Let’s face it!

If you’ve never been stressed out in life then you’re not living life at all. Stress can be a big motivator, at the very least, it can to get you doing something to remove the stress you’re going through right now. So if you’re not under some sort of stress, then you’re not really moving forward in life.

That being said, too much stress is also bad. That’s why it’s also important to mitigate that stress in a healthy manner.

Fortunately, there are surprisingly easy ways to do that and most of them don’t even require you to enroll in an expensive therapy session or anything.

Here are a few examples:

1 – Chew some gum

This inexpensive method has been shown to reduce fatigue, anxiety, and depression. No wonder some athletes chew some gum before a big game!

2 – Meditate on patterns

There’s a reason why Zen masters practiced meditating while gazing at certain objects and patterns. But you need not do anything so esoteric. Simply choosing a fractal design and staring at it can reduce stress by as much as 60%.

3 – Fake your laughter

Believe it or not, even fake laughter will trigger the release of endorphins, the happy hormone. Not only that, drawing your breath to laugh will provide increased oxygen to your organs and improve your blood flow.

4 – Blow on your finger

Put your thumb in your mouth then blow on it. Doing this will activate your vagus nerve which will lower your heart rate and blood pressure and therefore make you more relaxed. It looks too much like sucking your thumb, though, so try to do this in private.

5 – Keep close to plants

A plant is not just a decorative item for your desk. A study found out that plants in an office space can help lower blood pressure and increase productivity.

6 – Let the tears out

This is actually an instinctive response but unfortunately, society often views crying as weak especially among men. But according to Stephen Sideroff, a clinical psychologist, Stress “tightens muscles and heightens tension, so when you cry, you release some of that.”

7 – Ramp up on the orange juice

Orange juice is a rich source of vitamin C and a lot of people drink it to help avoid the sniffles. But that’s not all vitamin C is good for. This vitamin actually helps lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. So drinking more orange juice could help you de-stress more.

8 – Ditch the dishwasher and do the dishes

Being focused on a task that doesn’t require much thought can actually decrease nervousness by about 27%. So if you’re feeling particularly anxious, skip the dishwasher and do the dishes manually.

9 – Gently massage your ears

Traditional Chinese Medicine states that the ear is a representation of the whole body (same with the feet and hands). By gently massaging your ear, it’s like you’re giving yourself a whole body massage and make you more relaxed.

10 – Snuggle with your pet

Pet lovers already know this instinctively but just being close to your pet already releases feel-good chemicals in your brain. Playing with your pet is an easy and inexpensive way to lower your stress levels.

 

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