Taking a cold shower
If you’re having a stressful day, you might feel like a cold shower is the last thing you need. However, in addition to providing a much-needed distraction in the moment, cold water is also proven to lower cortisol levels and blood pressure, release endorphins and maybe even boost your immune system – meaning that it is excellent for long-term anxiety or depression.
Muscle tensing
Many people subconsciously tense their muscles when feeling stressed, anxious or angry, but this can also be used as an intentional strategy to reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. Progressive muscle relaxing just means tensing your muscles in groups, such as all your fingers or toes, holding for a few seconds, and then releasing. With practice, this release should be accompanied by a lessening of stress.
Eating sour sweets
While it isn’t a sound medium- or long-term strategy, eating sour sweets is a great quick fix for any momentary waves of anxiety or panic. Essentially, the sour flavour triggers a response in the brain that clashes with your mind’s panic response and, since both things cannot be processed at once, you can gain control over your panic and begin to work through it.
Singing along to music
Everyone knows the power of hearing a favourite song on the radio on the way home from a stressful day at work, or the pick-me-up that an upbeat tune in the grocery store can provide. The science behind this is simple: singing allows you to regulate your breath and practise mindfulness, and both the song and activity cause the brain to release happy chemicals.
Going for a walk
Walking every day is undoubtedly good for your physical health, but it is also highly beneficial for your brain. Not only is walking a great time to practise feeling calm, centred and present in your body, but being out in nature also increases your brain’s production of serotonin and dopamine, two chemicals that contribute to an elevated mood.
Aromatherapy
When it comes to controlling your mindset, scents are an immensely powerful tool, as smell is closely connected to memory. Sniffing favourite scents that harken back to happy times, or generally relaxing scents like lavender, can trick your brain into relaxing. Fresh scents like peppermint and eucalyptus can also reduce anxiety by bringing the brain back into the present and cutting through nausea.
Art therapy
Unless you’re primarily stressed because of how little free time you have, the best way to combat feelings of sadness and anxiety is to create something. Whether it’s painting, needlecrafts, learning an instrument, gardening, singing or dancing, working on a skill allows you to feel in control and accomplished while also channelling your imagination in a healthy way.
Getting a hug
Whether you’re stressed about work, lacking direction in life or just feeling worn out and fatigued, nothing can fix things like a hug. A proper embrace, which lasts for 20 seconds and involves some deep pressure, causes the brain to release serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Oxytocin is crucial for contentment and is called “the hug chemical” because of its connection to physical touch.
Positive affirmations
Positive affirmations might seem a little silly; after all, they’re just words. However, what’s crucial to remember is that negative self-talk, thought spirals and panic responses can only be undone by rewiring the brain’s pathways and forging new ones. Constantly reassuring yourself of your own competence, and repeating that everything will work out in the end, is an excellent way of doing this.
Guided imagery
Everybody knows about the benefits of meditation, but if your attempts usually result in you staring into space and thinking about how much washing there is to do and whether you left the curling iron on, then there is another way. Guided imagery involves imagining yourself walking down a tranquil beach or through a lush forest, and allowing the scenario to overtake each of your senses in turn.
