From minor to major setbacks, stress can be inevitable. Between juggling personal life, career, family, and other commitments lie busyness and stress. When not relieved, stress can be overwhelming. If it’s chronic, it may even affect your wellbeing.

While circumstances can’t always be controlled, you can still control the way you respond. However, managing stress takes a lot of practice. It likewise takes stress relievers to calm your mind and body.

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to stress relief. But some practices work better to help you manage stress.

Proven ways to shake the stress off

1.  Exercise

Do you want to improve your mood, ensure wellbeing, and release stress? You can do these all at once by working out or exercising regularly. If you’re ever wondering how often you should exercise every week, you can consider working up to two hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activities like brisk walks or 75 minutes of more dynamic activities like jogging, swimming, or sports.

Don’t pressure yourself to do a heavy workout as often as you think you should. Start small, set realistic fitness goals, schedule your workouts at your convenience, and do not give up. Remember that a three-minute stretching is better than none at all. Also, if you don’t feel like working out during your cycle because you feel uncomfortable, consider wearing period underwear.

2. Eat healthily

Having a healthy diet, as we all know, can help boost your immune system, improve your mood, nourish your mind, and keep stress in check. To keep your body healthy, look for lean proteins, fatty acids found in fish, eggs, nuts, and meat, and other complex carbohydrates. Food with antioxidants greatly helps too as they safeguard your cells against chronic stress-induced damage. Some food with antioxidants are beans, berries, fruits, spices, and vegetables.

Start sticking to your balanced diet. Cut back on a lot of added sugar or salt, fats, fast food, and junk food to alleviate stress. As much as you can, avoid drinking excessive alcohol or help yourself recover from alcoholism. Eat healthily, stay sober, and practice alcohol sobriety to experience body recovery.

3. Take a break

Downtime isn’t unproductive. Rather, it is fruitful. You should ensure that you allow yourself to have a real, restful downtime to give yourself some time off from stress caused by work and other commitments. This way, you enable anxiety relief and help yourself connect to your core.

You may also want to practice deep breathing as you take a pause. This way, you create a sense of deep rest that can keep you at peace rather than feeling panicky. Deep breathing also sends more oxygen to your brain and helps calm your nerves down so you can relax.

4. Slow down and set your own pace

In this fast-paced world, it’s really challenging to slow down. It feels like we’ll miss out on things and tasks. However, life is never a race. You should be the one to set your pace.

If you think you must slow down so you won’t lose sight of your present, do it. You can try some practices like switching to a slow lane to keep yourself away from road rage, setting your watch five to 10 minutes ahead to practice being early, focusing on accomplishing your priorities first rather than juggling all at once, and taking meaningful breaks.

5. Make time for hobbies

Life must be lived holistically to feel fulfilling. You cannot expect yourself to simply do the work-eat-sleep cycle every day and not feel worn out.

You can start doing something that makes you feel good, and one that will help ease your stress. And remember, it doesn’t have to always take a lot of time especially if you’re busy with other commitments—even 15 to 20 minutes will do. You can try simple hobbies like reading, knitting, doing art, watching movies, playing games, and trying sports.

 6. Get a good night’s sleep

A typical side effect of stress is difficulty in sleeping. If this happens often—like three times a week for around three months—you may have insomnia. Sleep deprivation can also escalate your stress levels, weaken your immune system, and increase your stress. Additionally, sleep deprivation even exacerbates sensitive skin when sick or stressed.

Establishing healthy and consistent sleeping habits helps. Try to avoid drinking caffeine close to bedtime, setting a sleep schedule, avoiding devices an hour before bed, and doing some peaceful forms of relaxation at bedtime. Ensure also that your room is conducive, comforting, and clean to aid you in getting better sleep.

7. Try guided imagery

Guided imagery is like daydreaming. It involves imagining yourself being in your "happy place", which may be picturing yourself sitting by the beach, having fun with your loved ones, or visiting your dream places. This can be done with a recording where you listen to someone walk you through a peaceful place. As you listen, you can think of the sensory experiences you’ll engage in and allow yourself to feel as if you’re really there.

8. Talk about your concerns

If things seem bothersome and hard to manage, remember that releasing them is the best way to feel at ease. Talk about them with your loved ones, mentor, or therapist. Never let the thought of being a burden keep you from opening up your mind and heart to people who are willing to listen.

You can also practice positive self-talk. Rather than entertaining intrusive or negative thoughts when you’re stressed out, encourage yourself with words like “I can do this” or “I’m doing my best, and that’s enough.”

Final thoughts

Truly, stress management requires practice and a whole lot of patience. But remember that small progress is better than having nothing at all. Continue looking for stress-relieving ways that work for you and consider the hacks we’ve shared above.