Setting aside time to practice self-care may help reduce your stress levels. Practical examples include:. People who engage in self-care typically have lower levels of stress and improved quality of life, while a lack of self-care is associated with a higher risk of stress and burnout.

Taking time for yourself is essential to live a healthy life. This is especially important for people who tend to be highly stressed, including nurses, doctors, teachers, and caretakers. It simply means tending to your well-being and happiness. Exposure to certain scents via candles or essential oils may be especially calming.

Here are a few relaxing scents:. Using scents to boost your mood is called aromatherapy. Aromatherapy can decrease anxiety and improve sleep.

Journaling may help reduce stress and anxiety and provide a positive outlet for your thoughts and emotions. A study noted that expressive writing or therapeutic writing can benefit people managing chronic health conditions, including but not limited to mental health conditions like depression.

They noted that regular journaling may be linked to a higher quality of life, more proactive self-care behaviors, and other healthful behaviors, such as taking prescribed medications.

Caffeine is a chemical in coffee, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks that stimulates your central nervous system. Consuming too much may worsen anxiety, according to a review of literature on the subject. Overconsumption may also harm your sleep. In turn, this may increase stress and anxiety symptoms.

People have different thresholds for how much caffeine they can tolerate. If caffeine makes you jittery or anxious, consider cutting back by replacing coffee or energy drinks with decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, or water. Social support from friends and family may help you get through stressful times and cope with stress.

Having a social support system is important for your overall mental health. Not all stressors are within your control, but some are. Putting too much on your plate may increase your stress load and limit the amount of time you can spend on self-care. This is especially true if you take on more than you can handle because juggling many responsibilities may leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Creating boundaries — especially with people who add to your stress levels — is a healthy way to protect your well-being.

This can be as simple as asking a friend or family member not to stop by unannounced or canceling standing plans with a friend if you need more space. Procrastination may harm your productivity and leave you scrambling to catch up.

This can cause stress, which negatively affects your health and sleep quality. A study in medical students in China linked procrastination to increased stress levels. The study also associated procrastination and delayed stress reactions with more negative parenting styles, including punishment and rejection.

If you find yourself procrastinating regularly, it may be helpful to make a to-do list organized by priority. Give yourself realistic deadlines and work your way down the list.

Work on the things that need to get done today, and give yourself chunks of uninterrupted time. Switching between tasks or multitasking can be stressful in itself.

Yoga has become a popular method of stress relief and exercise among all age groups. While yoga styles differ, most share a common goal — to join your body and mind by increasing body and breath awareness. Research shows that yoga helps reduce stress and anxiety.

Plus, it can promote psychological well-being. Stress reduction techniques that utilize mindfulness include meditation and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy MBCT , a type of cognitive behavioral therapy. Meditating consistently, even for short periods, may help boost your mood and decrease symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Countless books, apps, and websites can teach you the basics if you want to try meditation. There may also be therapists in your area who specialize in MBCT. Human touch may have a calming effect and help you better cope with stress.

For example, studies show positive physical contact may help relieve stress and loneliness. These types of contact may help release oxytocin and lower cortisol. In turn, these effects help lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Both high blood pressure and increased heart rate are physical symptoms of stress. Spending more time outside may help reduce stress. Studies show that spending time in green spaces such as parks and forests and being immersed in nature are healthy ways to manage stress.

A review of 14 studies found that spending as little as 10 minutes in a natural setting may help improve psychological and physiological markers of mental well-being, including perceived stress and happiness, in college-aged people.

Even in an urban area, you can seek out green spaces such as local parks, arboretums, and botanical gardens. Mental stress activates your sympathetic nervous system, sending your body into fight-or-flight mode.

During this reaction, stress hormones trigger physical symptoms such as a faster heartbeat, quicker breathing, and constricted blood vessels.

Deep breathing exercises may help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the relaxation response. Deep breathing exercises include:. Deep breathing aims to focus your awareness on your breath, making it slower and deeper. When you breathe in deeply through your nose, your lungs fully expand, and your belly rises.

This helps slow your heart rate, allowing you to feel at peace. Having a pet may help reduce stress and improve your mood. When you cuddle or touch your pet, your body releases oxytocin — a hormone linked to a positive mood.

Plus, research shows that pet owners — especially those with dogs — tend to have greater life satisfaction, better self-esteem, reduced levels of loneliness and anxiety, and more positive moods.

Having a pet may also help relieve stress by giving you purpose, keeping you active, and providing companionship. As such, a deficiency in one or more nutrients may affect your mental health and ability to cope with stress.

Supplementing with magnesium has been shown to improve stress in chronically stressed people. Other supplements, including Rhodiola, ashwagandha, B vitamins, and L-theanine, may also help reduce stress, though more research is needed to understand their potential benefits better.

However, dietary supplements may not be appropriate or safe for everyone. Although stress is unavoidable, being chronically stressed takes a toll on your physical and mental health. Fortunately, several evidence-based strategies can help you reduce stress and improve your overall psychological well-being.

Exercise , mindfulness, spending time with a pet, minimizing screen time, and getting outside more often are all effective methods. Read this article in Spanish. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

VIEW ALL HISTORY. Stress is a natural and normal part of life, but sometimes you just need to relax. We've compiled a list of the top 10 ways to relieve stress. People seek help from professional psychologists for many different challenges. If you're stressed, whether by your job or something more personal, the first step to feeling better is to identify the cause.

The most unhelpful thing you can do is turn to something unhealthy to help you cope, such as smoking or drinking. Not taking control of the situation and doing nothing can make your problems worse. Some of the keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network, and adopting a positive outlook.

Exercise won't make your stress disappear, but it can reduce some of the emotional intensity that you're feeling, clearing your thoughts and letting you deal with your problems more calmly.

For more advice, read about exercise for depression. If you think you cannot do anything about your problem, your stress can get worse. That feeling of loss of control is one of the main causes of stress and lack of wellbeing.

The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it's a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else.

A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way. Talking things through with a friend may also help you find solutions to your problems. Read about 5 steps to mental wellbeing , including the benefits of connecting with other people.

Many of us work long hours, meaning we often don't spend enough time doing things we really enjoy. You could try setting aside a couple of nights a week for some quality "me time" away from work.

Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, can help build confidence.

This may help you deal with stress. They might provide temporary relief, but in the long term, these crutches won't solve your problems. They'll just create new ones. Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, often become more resilient.

If you don't have time to volunteer, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues. Find out more about giving for mental wellbeing. Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that'll make a real difference.

Leave the least important tasks to last. Accept that you will not have time for everything.

Behavioural and emotional effects of stress When you are stressed you may have lots of different feelings, including anxiety, irritability or low self-esteem, which can lead you to become withdrawn, indecisive or tearful.

Identifying the signs of stress Everyone experiences stress. While stress affects everyone differently, there are common signs and symptoms for you to look out for: Feelings of constant worry or anxiety Feelings of being overwhelmed Difficulty concentrating Mood swings or changes in mood Irritability or having a short temper Difficulty relaxing Depression Low self-esteem Eating more or less than usual Changes in sleeping habits Using alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs to relax Aches and pains, particularly muscle tension Diarrhoea and constipation Feelings of nausea or dizziness Loss of sex drive If you experience these symptoms for a prolonged period of time, and feel they are affecting your everyday life or making you feel unwell, speak to your GP.

What causes stress? Relationships and stress Relationships are a great support in times when we feel stressed. Work-life balance and stress The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture in the UK is one of the biggest contributors to stress among the general population.

Money and stress Money and debt concerns place huge pressure on us, so it comes as no surprise that they have a marked effect on our stress levels. Smoking, drinking and drug use and stress Some people smoke, drink alcohol and use recreational drugs to reduce stress.

This leads to the need for increased doses to maintain the same effect How can you help yourself with stress? When you are feeling stressed, try to take these steps: Realise when it is causing you a problem.

You need to make the connection between feeling tired or ill, with the pressures you are faced with. Identify the causes. Try to identify the underlying causes.

Review your lifestyle. Are you taking on too much? Are there things you are doing which could be handed over to someone else? Can you do things in a more leisurely way? You may need to prioritise things you are trying to achieve and reorganise your life so that you are not trying to do everything at once.

You can also help protect yourself from stress in a number of ways: Eat healthily. A healthy diet will reduce the risks of diet-related diseases. Also, there is a growing amount of evidence showing how food affects our mood.

Feelings of well-being can be protected by ensuring that our diet provides adequate amounts of brain nutrients such as essential vitamins and minerals, as well as water. Be aware of your smoking and drinking.

Even though they may seem to reduce tension, this is misleading as they often make problems worse. Physical exercise can be very effective in relieving stress.

Even going out to get some fresh air and doing some light physical exercise, like walking to the shops, can help. Take time out. Take time to relax. Striking a balance between responsibility to others and responsibility to yourself is important in reducing stress levels.

Be mindful. Mindfulness meditation can be practised anywhere at any time. Research has suggested that it can reduce the effects of stress, anxiety and other related problems such as insomnia, poor concentration and low moods, in some people.

Get restful sleep. Try to make sure you get enough rest. Try to keep things in perspective. After all, we all have bad days. Every Mind Matters - The Mental Health Foundation supported the development of the Every Mind Matters stress resource, it offers advice on how to cope with stress.

Anxiety UK - runs a helpline staffed by volunteers with personal experience of anxiety. Citizens Advice - provides free, independent and confidential advice for a range of problems as well as providing information on your rights and responsibilities.

StepChange - provides help and information for people dealing with a range of debt problems. Samaritans - offer emotional support 24 hours a day - in full confidence. Specialist mental health services - there are a variety of specialist services that provide a range of treatments, including counselling and other talking therapies.

These different services are often coordinated by a community mental health team CMHT , which is usually based either at a hospital or a local community mental health centre. Be gentle to yourself Laugh! Break down big problems into smaller parts.

Take one step at a time. Turn on some chill music or an inspirational podcast to help you deal with road rage. Take a break to pet the dog , hug a loved one or do something to help someone else.

Work out or do something active. Exercise is a great antidote for stress. Stress-Busting Activities Doing things you enjoy is a natural way to relieve stress and find your happy place.

Some of these stress-relieving activities may work for you: Play with your kids or pets — outdoors, if possible. Take a walk in nature. Meditate or practice yoga. Work in the garden or do a home improvement project. Go for a walk, run or bike ride to clear your head. Read a book, short story or magazine.

Meet a friend for coffee or a meal. First Name required. Last Name required. Email required. Zip Code required.

That feeling of loss of control is one of the main causes of stress and lack of wellbeing. The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it's a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else. A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way.

Talking things through with a friend may also help you find solutions to your problems. Read about 5 steps to mental wellbeing , including the benefits of connecting with other people. Many of us work long hours, meaning we often don't spend enough time doing things we really enjoy.

You could try setting aside a couple of nights a week for some quality "me time" away from work. Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, can help build confidence. This may help you deal with stress. They might provide temporary relief, but in the long term, these crutches won't solve your problems.

They'll just create new ones. Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, often become more resilient.

If you don't have time to volunteer, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues.

Find out more about giving for mental wellbeing. Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that'll make a real difference.

When you sense a threat or danger, your body rises to the challenge by releasing stress hormones, tightening your muscles, making your blood pressure rise and your heart and lungs work harder, and releasing a surge of fat and sugar to give you energy.

When danger subsides, your body goes back to normal operations. If you get stressed out frequently, however, the stress response can become constant and cause ongoing harm, including chronic inflammation — the persistent activation of the immune system, which sharply raises the risks for many diseases such as dementia, heart disease, and stroke.

The best way to cope with stress is by getting at least seven hours of sleep per day, eating a predominantly plant-based diet, exercising regularly, meditating, and staying socially connected.

Shalu Ramchandani, an integrative medicine specialist at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Try any of these tips for on-the-spot relief. Do a relaxation exercise. The relaxation response — the opposite of the stress response — was defined by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson. It slows your breathing, reduces your heart rate, and lowers your stress hormones.

To elicit this state, Dr. Ramchandani recommends a basic breathing exercise, such as taking 10 very slow breaths in and out.

Or try an imagery exercise: "Imagine being in your favorite vacation place, maybe the beach or in nature," Dr. Ramchandani suggests. Hold this image for a few minutes and notice the relaxing effect. Stretch your muscles. Your muscles tense up under stress.

Relieve that tension by stretching. Repeat three times," Dr. Ramchandani says. Take a mindfulness break. Being mindful helps elicit the relaxation response by bringing you to the present moment; it can break a cycle of stressful thoughts. Ramchandani says, "Or it could be taking a mindful shower or a leisurely and mindful walk through nature.

Take a brisk walk. Getting minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, is important for all aspects of health, including stress management.

If arthritis or another condition make walking difficult, ask your doctor about other aerobic exercises you may be able to do. Use laughter.

William Fry, and may provide a source of healing. It reduces stress hormones and becomes an expression of joy, optimism, and hope," Dr. Reduce loud noise in your environment. Ramchandani notes. If loud noise is unavoidable — perhaps because it comes from neighbors, traffic, or someone in your home or office — try wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.

Play soothing music. Unlike loud noise, pleasing music can help elicit the relaxation response. Counter negative thoughts. Positive thoughts help boost positive emotions. Use positive self-talk.

If you give yourself praise and support, it helps reduce stress. Words to use: "You can do this. Reach out for help. Relieving a burden — either physical or mental — will help reduce stress.

Heidi Godman , Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

While some stress is inevitable, when your body repeatedly encounters a set of physiological changes dubbed the stress response, trouble can brew. Stress may contribute to or exacerbate various health problems.

For many of us, relaxation means flopping on the couch and zoning out in front of the TV at the end of a stressful day. But this does little to reduce the damaging effects of stress. You can do this by practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, rhythmic exercise, yoga, or tai chi.

While you may choose to pay for a professional massage or acupuncture session, for example, most relaxation techniques can be done on your own or with the aid of a free audio download or inexpensive smartphone app. We're all different.

The right technique is the one that resonates with you, fits your lifestyle, and is able to focus your mind to elicit the relaxation response. That means it may require some trial and error to find the technique or techniques that work best for you.

Once you do, regular practice can help reduce everyday stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, boost your energy and mood, and improve your overall health and wellbeing. BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.

Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours. With its focus on full, cleansing breaths, deep breathing is a simple yet powerful relaxation technique. Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and music.

While apps and audio downloads can guide you through the process, all you really need is a few minutes and a place to sit quietly or stretch out. If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying down.

Put a small book on your stomach, and breathe so that the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale. Listen to HelpGuide's deep breathing meditation. Progressive muscle relaxation is a two-step process in which you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups in the body.

With regular practice, it gives you an intimate familiarity with what tension—as well as complete relaxation—feels like in different parts of your body.

This can help you react to the first signs of the muscular tension that accompanies stress. And as your body relaxes, so will your mind. Consult with your doctor first if you have a history of muscle spasms, back problems, or other serious injuries that may be aggravated by tensing muscles.

Start at your feet and work your way up to your face, trying to only tense those muscles intended. Listen to HelpGuide's progressive muscle relaxation meditation. This is a type of meditation that that focuses your attention on various parts of your body. Like progressive muscle relaxation, you start with your feet and work your way up.

Listen to HelpGuide's body scan meditation. Visualization, or guided imagery, is a variation on traditional meditation that involves imagining a scene in which you feel at peace, free to let go of all tension and anxiety. Choose whatever setting is most calming to you, whether it's a tropical beach, a favorite childhood spot, or a quiet wooded glen.

You can practice visualization on your own or with an app or audio download to guide you through the imagery. Close your eyes and imagine your restful place. Picture it as vividly as you can: everything you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.

Visualization works best if you incorporate as many sensory details as possible. For example, if you are thinking about a dock on a quiet lake:. Enjoy the feeling of your worries drifting away as you slowly explore your restful place. When you are ready, gently open your eyes and come back to the present.

Don't worry if you sometimes zone out or lose track of where you are during a visualization session. This is normal. You may also experience feelings of heaviness in your limbs, muscle twitches, or yawning. Again, these are normal responses. Listen to HelpGuide's guided imagery meditation.

What you may not be aware of is that you can experience some of the same benefits at home or work by practicing self-massage, trading massages with a loved one, or using an adjustable bed with a built-in massage feature.

Try taking a few minutes to massage yourself at your desk between tasks, on the couch at the end of a hectic day, or in bed to help you unwind before sleep. To enhance relaxation, you can use aromatic oil, scented lotion, or combine self-message with mindfulness or deep breathing techniques.

A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands or tapping with fingers or cupped palms.

Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that falls easily within your reach.

For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head:. Mindfulness has become extremely popular in recent years, garnering headlines and endorsements from celebrities, business leaders, and psychologists alike. So, what is mindfulness? Meditations that cultivate mindfulness have long been used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions.

Some of these practices bring you into the present by focusing your attention on a single repetitive action, such as your breathing or a few repeated words.

Other forms of mindfulness meditation encourage you to follow and then release internal thoughts or sensations. Mindfulness can also be applied to activities such as walking, exercising, or eating. Using mindfulness to stay focused on the present might seem straightforward, but it takes practice to reap all the benefits.

But don't get disheartened. Using an app or audio download can also help focus your attention, especially when you're starting out. Listen to HelpGuide's mindful breathing meditation.

The idea of exercising may not sound particularly soothing, but rhythmic exercise that gets you into a flow of repetitive movement can produce the relaxation response.

Examples include:. While simply engaging in rhythmic exercise will help you relieve stress , adding a mindfulness component can benefit you even more. As with meditation, mindful exercise requires being fully engaged in the present moment, paying attention to how your body feels right now, rather than your daily worries or concerns.

Instead of zoning out or staring at a TV as you exercise, focus on the sensations in your limbs and how your breathing complements your movement. And when your mind wanders to other thoughts, gently return your focus to your breathing and movement.

Yoga involves a series of both moving and stationary poses, combined with deep breathing. As well as reducing anxiety and stress, yoga can also improve flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. Since injuries can happen when yoga is practiced incorrectly, it's best to learn by attending group classes, hiring a private teacher, or at least following video instructions.

Once you've learned the basics, you can practice alone or with others, tailoring your practice as you see fit. Although almost all yoga classes end in a relaxation pose, classes that emphasize slow, steady movement, deep breathing, and gentle stretching are best for stress relief.

Satyananda is a traditional form of yoga. It features gentle poses, deep relaxation, and meditation, making it suitable for beginners as well as anyone aiming primarily for stress reduction. Hatha yoga is also a reasonably gentle way to relieve stress and is suitable for beginners.