15 Effective & Simple Ways to Relieve Stress

Stress can never be separated from your life. Starting from problems at work, fighting with friends, household problems, to the bills that you have to pay. But, you don’t have to worry. Even though stress follows you wherever you go, you can live a stress free life with these 15 ways to relieve stress.

In fact, stress is not always oriented poorly on your life. The stress underlies all the actions you take. Without stress, you have no worries about doing this or that. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to deal with and deal with stress properly, which has a negative impact on health.

Uncontrolled stress in long term can cause various health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or depression. In addition, stress can also cause various disorders, such as headaches, decreased appetite or binge eating, muscle aches, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating.

Stress has a negative impact on physical and mental health. To free yourself from stress, you can follow a number of ways to relieve stress below.

1. Eat Delicious Food

The first activity you can do is eat some delicious food. Choose foods that you like without having to think about how much budget you have to spend. Make your feelings comfortable by eating food that you like. Or, you can consume chocolate which is believed to increase the hormone of excitement.

2. Soak in Warm Bathtub

A Swedish study published in the International Journal of Stress Management found that floating in water triggers the body’s relaxation response, which helps suppress stress hormone levels. The research proves that swimming reduces the tension and stress experienced by children ages 11 to 13 years.

If there is no time to go to the swimming pool, soak in a bathtub, accompanied by aromatherapy candles and soft music. You can also soak feet in warm water spiked with spice oil or aromatherapy.

The use of aromatherapy can be an easy way to relieve stress. Certain scents, such as lavender have consistently been shown to reduce stress levels experienced by a person.

3. Doodling

Pictures, writing, even scribbles have no meaning on a piece of paper can be an easy way for you to get rid of stress. Well, this is what has become a trend among adolescents and adults known as doodling.

Doodling or scribbling on paper, is believed to be an effective way to calm a chaotic mind when you under pressure and eliminate nervousness.

The material you need is quite simple, which is a pen and a piece of paper. You can do this activity when you are tired of being trapped in weekly meetings, on the phone, or when you are grinding your teeth due to anxiety.

In fact, in the bookstore, there is a special book available for doodling and all you have to do is beautify it with colored pencils, crayons, and markers. This activity not only removes tension but also increases concentration and creativity.

4. Drink Cold Orange Juice

Not only is orange juice delicious and nutritious, but this refreshing drink can really make you calmer and refocused.

Foods and drinks high in vitamin C, such as orange juice are able to physiologically reduce stress by lowering stress hormone levels, including cortisol. In addition, this vitamin can also combat damage caused by oxidative stress.

The results of this study indicate the potential for vitamin C in people with anxiety or stress disorders as part of treatment. Maybe by increasing your intake of vitamin C or supplements.

5. Chew gum

The advantage of chewing gum is endless. Not only refreshing the breath and suppress snacking habits, chewing gum can also reduce anxiety and depression.

In a 2008 study conducted by Andrew Scholey, Ph.D., participants who regularly chewed gum showed decreased levels of anxiety, increased alertness, reduced stress, and increased multi-tasking progress.

6. Watch Some Funny Jokes or Videos

Besides smiling, laughing can also be a way to relieve stress. Laughter not only shows that you are enjoying the moment, but also changes the system in the body that can reduce stress in the long run.

Laughter reduces the levels of stress hormones in the body, cortisol, and instead releases happy hormones, endorphins, so they can change the way you see things that stress you.

There are many things that can provoke you to laugh, for example watching your favorite sitcom series, playing with the kids next door, looking for funny jokes on the internet, watching funny videos, or anything that can make you laugh easily.

7. Shop for Favorite Items

Shop for items that you like. It can clothes, electronics, cooking utensils, and others. That item certainly has to make you feel satisfied and proud when you have it. It is okay to spend some money sometimes to cure your stress.

8. Massage

Stress makes the muscles of the body become painful or achy. Well, one to reduce the negative effects of this stress, you can do reflexology, for example Thai massage. Yes, a massage on your body can soothe the muscles of the body that are tense. Moreover, if you are equipped with aromatherapy. Not only body aches will improve, your brain will feel tired, so it will also calm down.

Although not yet conducted in-depth research. How to relieve stress has been applied by many people and most feel the effect. Do this after you do a sauna or warm bath so that the results are more optimal. If you are still in doubt, consult with a massage therapist to help you get rid of stress through massage.

9. Take a Deep Breath

Taking deep breaths has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, which can help reduce stress and anxiety. To begin, try sitting calmly in a quiet and comfortable place.

Then, close your eyes and take a breath through your nose. Then, breathe deeply in two counts. Hold your breath for one count, then exhale slowly, for four counts. If the count of 2 to 4 feels too fast, extend the count of breathing in 4 breaths and 6 outflows. Can also with 6 deep breaths and 8 counts of breath, and so on.

If deep breathing actually triggers anxiety, don’t force yourself. Most importantly, extend the exhalation out of your breath. Set the timer and breathe this way for at least five minutes so you can see the difference in your mood.

10. Gardening

Do you like gardening? Isn’t it fun to fill your spare time to grow plants at home? Yes, besides being able to fill your free time, this activity can also be used as a way to relieve stress.

Gardening requires concentration, it means you will divert your mind from the stress that is being faced. As you do this activity, you observe how the plant growth process. Starting from a small bud, growing bigger, flowering, and even produce fruit.

Well, all that can bring satisfaction in your heart. Seeing the colorful beauty of flowers and plants also makes your eyes fresh and mind clearer.