Creative Ways to Reduce Stress
In our fast-paced world, stress has become an inevitable part of our daily lives. Due to its effects on our mental and physical well-being, it’s important to find ways to relax. Unfortunately, if you search for ways to reduce stress, you’ll see the same answers posted everywhere; eat a healthy diet, get more sleep, exercise, etc. While these are all great advice, they are things we all already know. So we wanted to provide you with some new and creative ways to reduce stress that you can do in a quick and easy manner.
Here are our 6 ways to help reduce stress.
1- Listen to the World’s Most Relaxing Song
“Weightless” is a song composed by British ambient band, Marconi Union, who worked with sound therapists during its creation. According to research, “Weightless” induces a 65% reduction in anxiety and a 35% reduction in usual physiological resting rates. Give it a try!
2- Tense and Relax Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a deep relaxation technique that has been effectively used to control stress and anxiety by tensing and then relaxing individual muscles. Dr. Edmund Jacobson was the creator of this technique in the 1920s as he believed mental calmness is a natural result of physical relaxation. So try this quick 10 minute relaxation exercise and see how it works for you!
3- Indulge In Some Dark Chocolate
Research continues to identify a variety of mental health benefits associated with dark chocolate. The polyphenols in cocoa and dark chocolate are antioxidants that lower cortisol, a stress hormone. In fact, a study published in January 2022 found that participants who ate 85% dark chocolate daily maintained a better overall mood.
4- Chew Gum
There’s research that suggests regular chewing sugar free of gum may be associated with stress reduction and anxiety relief. It’s stated that chewing gum lowers salivary cortisol and may also decrease stress through neurotransmission effects.
5- Have a Spoonful of Honey
Honey is a super food. It’s a natural product that has medicinal properties that can cure various health problems given its high nutritional value and antioxidant properties. Research also suggests honey can reduce corticosterone levels, indicating that honey has anti-stress effects. So grab yourself a spoon and try some sweet honey!
6- Give Yourself a Hand Massage
Massage therapy has a powerful impact on reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation. It can stimulate the release of endorphins and decreases cortisol levels, thus reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.
We hope these 6 techniques are helpful! Feel free to comment and let us know how they worked out. And if you or anyone you know has a stress reducing technique, please feel free to comment that as well!
