Stress…life can seem like an endless bundle of stress. Whether you’re a child who can’t get what they want or a grown adult who’s raging in traffic, we all feel stress levels bubbling up from time to time. Here’s an epic list of 46 ways to reduce stress and anxiety yourself. Some of these are deeper treatments you can learn, and some are just fun little things you can do to relieve temporary stress.

46 ways to reduce stress and anxiety

1. Work on being more organised
2. Avoid confrontation where you can
3. Don’t get wrapped up in other people’s drama
4. Limit your time on social media
5. Go for a walk
6. Try something new
7. Go for a jog
8. Try a new diet regime
9. Don’t take other people’s opinions personally
10. Practise mindfulness
11. Get a massage
12. Meditate
13. Reach out to others
14. Reduce your caffeine intake
15. Reduce alcohol consumption
16. Take a bath
17. Light a scented candle
18. Sit in silence for five minutes
19. Stop procrastinating and start doing!
20. Take up yoga
21. Take up Tai Chi
22. Tune in to some relaxing music
23. Go for a scenic drive
24. Practise deep breathing
25. Connect with a pet
26. Go and explore nature
27. Create a weight training regime
28. Learn to cook
29. Read a book
30. Light some incense sticks
31. Turn on a feel-good comedy
32. Write…anything!
33. Give self-hypnosis a go
34. Tidy up
35. Speak with a friend
36. Draw Something
37. Learn to blog
38. Start that journal
39. Give yourself something to look forward to
40. Limit social media usage
41. Say ‘no’ more often
42. Do something nice for someone else
43. Practise guided meditation
44. Give yourself permission to be upset sometimes
45. Get better quality sleep
46. Light some scented candles

Now let’s look at some of my favourites, the things I do that improve my relationship with stress and ultimately, reduce it.

Reducing avoidable stress

There are lots of ways we can become stressed out and some of these ways are totally avoidable. Where our children might make us stressed sometimes, (arguably unavoidable) becoming involved in things that are not important and do not directly affect you are avoidable. How much unnecessary stress do you think you could avoid? For example, do you often leave the house in a rush in the morning?

This is totally avoidable stress.

An organized space is an organized mind. – Unknown

With avoidable stress, you need to ask yourself why you’re allowing it to happen. Maybe you’re lazy or you’re just very unorganised. Poor time management can be changed but it’s whether you’re willing to get up in the morning that bit earlier. In this example of avoidable stress, I have noticed that most people will want the short-term pleasure of staying in bed longer over the pleasure of not being late.

One thing that I have personally been good at is being early for things. It’s one way I keep my anxiety down, but it’s also so that I avoid unnecessary stress. I hate being late for things. There is usually no excuse for always being late, so if this is you, you’re putting more stress on yourself which is ultimately avoidable!

Be humble and be honest with yourself, what are the stressful things that you could avoid if you were a little more organised?

Don’t get involved

No response is a response. And a powerful one. Remember that. – Unknown

There’s also a lot of stress when it comes to getting involved in other people’s issues. One of the things that used to make me feel very stressed out was getting emotionally involved in dumb things, things I could have just ignored. As soon as I chose not to do this, I found a lot more mental clarity.

Whether it was getting into an argument on social media and getting trapped in an endless flurry of negative comments or getting dragged into negative gossip at work, I was never left feeling good.

Choosing to focus on my own business has been amazingly freeing. It’s got rid of a lot of clutter in my mind.

When someone gossips to you or tries to start an argument, ask yourself, “Do I need to respond?” and “Do I need to share an opinion about this?”

Adopt a mindful approach to life

Mindfulness is the antidote to the hustle culture stress we have found ourselves in today. In my experience, practising mindfulness is a fantastic way to reduce stress and anxiety. Mindfulness allows us to come back to the present through gratitude and non-judgment. When you choose to have a mindful attitude, you choose to be kinder to yourself and allow a little space between you and your emotions.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather. – Pema Chodron

You don’t have to meditate for long periods to be mindful either. There are many easy mindfulness exercises you can try right now to see if they help with your stress levels.

However, simply adopting a mindful attitude towards life can help in a more practical, day-to-day way. If you’d like to find out what the 9 mindfulness attitudes are, read this simple mindfulness guide for beginners.

Make time for what you love doing

What you love is as unique to you as your fingerprints. You need to know that because nothing will make you really happy but doing what you love. – Barbara Sher

One of the main reasons I was so stressed when I was in the midst of my anxiety disorder was I was on total autopilot. Whilst mindfulness can bring you more awareness, making time for what you’re passionate about is the next best thing. I had given up what I loved doing. Instead, I was too focused on grinding and trying to make money to survive. It was exhausting.

I felt like a robot. A big stressed robot that did nothing that fed my soul, just my pockets.

Yes, sometimes it’s hard to make a bit of time for your passion or hobby but even half an hour a day can be enough to de-stress. For me, it was always drawing or writing that I loved but put on the back burner.

Now I make these things a priority for the sake of my mental health.

Whatever it is that you love to do, let yourself do it and plan to make time for your passion or hobby. This is one of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety in my personal experience. If you feel like you don’t have a passion or hobby that you can find rest and stress relief in, try something new…

Take up Tai Chi

Tai Chi is the practice of combining mindfulness with exercise and stretching which makes it a powerful stress reliever. Those who practise Tai Chi report that it brings inner peace and serenity like nothing else. Tai Chi is quite literally mindfulness in motion as the meditative state combined with physical stretching work in sync to calm and relax. In addition, maybe consider a herbal supplement like kratom from https://konakratom.com/shop/ to help you be more open and relaxed while you meditate.

Tai Chi has been shown to not only relax those who practise but also ease health conditions. A study by The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry showed that weekly tai chi combined with other depression-relieving techniques can speed up recovery. There is also evidence to suggest that Tai Chi can improve cognitive function and ease inflammation.

Usually, Tai Chi sessions last about an hour so if you have a few hours a week, you could use this time to practise Tai Chi.

Can’t get to a class? No worries, there are plenty of free videos on YouTube!

Did you get a dog yet?

Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. – George Eliot

One of my favourite ways to reduce stress is the use of animals. Sure, owning a pet can sometimes be stressful and cost a lot of money! However, research has shown that therapy with the use of animals can have drastically positive effects on things like stress and high blood pressure.

A 2001 study showed that patients who owned pets could keep their blood pressure down in times of mental stress better than those who did not.

What’s interesting is the non-judgmental effect of owning a dog for example. Quite often those who own dogs end up usually treating their dog as a family member instead of just a ‘pet’. They buy them the best dog foods, bedding, treats, even make them custom collars. Whilst you may not want to talk to human family member about your stress (or anyone else) as you may not want the confrontation that comes with it, spending time with a dog is a neutral experience.

The very nature of a dog is loving and warm. By nature, a dog will be forever loyal to its owner making it a highly pleasant and loving experience to spend time with.

Of course, it’s not always practical to get a dog but you can still gain the calming benefits of being near animals by visiting an animal sanctuary, for example.

Conclusion

There are a ton of ways you can reduce stress and anxiety, it’s all about trying things to what works for you. If you find yourself becoming stressed often, or most of the day, it’s a good time to make some long-term lifestyle changes or speak to a professional.

I’d love to hear your ways of reducing stress in the comments below.

Here’s to your success – Sean