Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but it doesn’t need to control you. Learn effective and natural lifestyle strategies that will reduce your levels of anxiety while protecting cognitive health and promoting long-term wellbeing.

Utilize the 5,4,3,2,1 technique to identify your stress triggers: identify five things you see, four things you hear, three you touch and two that smell.

1. Exercise

Exercise provides many stress-reducing benefits, including natural mood enhancement, better sleep quality and hormonal regulation. There’s no need for expensive gym memberships or marathon training to reap these rewards – exercise alone can do wonders!

Even just 10 minutes of smartphone workout can help relieve stress and anxiety if chosen carefully. Just make sure it is something enjoyable!

If running is not your cup of tea, try swimming or doing a 10-minute video workout in your living room instead. Working out with someone can also keep you accountable and motivated – not to mention more likely to keep a fitness regime on track!

2. Take a Bath

A warm bath is an effective way to ease muscle tension and relieve stress. Studies have revealed that submersion in water activates the parasympathetic nervous system – responsible for relaxing muscles and relieving tension – as a form of self-therapy.

Create a peaceful environment and incorporate relaxing techniques to maximize the therapeutic value of bath time. Take the opportunity to practice mindfulness and breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 exercise: breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7 seconds before exhaling for 8. This exercise has been found to reduce anxiety while increasing sleep quality.

3. Listen to Music

Listening to music reduces cortisol levels and releases enjoyable neurotransmitters, with studies proving this. People who create their own music or simply listen to it experience lower physiological arousal – such as reduced heart rate and blood pressure levels.

Consider instrumental tracks – soothing melodies, rhythms and harmonies can help soothe your nervous system and can provide comforting acoustic or unplugged versions of favorite songs, or take time out with ambient genres such as classical or jazz music.

Music can strengthen social connections and combat loneliness that contributes to stress.

4. Talk to a Friend

Discussing with friends can be an excellent way to reduce stress and provide healthy distraction. Friends may provide new perspectives that help identify the source of your difficulties.

Friends can help reduce feelings of isolation and promote healthier behaviors such as exercising regularly and eating healthily. Their support may even prevent unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol and nicotine abuse from becoming an outlet.

Studies have proven the power of human connection to enhance mood and make people happier, as well as reduce feelings of loneliness and depression. Even if you don’t have time to meet in person with friends, reaching out via text or phone call may still prove helpful.

5. Eat a Healthy Diet

Diet is an integral component of managing stress levels. Consuming foods rich in B vitamins (bananas and avocados), Vitamin C (oranges, tomatoes and leafy green vegetables) and Magnesium (plenty of nuts, kale, whole grains, brown rice spinach pumpkin seeds salmon etc) will help decrease anxiety levels.

Be mindful of what you eat for breakfast; oatmeal contains complex carbohydrates which help stabilize blood sugar and reduce jitteriness, providing more peace. Try sipping on herbal tea containing L-theanine to relax and relieve stress.

6. Diffuse Essential Oils

Essential oil scents when inhaled activate the limbic system of the brain, where emotions are stored, to trigger relaxing responses that can reduce stress and anxiety.

Use Chamomile Oil in a diffuser for an ambient room or add it to your bath for maximum relaxation. Chamomile is known for relieving headaches and soothing the skin, aiding sleep and encouraging relaxation – try pairing it with lavender for even greater tranquility.

7. Take a Supplement

Magnesium may help reduce anxiety. Before taking any dietary supplement to reduce stress, please check with your healthcare provider first to make sure it’s appropriate for you.

Being chronically stressed can take its toll on both mental and physical health. Utilizing natural methods of relieving stress may help you feel more at ease when those anxious feelings emerge, or as complementary strategies when combined with medication – just remember to seek medical advice for any severe anxiety symptoms.

8. Laugh

Laughter reduces stress hormone levels while increasing natural feel-good chemicals in the body, as well as improving self-esteem and encouraging rational problem-solving strategies during times of tension.

Add laughter into your everyday activities by watching comedy shows, reading joke books or magazines, listening to funny podcasts or spending time with people who make you smile – or simply spending time with those who make you laugh!

Smiling can have the same beneficial results as laughing, so make it part of your routine to smile more frequently. Or consider laughter yoga – an innovative form of traditional yoga that promotes prolonged voluntary laughter.

9. Make Social Connections

Strong relationships provide an essential relief against stress. According to one study, those with good friends had lower blood pressure and pulse rates than those without them.

Make it a priority to spend quality time with family and friends on a regular basis – in person, on the phone or any other means such as texting or online.

Practice altruism by volunteering or helping others, with an eye toward giving of yourself. Doing this will allow you to feel connected while giving you a sense of purpose and fulfilment.

10. Meditate

Studies demonstrate the benefits of meditation include reduced stress levels, better sleep quality and greater willpower. Meditation also enhances memory retention and improves attention span; and can even assist with certain medical conditions like IBS and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Select a type of meditation that matches your goals and lifestyle. For instance, if you wish to cultivate kindness, try loving-kindness meditation. When practicing, simply sit quietly in a comfortable place with eyes closed; when your thoughts wander off track simply gently return them.