Learn 17 Stress Busters & Mini Challenges You Should Try

Instant stress alleviation is a pleasant prospect these days. That is why stress relievers are a helpful tool to have on hand at all times. With more incidences of anxiety in the general population and other urgent stressful occurrences, having a healthy technique to cope with stress helps lower blood pressure, soothe nerves, and induce calmness.

Stress Busters

Anxiety, sadness, exhaustion, heart disease, and other unpleasant potential health concerns are all linked to stress. As a result, having a variety of stress relievers on hand to utilize whenever you sense stress building up is beneficial.

Here are 17 strategies to reduce stress and 17 associated challenges to help you relax!

1. Consume Dark Chocolate

You now have a good reason to consume chocolate! If you’re going to chew something, it might as well be excellent chocolate. An ounce of dark chocolate may give stress-relieving benefits, fiber, and antioxidants. Furthermore, researchers suggest that eating dark chocolate can affect your brainwave frequency, which can help with memory improvement.

Stress Buster Challenge: This week, try some dark chocolate to see if it makes you feel calmer!

2. Make Use of Your Touch

When overpowering ideas arise, return to the present moment as soon as possible. One method is to concentrate on an object in your hand. It can be as easy as grasping a smooth pebble, counting rosaries, molding play dough, or another small thing that fits in your palm. This can help you feel more grounded and return to the present moment.

Stress Buster Challenge: Have something you can hold in your palm while taking deep, calming breaths in a stressful situation.

3. Keep a journal

By writing it down, you can keep track of your feelings and let go of stress. According to research, journaling effectively addresses and prioritizes any worries, disputes, issues, or concerns you may be experiencing. If you keep a daily notebook, you can keep track of triggers and techniques to control your reaction to those triggers.

It also allows you to concentrate on a single worry or thought, making you less likely to slide down a rabbit hole of fearful thoughts and concerns while working through just one on paper.Stress-Relieving Challenge: Purchase a journal this week and commit to writing in it once a week.

4. Explore Autoregulation Exercises

This exercise consists of a collection of approaches designed to replace tension with tranquility.

There are various choices to try, just like with regular exercise. It entails employing the mind to calm the body, as stress can influence both. Deep breathing and meditation are two autoregulation exercises. It also incorporates progressive muscular relaxation, which involves tightening and relaxing muscles for roughly 20 seconds. Once this week, try deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation as a stress reliever.

5. View Life with Gratitude

It isn’t easy to remain optimistic about life when you can’t seem to find anything happy to be thankful for. Fortunately, most of us can think of at least a few things for which we are grateful.

Take stock of what’s bountiful in your life or provides you joy throughout the day. You can either write it down or pause and reflect. It could be anything from drinking a fantastic cup of coffee to laughing with a friend. Gratitude reflections can help you improve your thinking and make you feel more hopeful.

6. Wash Dishes

There are numerous opportunities throughout the day to halt. These are the moments when distracted thought and overpowering stress can quickly take over. Instead, practice mindfulness by using basic chores, such as cleaning dishes. One short research of college students discovered that those who washed dishes thoughtfully reduced their uneasiness by 27% and their inspiration by 25%. Even the most mundane chores in life can be transformed into peaceful moments.

Stress Buster Challenge: The next time you wash your dishes, enjoy the smell of fresh soap, the warm water on your skin, and the time to yourself to relax.

7. Gardening

Our five senses are an excellent means for us to perceive our surroundings. In the garden, you can pleasantly employ all of your senses. The wind is rustling the leaves, and bees are buzzing. Fresh herbs can be tasted. The strong contrast of diverse flora is visible. Your hands are covered in soil. The aroma of herbs, flowers, and dirt can be detected. Outside is also soothing, and gardening and physically moving your body offer health benefits. Getting your hands dirty in the dirt can also make you joyful, according to dirt bacteria that may be responsible for increasing serotonin levels. Purchase a few potted plants or plan to garden on the next bright day as a stress reliever.

8. Recharge your batteries

Sometimes going back to fundamentals is all that is required to relieve tension. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and moving the body are frequently referred to as “the essentials.” Consider taking a vacation or a mental wellness day to reset your mind and body. This can be especially beneficial following a traumatic event such as the death of a loved one or a catastrophic illness. It is essential to take the time to discharge regularly, both physically and mentally.

Stress Buster Challenge: Plan some recharge time into your week and write it down.

9. Take a look at a desk plant

Researchers believe that if you can’t physically get out into nature, gazing at it may be just as therapeutic. The effects of certain indoor plants on air quality have been extensively investigated, but new research indicates that a deliberate look at nature can have a stress-reducing effect. Take a three-minute nature break in your office to gaze at your favorite potted plant for an immediate Zen experience. Purchase a desk plant for your office or home and admire it daily as a stress reliever!

10. Schedule a Massage

The healing power of touch can be highly stress-relieving. If you’ve ever had a professional massage, you’ve probably felt the stress melt away. Massage has been shown to alleviate physical and psychological stress symptoms, making it an ideal stress reliever to incorporate into your self-care regimen regularly. For example, trigger point therapy has been demonstrated to reduce heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. It also does not have to be a professional massage. A loved one can also benefit from rubbing your painful muscles.

Stress Buster Challenge: Schedule a massage for yourself or schedule one for your partner. Remember to repay the favor!

11. Smell Your Favorite Scent

Aromatherapy, in particular, is known for its capacity to relieve anxious emotions by using scents to transport us back to happier times. Essential oils such as clary sage, chamomile, and lavender are frequently utilized for their tremendous soothing effects when inhaled. Consider combining these with a carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, and spreading the fragrance on your wrist to sniff when stressed.

Stress Buster Challenge: Fill a room with your favorite calming aromas using an essential oil diffuser.

12. Appreciate Nature

Outside is a terrific method to boost your energy while lowering stress levels. Researchers discovered that spending 20 minutes in nature can reduce stress. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, monitored individuals for two months as they spent at least 10 minutes outside three times per week. Spending time outside, whether sitting or walking, decreases heart rates and creates a calmer sensation.

Stress Buster Challenge: Spend at least 20 minutes outside every day this week.

13. Make Art

When was the last time you made time to be creative? If you enjoy the arts, consider making it a weekly routine to create or participate in an artsy activity. Whether you want to doodle, paint, knit, or scrapbook, artistic endeavors are a quick method to relieve tension. According to one study, after 45 minutes of creating Art, 75% of participants had lower cortisol (stress) hormones. There was also no link between previous art experiences and cortisol lowering. Pick up a simple craft to try this weekend as a stress reliever.

14. Read

Reading is an excellent technique to escape the present moment and relax calmly and concentrate. Reading can help to relax the body by reducing muscle tension and slowing the heart rate. According to the University of Sussex, reading can reduce stress by up to 68% for certain people!

Stress Buster Challenge: Go to the library or bookshop and get a new book! Alternatively, you may download a new one.

15. Explore a Stress Management App

If you haven’t looked into the abundance of mental health applications, you could miss out on a fantastic stress reliever right at your fingers. In terms of stress management, mental health applications can be beneficial. Beating the Blues, Happify, and MoodMission are all apps that deal with mood and the tension that comes with anxiety or sadness.

Stress Buster Challenge: For the next month, download and use a stress management app.

16. Participate in a Challenge

The brain occasionally requires a decent distraction. A little distraction can go a long way while dealing with overwhelming health news, caring for a loved one, or dealing with job stress.

Consider several ways to challenge yourself to focus on anything other than your stress.

Organizing a closet, doing a crossword puzzle, or inventing something new will help you de-stress and healthily divert your brain.

Stress Buster Challenge: Choose one challenge this month that you’ll feel better about doing once it’s all said and done!

17. Play Some Music

As you’ve probably discovered, listening to your favorite music will put you in a good mood. According to science, music has a favorable effect on the body because of its emotional influence. According to the University of Nevada, Reno, “approximately 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronize with the beat, creating alpha brain waves.”

When we are relaxed and conscious, these brain waves arise. According to Stanford University researchers, music can alter brain activity in the same way that medication does.

To Live a Healthy and Balanced Life

Stress can make you feel tired, worn out, and angry. If you are weary all the time, learning efficient stress management skills may be beneficial. In addition, consulting with your doctor about other potential health concerns might help you relax knowing you have a clean bill of health — one less thing to worry about!

Stress management gives you greater control over your life by making you happier and healthier.

It can also boost your productivity when you’re not weary. Life balance is essential, and dealing with stress will help you get there quickly. Employees who can function under controlled stress are less likely to burn out and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, it means fewer days off from work and a better, more leisurely lifestyle when not working.