Six Quick Stress Reducers

Are you stressed? Do you need quick ways to reduce your stress levels without adding more work to your busy schedule? These six stress reduction techniques take five minutes or less to lower your stress levels, reduce your cortisol levels, and bring down your anxiety.

1.) Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to lower stress levels. It works in just about any situation. It’s easy to do. Sit comfortably and take a deep breath through your nose. Breathe until your chest is full and your stomach expands. Hold your breath for five seconds. Then, slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat two or three times and feel the stress drain out of you.

2.) Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive relaxation is a method that lowers stress by reducing muscle tension. It involves tensing and relaxing each major muscle group one after the other. Sit or lay down in a comfortable position. Breathe deep and tense both your feet. Hold for a few seconds. Exhale and release the tension. Repeat with your calves, then your thighs, and so on until you’ve done this with all the major muscle groups. It’s also an excellent way to calm down for sleep.

3.) Visualization

One of the most powerful ways to change how we feel is visualization. To use this method, close your eyes and think of a place to feel happy and relaxed. Use all five of your senses. If this place is a beach, for example, feel the sand on your toes, hear the lapping of the waves, taste the salt air, see the waves, and smell the ocean.

4.) Guided Meditation

You don’t have to use your entire free time and day meditating to reap the benefits. Even a short mediation session is enough to lower your stress levels. Guided meditation is a great method to use for quick stress relief. These are short, timed, instructor-led recordings. They are available online and can be downloaded onto your phone as well.

5.) 5-Minute Journaling

Venting is a time-honored method of reducing stress and frustration, but we don’t always have someone to vent to, and sometimes it’s not a great idea to make our feelings known. Five-minute journaling is the perfect stand-in for these situations. Find a pen and paper or open a word processer, set a five-minute timer, and write about what or who is causing your stress or frustration. Don’t hold back and don’t try to problem solve; simply let your feelings out. Stop when the timer goes off and see how much better you feel. You can destroy or delete the journal if you don’t want anyone else to see it.

6.) Chew Gum

This may sound weird, but the physical act of chewing a stick of gum, even for just a few minutes, has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and lower anxiety. So keep a pack of gum handy and reach for it whenever you start to get stressed out.