Health | Real Life

Chill Out: 10 Do-It-Yourself Stress Relief Tricks


You’ve got school, a job and a personal life to juggle—things start to get a bit hectic and you begin to freak out at little!

breathe stress relief happy

You need stress relief. You deserve it (because you’re awesome). Here are 10 easy ways to chill out and start feeling like yourself again:

1. Avoid using the “S” word:

Saying that a situation is “stressful” will make it seem even worse. Your mind and body reacts to your perceptions, so instead of saying, “I can’t handle this. It’s too much stress,” say something like, “This may be difficult, but I’ll get through it.”

2. Sing:

Whether you’re in your car, in the shower or in your room—belt it out! Let yourself go. Have fun. Being silly makes it easy to forget you’re stressed.

3. Just breathe:

Breathe in through your nose with your mouth closed to the count of four, then out through your mouth to the count of four. This is called a “quieting reflex,” and will help relax you. Do this for 60 seconds for some instant but effective stress relief.

4. Listen to music:

Plug in a radio, listen to music on a headset, or log onto your favorite web streaming service but whatever you do crank it up! Let the music in, while the stress seeps out.

happy-girl-headphones

5. Use time management:

Taking care of responsibilities and staying organized can make you feel better about yourself.

6. Eat healthy:

Drink lots of water and make sure to snack whenever you feel hungry. Stay away from a lot of fat, caffeine and sugar. As tempting as that chocolate bar may look, it’ll only make you feel worse. An apple a day…

Chill Out Stress Relievers Relief Apple Cold Ice Water

7. Posture:

When you’re sitting at your desk, try and keep your head and shoulders upright. Bad posture creates muscle tension and contributes to your stress.

8. Exercise:

Go out and get some fresh air. It really will do you some good. Take a walk, ride a bike or do whatever. This will help you blow off some steam and give you energy to help you fight your stress.

9. Make time for you:

Even if it’s for only five minutes a day, it’ll make a difference. Get away from everybody and enjoy some down time. Do nothing.

10. Laugh.

Numerous medical studies have shown that laughing is good for you, so catch a rerun of Friends, visit a joke website, or check out the comics in the paper. Laughter is good medicine.

Laughing girl gif

Written by Bonnie Croft.
Photo by Jessica Rowlands (Faze)

From Faze Magazine Issue #13


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