Salt does the trick and can be purchased for just a few dollars.

A warm bath does wonders.

Stress Relief Tips #26: Multitask But only to a Point.

Multitasking can be dangerous because our brains are not designed to do two things at once. The idea of multitasking in terms of a stress relief tip has to do with just getting more done in less time by doing it at the most efficient time.

For example, if you are going downstairs, grab the laundry on your way. If you’re going across town to go shopping, get gas while you are out.

Stress Relief Tips #27: Delegate.

You do not have to do it all. We often take on more than we can handle. Have you ever had these thoughts?: “If I don’t do it myself, it won’t get done right” OR “It will take me longer to teach someone else how to do it than it will take for me to just get it done myself. It does not have to be that way!

By not delegating, we end up not getting things done or we get it done but with sacrificing sleep or relationships. Both scenarios create stress. There is an art to delegating. It is an important skill for those who can benefit from it.

Stress Relief Tips #28. Keep It Simple.

Keep your life as simply as possible. Simplify and de-clutter wherever possible.

If you are looking to make major changes, take it one step at at time! Change of any kind is stressful, and limiting it until later is a good strategy if you are under a lot of pressure.

Stress Relief Tips #29: Book Time for Yourself.

In your daily or weekly schedule, book time first for yourself, then the other task activities you are involved in.

Don’t let anything, except an emergency, usurp your commitment to yourself.

Stress Relief Tips #30: Know Your Values.

Take a moment to think about the things that are the most important for you in your life. Often times when we are living off the wall and not by our values, there is an increase of stress in our day to days.

Live an authentic life so you can be happy and stress-free.

Stress Relief Tips #31: Seek Help.

Ask your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors for help if you must. People love helping people and that can greatly help you. It’s okay not to have all the answers and not be able to do it all.

If your stress is so severe and you can’t seem to find relief regardless of what you try, then you may desire to request for some professional help. Find a counselor, psychiatrist, medical doctor, or life coach to help you get through all the stress in your life.