10 Stress Relief Activities To Help You Relax

 

Need help managing the stress in your life?

Reducing stress starts with being mindful of stress relief activities that make you feel good.

We can all get stressed and to make sure it doesn’t take over our lives and become something worse we need to do something every day to give back to ourselves and relieve that stress.

At times, you may find it hard to take a step back and just relax, yet when you do it makes a huge impact on my day.

When you find ways to relieve stress and relax you’ll soon:

• Be more productive
• Be happier
• Sleep better
• Have better interactions in your relationships

 

10 Stress Relief Activities to Help You Relax

Try the below stress relief activities and see what works best for you.

Once your know how to relieve stress you can create a go-to stress relief routine tailored for you!

 

1. Focus on Life’s Simple Pleasures

Focusing on life’s simple pleasures on a regular basis will actually help you find more joy in your daily life without much effort. 

By thinking about the little things that make you happy will bring more positivity to your life. Also, knowing what simple pleasures bring you the most happiness, means you can do one of them when you’re stressed. 

Simple Pleasures Examples:

• Drinking tea
• Listening to birds chirping
• Smelling freshly brewed coffee

You can see how knowing what you love and making that simple pleasures happen can be a fantastic stress relief activity.

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Read this ultimate list of simple pleasures in life, broken down by your five senses. 

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2. Get Outside

Go for a walk, do some gardening, sit and enjoy the scenery. If you have just 30 mins of spare time, go and walk.

I’ve had conference calls at work and instead of sitting at my desk, I’ve walked and talked.

Even just getting outside and having a coffee while taking in the fresh air really helps relax the mind and soul.

 

3. Write in your Journal

There are so many wonderful benefits to journaling and stress relief is one of them. 

My recommendations is to do one of two things:

• Write down what’s stressing you out, so you can release your feelings, for now, knowing you can come back and read your thoughts later. By writing this down it’s giving yourself permission to let it go for the time being.
• Write a gratitude list or try these gratitude journal prompts. This will help you refocus your stress on something positive.

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Related: 5 Types of Journaling for Mental Health Support

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4. Listen to Relaxing or Happy Music

We all know that music can make us feel great, but did you know that music is actually good for your health? As referenced in this article, The Scientific Benefits of Music,

…listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication. Since music is so widely available and inexpensive, it’s an easy stress reduction option.

Music is a great way to change your mood almost instantly and there are many ways you can bring music into various parts of your day, such as:

• Getting ready in the morning
• On your morning commute
• While exercising
• When you’re cooking dinner
• While relaxing with a cozy drink in the evening

Make sure to stick to music that makes you feel good.

If you’re looking I’ve created this ‘Happy Tunes’ playlist to play specifically when I need a pick me up.

 

5. Read Some Inspiring Quotes

If you need to relieve stress quickly finding ways to take your mind off what’s stressing you and focusing on something positive works wonders.

A simple way to do this is by reading some inspiring, motivating, happy quotes that make you feel good.

Once you find some quotes you love you can also write them in your journal!

Quotes Articles for Stress Relief:

• 40 inspiring gratitude quotes and sayings
• 21 Quotes The Alchemist Teaches about Life and Love
• 15 Inspiring Quotes to Live in the Present Moment
• 20 Quotes to Give You Strength When You’re Feeling Low

 

6. Make a Hot, Cozy drink

Take a 10-minute break with your favourite warm beverage and do your best to just be.

Enjoy the process of making your drink.

Select your favourite mug and before you decide on the hot drink, think about how that drink makes you feel?

• Green tea can make you feel healthy
• Hot chocolate might bring you feelings of nostalgia
• Black tea with milk gives you a cozy feeling

Once you recognize how a warm drink can make you feel, be mindful about selecting what you need right now.

Related: The Health Benefits of Black Tea & How to Make the Perfect Cup

 

7. Spend Time with Your Pet

Take your dog for a walk or spend 10 minutes cuddling your cat. The great thing about having a pet is they love you unconditionally. No matter what, they get excited to see you.

I have a big dog who needs a lot of exercise, so an instant stress reliever for me is taking him for a walk. Even a short trip around the block makes me feel better. 

 

8. Call a Close Friend

First, make sure you’re not calling that friend that adds more stress to your life!

Get in touch with the friend that makes you laugh and who you can truly be yourself with. If you’re going through a lot of stress in your life, ask a close friend if they don’t mind you calling regularly (for just 5 mins) to have a quick laugh or say a simple hello.

 

9. Make a Healthy Smoothie

I don’t know about you, but when I make a super healthy smoothie I can literally feel all the healthy ingredients making a difference to my body almost instantly. This gives me a boost to continue being healthy throughout my day. Try my Nutritious Raspberry Spinach Smoothie for a good pick me up.

 

10. Get off of Social Media

It’s pretty easy when we have a few minutes to spare to jump on to social media.

Here’s the problem… when I kill time on Facebook I not only feel like it’s a big time suck, but I also feel worse after.

This is mostly due to the fact that people (naturally) only share the good things and if you are going through stress, anxiety and/or depression it can quickly make you feel down about things.

The better solution: Try any of these other stress relief activities and if you want to be social call a friend!

 

These are simple solutions for stress management that aren’t anything new, but use this a reminder to DEDICATE THE TIME and look after yourself again.

 

Tell me: What stress relief activities do you use when you need it most?

Share your experiences and tips in the comments section below!

 

For more inspiration and to get the latest post, let’s connect on social media

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Yolanda xo

Related Stress Relief articles:

• Self Care 101. 9 Ways to Look After You
• 3 Natural Ways to Use Chinese Medicine for Anxiety Relief
• Morning Self Care Routine. New Ideas to Start Your Day
• Bedtime Anxiety? 3 Simple Hack for a Better Night’s Sleep

 

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