Stressed? No stress. Here are 5 ways to bounce back from stressful moments
Stress is inevitable (and some of it can even be helpful). But too much stress can wreak havoc on the body and mind. Here are five ways to help you recover from stress as quickly as possible.
Your body is designed to handle a certain amount of stress. And while it has its own mechanisms for discharging stress, our minds can often interrupt and railroad that process.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but over time, when our bodies aren’t able to metabolize stress efficiently, chronic stress can take root with more serious health consequences.
You can support your body to recover from the daily stressors its subjected to with some small actions or habits (many of which you may already be doing).
RELATED: How To Get Stress On-Side with Science
5 Ways to Bounce Back From Stress
The next time you have a stressful moment (or day or week), try doubling down on these five things:
1 | Sleep
It sounds so simple, but sleep truly is one of the best gifts you can give your body and mind, especially when you’re navigating stress.
Sleep is the time that our brains and bodies are able process and release the events in our waking lives. Specifically, sleep is extra important when it comes to controlling levels of stress hormones, so prioritizing your sleep can go a long way to helping your body recover and rebalance from a stressful day.
🔷 Need some sleep support? Try a soothing evening meditation or Sleep Story.
2| Breathe (Properly)
Deep belly breathing, and some other types of breathwork, trigger the relaxation response in our bodies, which can counteract the toxic effects of stress by slowing breath rate, relaxing muscles and reducing blood pressure. All of these help to restore balance in the body after a stressful event. Never underestimate the power of a few deep breaths.
🔷 Whether you have 30 seconds, 3 minutes or 10 minutes, let these breathing exercises help you release stress throughout the day.
Image: Getty
3 | Get Moving
Physical activity is a great way to shake off the build up of stress, reducing elevated stress hormones and minimizing any damage to the body and mind. A brisk walk (bonus points for taking it outside), joining an exercise class, or doing your favorite type of movement after a stressful moment helps release the excess energy and tension that crops up. It has the added benefit of easing you into sleep, making it a doubly effective technique.
🔷 Short on time? Try today’s Daily Move to get in a bit of mindful movement.
4 | Meditate or Practice Mindfulness
No surprise that practicing meditation, or even just moments of mindfulness, helps to step out of the ‘fight or flight’ stress response and into the ‘rest and digest’ relaxation response. Whether you meditate with the Daily Calm or schedule a few minutes to check-in with yourself, what matters is that you take intentional time to slow down your body and mind, allowing it to rest and recover.
🔷 New to meditation? Check out the “How to Meditate” series to get your practice started.
5 | Connect with Real-Life Humans
Your connections with loved ones, friends, and even co-workers are an important part of your stress/life balance. The emotional support you get from these connections helps to sustain you in times of stress (remember that stress actually encourages you to connect!). In addition, spending time caring for others makes us more resilient to stress.
🔷 Learn about cultivating meaningful friendships and healthier relationships to others with these meditations.
So, the next time you feel stressed, remember that you have more power than you might think to recover from stress.
RELATED: The 3 As of Befriending Stress
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