6 Easy Ways to Relieve Stress (That Aren’t Bingeing Netflix)
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It doesn’t take much for me to switch from capable to catastrophe. One unfinished errand, overbooked social calendar, or impending deadline can quickly turn me from “Book Club” Reese Witherspoon into “Do you know who I am” Reese Witherspoon.
And while my first instinct is always to lean into the unhinged-ness of it all – order fried chicken and cry to my good friend, Streaming Services — it’s never a tactic that works.
Lately, I’ve been trying to come up with some healthy ways of coping with the (capital ‘S’) Stress, without having to do anything particularly annoying (jogging). Here’s what I’ve come up with.
Set Up A Cute Li’l Garden
Every space looks one thousand per cent more chic when a plant is involved. Plus, for every point a plant gives you, interior decorating-wise, you can bet you’ll get three times more in health benefits. Plants are soothing, purifying and calming, and looking after them gives you something bigger to worry about than whatever’s going on in your sweaty, stressed brain.
Head on down to Bunnings, get a good whiff of that glorious sawdust-and-BBQ smell you know so well, and pick up a few beauties to call your own. Then make their maintenance a non-negotiable part of your daily routine – it’s happy, it’s fun, and you’ll feel truly #blessed for the distraction.
Tense Up, Then Let It Out
Odds are, your stress has unwittingly pulled a drawstring at the top of your neck, causing all your muscles to become tight and irritated. One of the most effective ways to loosen them is through a practice called Progressive Muscle Relaxation, where you locate a part of your body, like your shoulders, intentionally tense the muscles up really, really tight for five seconds or so, and then breathe it all out. Move on to the next part of your body, like your hands, then do the same thing, repeating until you’ve tensed and released your entire body.
It’s killer effective and takes minimal prep time, so you can do it at your desk, on the bus to uni, or at a particularly painful family gathering.
See A Friend For Brunch
Whenever I’m stressed, anxious, or ready to get a blunt fringe, I like to catch up with my friends IRL over a delicious meal. IRL being the operative initialism here. Typing your worries into an internet vortex just makes them stew and bubble, meaning you don’t get that feeling of letting go you would from yapping about it out loud. Plus, hearing about what’s going on with someone else makes you realise the world is much bigger than your problems.
Do your whining in the sun with a mouth full of poached eggs and let your friend coo about how everything’s going to be OK. Brunch is my usual go-to because it gives you to the rest of the day to carry on that calm and motivation, meaning you can get some stuff ticked off that to-do list.
Learn A Thing Or Two
I know it sounds counterproductive to suggest that putting yet another thing on your to-do list will combat stress. But studies have shown that “picking up a new skill, gathering new information, or seeking out intellectual challenges” is pretty much guaranteed to calm your farm.
Now’s the time to upskill or pursue a passion you’ve been hmm-ing and haw-ing about. If you’re not already at uni, have a geez around for a course that interests you or see if there’s an out-of-the-box elective you can try out.
There are a gazillion ways to fuel our brain with more delicious knowledge. When in doubt: YouTube. It’ll do you good.
Bike Somewhere!
Each and every de-stress/de-depression/de-dark-out article will tell you to exercise. And – as I write with my fists raised to the heavens – I’ve gotta admit it’s true. Exercise takes your dusty, panicked brain and hangs it out in the sun to feel all nice and toasty again.
But exercise is categorically boring and telling an already-stressed person they need to add another thing to their diary is plain rude. Instead, why not swap your part of your daily bus ride for a walk to work? Or carve out 10 minutes after uni to go for a bike ride around the block? Nothing uphill or otherwise challenging, but just enough to get the wind in your hair and the blood pumping.
Dance If You Want To
Elizabeth Gilbert, writer of eating, praying and loving fame, dances by herself every single morning. She does it to get outside her head and focus on the very real machinations of her body. Talking to Buzzfeed, she said most people “think of our bodies as a broomstick that carries our brain jar around”, so her fun, jumping up and down, weirdo dancing shakes it out of there.
I can’t guarantee you’ll look like Elizabeth Gilbert when you let loose, but you won’t look full-Elaine Benes either. So give it a go!
Eat A Banana
The humble banana is packed with a bunch of nutrients that actually help your body chill out for a sec: potassium, tryptophan, magnesium, vitamin B6. It’s not as fun as a packet of Cheetos Cheese Puffs but it’s a good excuse to get up from your computer and peer into the fruit bowl. Or ride to Woolies on your bike!
You could even go buck wild and make an entire lunch from vegetables. It will help your brain immeasurably, and then you can continue the rest of the day feeling happy and accomplished and positively de-stressed.
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(Lead image: Comedy Central)
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If you’re ready to love what you do, find out more about our life-changing courses at torrens.edu.au