Stress, especially chronic stress, can have a significant impact on your mental and physical wellbeing. Try activities and tools to reduce stress and support your mental health.
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Non-stop exposure to anxiety-producing news can amp up any difficult feelings you’re already having. If you find yourself feeling worse after scrolling your feeds, do what you can to limit stressful content. You can decide to check in only at certain times, turn off notifications, or unfollow accounts that create stress and focus on ones that help you feel calm and connected.
Though getting a massage might sound overly indulgent, it can provide healing benefits like calming your nervous system, increasing circulation, relieving muscle tension, eliminating toxins, and boosting immunity. Massage has also been shown to decrease cortisol (a stress hormone) and increase levels of oxytocin (known as “the love hormone.”) Though it's always an option to book at a spa, you can also try self massage or ask a partner.
Aside from just sounding good, research shows that listening to music actually increases blood flow to regions in your brain that generate and control emotions. And studies show that faster music (usually performed at a tempo between 140 and 150 beats per minute) tends to generate more positive emotions than slower music. Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” (at 156 BPM) is just one example of a song that might give you some positive emotions—it's the first of 10 in a research-backed playlist. But don't let us stop you from making your own playlist of songs that feel good to you.
Pets can provide comfort, companionship, and more often than not, a laugh, when you need it most. Science also backs up the benefits of having a pet on your mental health. Spend some time playing with your pet and enjoying each other company. If you don’t have a pet but love animals, consider volunteering at a shelter or visiting a neighbor or a friend with a pet.
TLDR: Weighted blankets work. Weighted vests even work for our animal friends! And there are even weighted stuffed animals.The science is simple: It's like being tucked in – safe and secure – or like a big hug from someone you love. The weight in a weighted blanket is proven to help settle nerves and improve sleep, which in turn has all sorts of benefits for your health.
Humor has a lot of power. Watching a comedic movie or even a standup comedy special may seem like a bandaid, but it has the potential to tap into the depths of your true self. (This goes back to the common phrase, "It's funny because it's true.") Finding ways to laugh at pieces of art (comedy is art!) has been something people have done for centuries to cope and reflect on the human experience. Comedy can help you feel a little better by highlighting what's important to you and the silver linings of life's ups and downs.
Relaxing can help counter a fight-or-flight stress response. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is one approach you can try. To do this, pause for a moment to take notice of your surroundings, Ask yourself a series of questions, counting down from 5: 5) What are 5 things you can see? 4) What are 4 things you can feel? 3) What are 3 things you can hear? 2) What are 2 things you can smell? 1) What is 1 thing you can taste? This method helps you focus on your body, and grounds you in the moment.
Breathing exercises are a small but powerful way to relax and decrease stress no matter where you are. The 4-7-8 approach is one technique with powerful benefits—it can calm your mind, manage a fight-or-flight stress response, and even help you sleep better. You can feel calming effects in the moment, and when done regularly the benefits can be even greater. As you do it more often, your body will start to incorporate it automatically. Experts recommend doing three cycles twice a day to make it a habit. Follow these 3 steps to complete one cycle: 1) Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, 2) Hold your breath for 7 counts, 3) Exhale through your mouth for 8 counts.
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