So whether you just need to take a stroll around the office to get a break from a frustrating task or you decide to go for a long walk in the park after work, walking is a simple but effective way to rejuvenate your mind and body.

Physical touch can do a lot to relieve your stress. Hugging a loved one can be especially beneficial. When you hug someone, oxytocin also known as the "cuddle hormone" is released.

Oxytocin is associated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress. Oxytocin also causes a reduction in blood pressure. It reduces the stress hormone norepinephrine and can produce a sense of relaxation. So don't be afraid to ask a loved one for a hug if you need it.

It's good for both of you and it can be one of the simplest forms of stress relief available. Aromatherapy has real benefits for stress relief—it can help you to feel energized, more relaxed, or more present in the moment.

Emerging research suggests certain scents can alter brain wave activity and decrease stress hormones in the body.

So whether you enjoy candles, diffusers, or body products, consider incorporating some aromatherapy into your day. If you aren't into drawing or painting, consider coloring in a coloring book.

Adult coloring books have risen in popularity, and for good reason—coloring can be a great stress reliever. Research consistently shows that coloring can have a meditative effect.

One study found that anxiety levels decline in people who were coloring complex geometric patterns, making it a perfect outlet for stress reduction. What can you do to calm mental stress over the long term? Certain habits can promote resilience to stress and increase overall wellness.

For example, those who exercise or meditate regularly tend to become less stressed in the face of a difficult challenge. So it's important to create a lifestyle that will help you ward off stress and deal with challenges in a healthy way.

A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress. Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress. Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety.

Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Foods like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance.

Some vitamins and supplements may have benefits for stress relief. What vitamins help with stress? A daily multivitamin may help address nutritional deficits and ensure you get the necessary vitamins and minerals to feel your best. Other supplements that may help relieve stress include:.

Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress. Yet, many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun. But building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best. And when you feel better, you'll perform better, which means leisure time may make your work time more efficient.

Whether you find joy in caring for a garden or you like making quilts, hobbies and leisure are key to living your best life. The way you talk to yourself matters.

Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and catastrophic predictions aren't helpful. If you're constantly thinking things like, "I don't have time for this," and "I can't stand this," you'll stress yourself out. It's important to learn to talk to yourself in a more realistic, compassionate manner. When you call yourself names or doubt your ability to succeed, reply with a kinder inner dialogue.

Positive self-talk can help you develop a healthier outlook. And an optimistic and compassionate conversation can help you manage your emotions and take positive action. Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief.

And while you're likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session, you're likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a consistent way.

Yoga offers a variety of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. To get started, you might take a class, enroll in an online program, or use an app to help you begin practicing.

Gratitude helps you recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether you're grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about all the good things you have in life.

Gratitude also reminds you of all of the resources you have to cope with stress, which can be quite empowering.

Studies also show grateful people enjoy better mental health, lower stress, and a better quality of life. So whether you decide to make it a habit to identify what you're grateful for as you sit around the dinner table or you decide to write down three things you're grateful for in a gratitude journal every day, make gratitude a regular habit.

Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health. And the best news is, there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your stress. Join a gym, take a class, or exercise outside.

Keep in mind that there are many different ways to get more physical activity in your day too. Walking, strength training, kayaking, hiking, and spin class are just a few different examples of ways you can get stress relief. Most stress relievers focus on changing your emotions.

But sometimes, you won't necessarily get relief until you change the environment. This is referred to as problem-focused coping as opposed to emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused coping involves taking steps to remove the stressor from your life as opposed to changing how you feel about the stressor.

If you're trying to squeeze 20 hours worth of work into 16 hours, you're going to feel stressed. Reducing your workload could be key to helping you get through the day feeling better.

Whether that means stepping away from a committee you joined or it involves hiring someone to complete some of your household chores for you,. Honing your time management skills can allow you to minimize the stressors that you experience, and better manage the ones you can't avoid.

When you are able to complete everything on your "to do" list without the stress of rushing or forgetting, your whole life feels easier. Having supportive people in your life is the key to stress management.

If you lack emotional support and friendship, it's important to get it. That may mean reaching out to your existing network. Perhaps confiding in a family member or distant friend can help you become closer and it may give you the social support you need.

You may also need to expand your network. Join an organization, attend a support group, or get professional help if you lack supportive people in your life. Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life.

Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more peace. Watching the news, being constantly connected to your digital devices, drinking alcohol, and consuming too much caffeine are just a few of the things that may add more stress to your life.

Making some changes to your daily habits could be instrumental in helping you feel better. Finding the best stress relief strategies may take some experimenting.

Some strategies may take practice too. But it's important to keep looking for the tools that will help you manage life's inevitable ups and downs in a healthy way. Keeping stress at a manageable level is important for your overall well-being.

Jallo N, Ruiz RJ, Elswick RK, French E. Guided imagery for stress and symptom management in pregnant African American women. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Burke A, Lam CN, Stussman B, Yang H. Prevalence and patterns of use of mantra, mindfulness and spiritual meditation among adults in the United States.

BMC Complement Altern Med. Novais PG, Batista Kde M, Grazziano Eda S, Amorim MH. The effects of progressive muscular relaxation as a nursing procedure used for those who suffer from stress due to multiple sclerosis. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. Russo MA, Santarelli DM, O'rourke D.

The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe Sheff. Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, et al. The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress in healthy adults. Front Psychol.

Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty FD. Exercise for mental health. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. Uvnäs-moberg K, Handlin L, Petersson M. Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation.

Sowndhararajan K, Kim S. Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response.

Sci Pharm. Nguyen-rodriguez ST, Unger JB, Spruijt-metz D. Psychological determinants of emotional eating in adolescence. Eat Disord. Sanford LD, Suchecki D, Meerlo P.

Stress, arousal, and sleep. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha Withania somnifera extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Medicine Baltimore. Baba Y, Inagaki S, Nakagawa S, Kaneko T, Kobayashi M, Takihara T. Effects of l-theanine on cognitive function in middle-aged and older subjects: A randomized placebo-controlled study.

J Med Food. Young LM, Pipingas A, White DJ, Gauci S, Scholey A. It's typically directed toward the future — toward something that may happen soon. Some Anxiety can motivate you or help yo respond to danger. However, if you have ongoing anxiety that interferes with daily activities and makes it hard to enjoy life, then anxiety can be a problem.

There's no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop an anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you're anxious:. February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.

African Americans are significantly affected by heart disease, resultingRead more. Some areas of the U. Whooping cough is anRead more. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U. Heart disease refers to a rangeRead more.

By Dana Sparks. Share this:. Art and music therapy can be helpful.

Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha Withania somnifera extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Medicine Baltimore. Baba Y, Inagaki S, Nakagawa S, Kaneko T, Kobayashi M, Takihara T. Effects of l-theanine on cognitive function in middle-aged and older subjects: A randomized placebo-controlled study.

J Med Food. Young LM, Pipingas A, White DJ, Gauci S, Scholey A. A systematic review and meta-analysis of B vitamin supplementation on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: Effects on healthy and 'at-risk' individuals.

Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM. Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect?

An examination using eight-day diary data. J Leis Res. Francis AL, Beemer RC. How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system. Complement Ther Med. Wunsch K, Wurst R, Von dawans B, Strahler J, Kasten N, Fuchs R.

Habitual and acute exercise effects on salivary biomarkers in response to psychosocial stress. Armstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE. Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization following massage and guided imagery. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. Lee M-K, Lim S, Song J-A, Kim M-E, Hur M-H.

The effects of aromatherapy essential oil inhalation on stress, sleep quality and immunity in healthy adults: Randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. Light KC, Grewen KM, Amico JA. More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women.

Biological Psychology. Nakata A, Takahashi M, Irie M, Ray T, Swanson NG. Job Satisfaction, Common Cold, and Sickness Absence among White-collar Employees: A Cross-sectional Survey. Industrial Health , September Wilson C.

Neurons linking breathing and stress found. New Scientist. By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Use limited data to select advertising.

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Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Stress Management. Management Techniques. How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide. Overview Signs of Burnout Stress and Weight Gain Stress Reduction Tips Self-Care Practices Mindful Living.

By Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Elizabeth Scott, PhD. Learn about our editorial process.

Learn more. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates.

Medically reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS. Learn about our Medical Review Board. Table of Contents View All.

Table of Contents. Short-Term Strategies. Long-Term Strategies. Problem-Focused Coping. Next in How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide. Trending Videos. The best short-term strategies: Can be performed anywhere Take very little practice to master Are free Provide immediate relief.

Funny Quotes About Stress. Best Vitamins for Stress and Anxiety Relief. How to Be Less Stressed. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

See Our Editorial Process. Meet Our Review Board. Share Feedback. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Managing stress can help you: Sleep better Control your weight Have less muscle tension Be in a better mood Get along better with family and friends.

Take Action. Being prepared and feeling in control of your situation might help lower your stress. Plan your time. Prepare yourself. Prepare ahead for stressful events like a hard conversation with a loved one.

You can: Picture what the room will look like and what you'll say Think about different ways the conversation could go — and how you could respond Have a plan for ending the conversation early if you need time to think.

Relax Relax with deep breathing or meditation. Relax your muscles. Get Active Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage stress. So get active: Aim for minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — try going for a bike ride or taking a walk Do strengthening activities — like push-ups or lifting weights — at least 2 days a week Remember, any amount of physical activity is better than none!

Read more about: How to get active How physical activity can help prevent and manage stress. Food and Alcohol Eat healthy. Drink alcohol only in moderation. This means: 1 drink or less in a day for women 2 drinks or less in a day for men Learn more about drinking in moderation.

Get Support Talk to friends and family. Get help if you need it. If you're feeling down or hopeless, talk with your doctor about depression If you're feeling anxious, find out how to get help for anxiety If you've lived through a traumatic event like a major accident, crime, or natural disaster , find out about treatment for PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder A mental health professional like a psychologist or social worker can help treat these conditions with talk therapy called psychotherapy or medicine.

The Basics. Reviewer Information This information on depression was adapted from materials from the National Institute of Mental Health, NIHSeniorHealth.

August You may also be interested in: Talk with Your Doctor About Depression Get Active Quitting Smoking: Conversation Starters. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ODPHP cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.

HHS is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private websites. When you're stressed and irritable, you may want to isolate yourself. Instead, reach out to family and friends and make social connections.

Even one good friend who listens can make a difference. Social contact is a good stress reliever because it can offer distraction, give support, and help you put up with life's up and downs. So take a coffee break with a friend, email a relative or visit your place of worship.

You might want to do it all, but you can't, at least not without paying a price. Learning to say no or being willing to delegate can help you manage your to-do list and your stress. Healthy boundaries are important in a wellness journey. Everyone has physical and emotional limits.

Saying yes may seem like an easy way to keep the peace, prevent conflicts and get the job done right. But instead, it may cause you inner conflict because your needs and those of your family come second.

Putting yourself second can lead to stress, anger, resentment and even the wish to take revenge. And that's not a very calm and peaceful reaction.

Remember, you're a priority. With its series of postures and breathing exercises, yoga is a popular stress reliever. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines that may help you reach peace of body and mind.

Yoga can help you relax and ease stress and anxiety. Try yoga on your own or find a class — you can find classes in many areas. Hatha yoga, especially, is a good stress reliever because of its slower pace and easier movements. Stress can cause you to have trouble falling asleep.

When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep can suffer. But sleep is the time when your brain and body recharge. Most adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. And how well and how long you sleep can affect your mood, energy level, focus and overall functioning.

If you have sleep troubles, make sure that you have a quiet, relaxing bedtime routine. For example, listen to soothing music, make sure the area you sleep in is cool, dark and quiet, put phones and tablets away, and stick to a regular schedule. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a good release for otherwise pent-up feelings.

Don't think about what to write — let it happen. Write anything that comes to mind. No one else needs to read it. So don't aim for perfect grammar or spelling. Let your thoughts flow on paper, or on the computer screen. Once you're done, you can toss out what you wrote or save it to think about later.

Listening to or playing music is a good stress reliever. It can provide a mental distraction, lessen muscle tension and lower stress hormones. Turn up the volume and let your mind be absorbed by the music. If music isn't one of your interests, turn your attention to another hobby you enjoy.

For example, try gardening, sewing, reading or sketching. Or try anything that makes you focus on what you're doing rather than what you think you should be doing. If new stressors are making it hard for you to cope or if self-care measures aren't relieving your stress, you may want to think about therapy or counseling.

Therapy also may be a good idea if you feel overwhelmed or trapped. You also may think about therapy if you worry a great deal, or if you have trouble carrying out daily routines or meeting duties at work, home or school.

Professional counselors or therapists can help you find the sources of your stress and learn new coping tools. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

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