8 Ways to Relieve Stress When You Think You’ve Tried Everything

8 Ways to Relieve Stress When You Think You’ve Tried Everything

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According to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association, Americans are more stressed than ever thanks to the pandemic, economic concerns, and world events like war and climate change. 

Excess stress can take a damaging toll on your psychological health. When it becomes chronic, it can impact your physical well-being, increasing your disease risk.

There are countless articles online telling you ways to relieve stress – from bubble baths, to medications and everything in between. You’ve probably tried many of these strategies, but don’t lose hope yet.

Here are eight ways to relieve stress when you think you’ve tried everything.

1. Get Fishy

Your mind and body work as one, and your diet can affect your mood through several mechanisms. For example, food choices can impact your immune system and spur inflammation. Researchers have found an association between high inflammatory marker levels and the brain regions involved in anxiety disorders.

One way to reduce systemic inflammation is to balance your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. While both play a major role in keeping you healthy, most Americans consume a 15:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, when the optimal percentage is 4:1.

How can you restore balance? One trick is to eat more fatty fish. Add it to your menu at least twice a week, as it’s the best source of omega-3 fatty acids you can find.

Furthermore, pay attention to how many foods you eat contain vegetable oils. They’re the richest source of omega-6s and nearly every prepared food relies heavily on these substances. Your best bet is to stick to foods close to their natural forms.

2. Take a Hike

Humans crave a connection with nature. Research shows that merely looking at pictures of natural scenes can reduce workplace stress and increase productivity. Imagine the benefits of immersing yourself in nature’s glory.

Your excursions might pay dividends in more than stress reduction. They might prevent you from getting sick, which can also make you feel the pressure, especially if you don’t get paid sick leave. Researchers found that participants in forest bathing increased the number and activity of vital immune system cells for 30 days after overnighting in the woods. The secret lies in phytoncides – chemicals plants emit for defense that boost human immunity when inhaled.

3. Bang a Drum

Sometimes, you might feel like you’re about to explode with frustration and anxious energy. Taking deep breaths can only do so much. Why not indulge that angry energy by getting loud and beating it out on the drums? 

Playing an instrument eases stress in two ways. One, it gets your body moving, which produces juicy endorphins to help boost your mood.

Furthermore, you can use the right tunes to power you through your day. Research shows that upbeat music makes you feel more positive and optimistic. Conversely, quieter, slower jams relax your body to soothe you and ease stress.

4. Clean Your House

Did you know that clutter increases your stress levels? It’s true. All that stimuli constantly bombards your visual field, overwhelming you and making you feel like your to-do list is never done.

Cleaning your house can ease this anxiety. What can you do, though, if things have gotten so bad that you don’t know where to begin? Select one small corner. Master this space, then make a list to move on to the rest. If you take a systematic approach, you’ll have everything organized within two or three weeks.

Furthermore, all that vigorous sorting, dusting, and sweeping burns calories and gets your heart pumping. That means exercise – and physical activity equates to an endorphin rush that instantly boosts your mood.

Related Reads:
• 30 Journal Prompts for Stress and Anxiety
• 5-Minute Stress-Relieving Strategies To Practice Throughout The Day

5. Snack on Nuts

Balancing your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio isn’t the only dietary approach to managing excess stress. You also need optimal levels of nutrients that play vital roles in brain function, like selenium, magnesium, and zinc.

You can find these substances in large amounts in nuts and seeds. Why not switch up your midday snack? Although nuts are relatively high in calories, they don’t seem to impact weight like processed snacks. Plus, chia and flax seeds are great vegan sources of omega-3s if you follow a vegan lifestyle and eschew fish.

6. Squeeze and Release

You might have heard of performing a mindful body scan to ease stress. Do you want to kick your practice up a notch? Why not add progressive muscle relaxation into the mix?

To perform this technique, you begin by drawing awareness to each area of your body in turn. It’s similar to a body scan in this regard. The difference is that you tense all the muscles in that region as tightly as you can as you inhale, then release all that tension as you exhale. You can repeat a single area several times if you feel particularly taut, continuing until you squeeze and release each muscle group.

7. Duke It Out

Do you have an overbearing boss or annoying coworker? No matter how hard we try to get along with others, sometimes, people can just get on our nerves. If you’re having a bad week, you might feel tempted to snap at someone in the office or punch a hole in the wall. However, neither of those options will make you feel better in the long run. Instead, try taking out your anger in a boxing ring. 

Boxing can help prevent chronic stress from morphing into anxiety by letting you reduce your adrenaline and cortisol levels the way nature intended: Through fight or flight. In this case, you battle back, taking out your frustrations on an inanimate heavy bag until you feel better or your arms get too sore from swinging.

8. Float On

Have you heard of floatation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy? That’s quite a mouthful, but the term refers to using a specialized sensory deprivation chamber where you float quietly in soothing waters to calm your mind.

Much human stress originates from how people face a constant barrage of external stimuli. The newscasters predict dire warnings of impending doom, while you check your work email in the morning and receive a hefty to-do list. Talk about instant overwhelm.

If you don’t have time or money to head to the spa to experience a sensory deprivation chamber, you can always recreate the feeling by going to the pool for a float or – yes – even a bubble bath. 

Ways to Relieve Stress 

If you’re like many, you might feel more stressed out than ever today. However, you must ease the pressure to care for your mental and physical health. 

Try one of the eight ways to relieve stress when you think you’ve tried everything. You’ll feel better and increase your resiliency for weathering life’s storms.