10 Proven Ways to Reduce Stress You Can Do Right Now
story by jennifer
NBC recently reported that Americans are experiencing unprecedented stress levels, to which we collectively said, Um, yeah, we know.
For those of us in midlife, the stress of the ongoing pandemic, the increasing political divide, and an economic crisis, is compounded by the fact we’re in the most depressing years of our life. Seriously, there is a U-shaped curve of happiness across a person’s lifetime and we are smack-dab at the bottom of it.
While this could compound our stress, there’s also an opportunity here to address it and tend to it. Let’s look at 10 ways we can reduce our stress levels right now.
“The American Psychological Association poll surveyed a nationally representative group of 3,012 U.S. adults. It was initially conducted in mid-February, just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic. At that time, respondents were overwhelmingly concerned about finances, and particularly stressed about inflation.”
Read Something
Congrats! You’re already doing it. Studies show that reading for as little as six minutes can reduce stress. Just make sure it isn’t the news. Also, I fear that my intro might have spiked anxiety, so maybe switch to a book after this?
Breathe Deep
I know, it’s what everyone says to do when you’re freaking out, but it works. The key is to practice breathing techniques when you’re not in an anxious state so it becomes a natural reaction when you start to feel your heart rate ramp up.
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The Power of Breathwork
Drawing on a multitude of breathing practices from different healing and spiritual traditions, Jennifer Patterson offers 25 simple exercises that can be practiced alone or with a partner to facilitate proper immune function and enhance connection, creativity, joy, intuition, or to reduce depression, anxiety, trauma, tension, physical pain, and more. $16.99
Try EMDR
Developed in 1987 as a treatment for PTSD, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing can help reduce anxiety. While it’s probably best to seek out a therapist who can guide you through the technique, there is an app you can try. And it was recommended to us by a therapist. Bonus of an app: it’s always available.
Turn to Nature
Think forest bathing, grounding, even the houseplant craze. Looking at and being in nature are proven to reduce your stress levels and center you. We’ve even written about it in our interview with Ivey Smith. As Ivey said, “When I remove all of the things other people think of me, I can get in touch with who I think I am.” It’s hard to be stressed when you’re rooted deep in yourself and self worth.
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Ivey Smith feels more comfortable in the wild than anywhere else. In fact, it’s where she comes alive. And she’s dedicated the past few years to being in the wild as much as she can. And now she wants to help other women reclaim their untamed selves. [con’t…]
Give
Of course studies show that giving, donating, and volunteering make you feel good. You know that. But how about combining giving with number 4 on our list? Now, we can’t say for certain you can cut your stress in half by giving to the people directly doing the work to protect nature, like Cultural Survival, but we can say it’s worth trying.
Reinforce your boundaries
There’s no stronger stress inducer than leaky boundaries. Do an assessment and try saying no. It might feel awkward initially, but if you’re the type who says yes to things you want to say no to (which is a seriously stressful practice), this will ultimately feel fantastic!
Embrace pleasure
Sexual wellness advocate and expert, Sherry Tran told us in our interview with her, the time around menopause can be a beautiful opportunity to “give yourself 100% freedom to explore what is pleasure for you.”
Get a coach
A life or work coach can help you evaluate what isn’t working for you. AKA the things causing you stress. They can also cheer you on as you try out those new boundaries we discussed.
Quit Something
What’s no longer working for you? It can be a job with a toxic boss, alcohol, a relationship, a thing you thought you wanted but didn’t. Quit it. Okay, so sure, like enacting boundaries (number 6 on our list), this one can cause more stress at first, and if it’s something big like a job, you should talk to a coach first (see number 8), but consider it. It may be the best thing for you.
read +
Emily McDowell successfully built a beloved stationery company named after her. But she noticed something when she stopped being a human brand. While our culture has lots of roadmaps for “success” we don’t have any for walking away from it. So she and her friend Holly Whitaker started a podcast called Quitted to explore the art of quitting. [con’t…]
Schedule an appointment with a mental health professional
It can take years, and lots of “nudges” from friends and family, to contact a professional for help—speaking from experience here. But don’t be afraid. If you’ve tried everything else on this list and you still aren’t feeling well, you might need a little extra help in the form of medication. Note: if you’re peri-menopausal or menopausal, speak with your doctors to see if anti-depressants or HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) would be more effective for you.
We know it’s a lot, and hopefully these suggestions don’t add stress, because we know for sure you don’t need it. But, hopefully it’ll help knowing that we’re here with you. And together, we’ll figure out how to emerge from this ridiculously stressful era in a far better place than the one where we endured it.