Life can get pretty stressful at times, especially when you stay as busy as I do. My mile-long to-do list often looks pretty overwhelming. Even if you don’t actively feel stressed, it’s important to practice self care and stress management, so you can avoid a mega-stress moment and keep anxiety to a minimum.
The good news is, relieving stress doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. There are plenty of ways to relieve stress that only add a few minutes to your daily or weekly routine. And sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest differences in how you feel.
Here are some of my favorite easy ways to relieve stress.
It doesn’t have to take much to relieve stress. Sometimes it’s just a few minutes! Give some of these a try next time you’re feeling a little anxious.
Drink water. Staying hydrated can really make a huge difference in so many areas of your life and well-being. Eight glasses a day is the goal, but I feel good if I get five or six. This may be a bit geeky, but I find that I’m more inclined to drink water if I have a fun water bottle.
Eat well. When your diet sucks, your mind and body will let you know. I always feel so much better when I’m eating healthful, filling meals. One of my goals this year was to make a conscious effort to eat more veggies. I’ve done pretty well with that; I added Brussels sprouts to my diet and I don’t hate them!
Drink tea. I drink a lot of tea—iced, sweet, hot, I drink it all. Hot herbal or green tea is especially good for calming stress and anxiety. I keep a stash of assorted teas at my desk at work, and at home.
And yes, my mug does say, “Keep calm and drink tea.” I got it in England. Fitting, right?
Do yoga or stretch. I do a 15-20-minute yoga routine every night before bed. Or at least I try to. It’s a nice, easy way to wind down and calm my mind before hopping into bed.
Go outside and/or take a walk. Especially if your job requires a lot of desk and screen time. I’m trying to make a better effort to take a little walking break during the work day, just to not stare at my computer for 15 minutes. Working outside is also a really great change of pace!
Take a bath. Some people say baths are weird because you’re sitting in your own filth, but when done right, baths can be super relaxing! Adding epsom salts, baking soda and your favorite essential oils can make any bath feel like a spa experience. Putting on a face mask is the cherry on top!
It's easier than you think to relieve stress! Here are 11 easy ways to do it. Click To TweetColor. We all loved doing it as kids, and now coloring is a proven stress reliever! I used to keep Disney coloring books in my dorm room at college. These days my coloring books are a little more “grown up (though who says Disney isn’t grown up?), and I also make space for doodles in my bullet journal.
Meditate. Okay I’ll admit, I laughed at meditation at first. But we started doing mid-week meditation sessions at work and they’ve made such a difference in how I manage and relieve stress. It forces me to practice deep breathing.
Get enough sleep. I know I don’t get 8 hours of sleep a night. I usually average 5-6 hours a night, even on the weekends. It’s obvious when I haven’t gotten enough sleep, but I feel great when I get more than 6 hours.
Unplug. Especially at night before bed. I’m trying to make a real effort to be better about this. Putting my phone and tablet away makes it easier to fall asleep and helps my mind slow down. I’m also trying to not reach for my phone immediately upon waking up. Who needs to look at Instagram at 5:45am? I definitely don’t.
And lastly…
Grow some plants! I’ve never been great at keeping plants alive; I struggle with those mini seed kids from the dollar bin at Target. But many plants actually have medicinal and healing properties that can help relieve stress and improve your well-being. Lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, lemon balm, thyme and rosemary are some of those plants.
A few weeks ago, I learned about a non-profit called The Three Co., that wants to make a difference in people’s lives through plants. They believe that plants truly improve lives and offer three different liveBlends to help promote sounder sleep, easy breathing and zen. The blends are shipped directly to your door in a self-watering planter box that’ll fit just about anywhere. I like to keep mine on my bookshelf in my room so I can fall asleep with the fragrance of the plants in the air.
One more thing I love about The Three Co., is that they give back to causes they believe in. Right now, they’re donating a portion of their proceeds to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America; as someone who battles anxiety in my own life, that made me love this non-profit even more.
And if you’re wondering, yes, I have been sleeping more soundly with my liveBlend box in my room. It’s been pretty marvelous.
Stress relief is important in living a happy, healthy life. These are some of my favorite, easy ways to relieve stress—what are some of your favorite ways to relieve stress?
P.S., thanks so much to Karli from The Three Co. for sending me my liveBlend box! Follow The Three Co. across social media @thethreeco and tag your posts and photos with #plantsimprovelives.
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