5 Useful Stress Busters for Today’s Challenging Times

The Sun never rises in the west. Today’s world will never stop bombarding us with stress. We can’t stop stress triggers. It is possible to trick our mind to come out of stress. We can defeat heart attacks and death at an early age by keeping our stress at bay. At its optimum level, stress motivates us to perform well under pressure. Yet, if we don’t manage high levels of unwanted stress, our health and sense of well-being can suffer. Here are some tips for getting your stress under control.

Pressure point to relieve stress

This morning I woke up with a severe headache. It’s my morning ritual to call my mom. I told her I have a terrible ache in my head and had my dose of coffee. She asked me if I am stressed. I denied her since I am not having any issues in life. When she pressed me twice, I realized that the second shot of my vaccine tomorrow and thought of side effects increased my anxiety. I told her, and she taught me an exceptional trick. Within a minute, my headache went away. I got surprised.

We can suppress stress triggered by anxiety using the pressure points in our hand.

Join your index finger and thumb of your left hand together.

Press the top of your thumb and breathe in.

Release the pressure and breathe out.

Repeat it seven times.

Puff. Your headache and anxiety will melt away. It is as simple as that.

Snooze for 30 minutes

Snooze is like rebooting the crashed system

Some of you may have the habit of setting your alarm to snooze. You know what, it is you who have to snooze. Yes, cultivate the habit of taking a brief nap. I have faced unimaginable, worse days in my life. Whenever I felt to give up, I prepare to shut down my thinking. It is hard to meditate, exercise, or divert our mind when we are sinking low. During such times, snooze is the only way to cut our chain of thoughts. You get fresh positive thoughts when you take a break and relive. So, the best break to manage stress is quick naps. Though it is for 30 minutes, it will change you inside out. It’s like rebooting the crashed system.

Buy that coloring book - You won’t regret

You may be an adult, but that doesn’t mean you have to bury your inner child. People who live long are those who have fed their inner child. Next time when you visit Walmart, grab the coloring book and some of your favorite colors. The simple act of coloring can take your attention from yourself, relax your brain, both your body and brain may feel rewarded and it would be a wonderful escape from the real-world problems. Your coloring can be neat or messy, either way it can increase your mindfulness and reduce stress.

30 minutes nature walk

Often a sedentary lifestyle may be the culprit which increases your stress hormones. Our body can increase the positive vibes when doing any physical activity connected to nature. So, walking in your nearby park for 30 minutes is a great way to relieve stress. Don’t choose a crowded street or street filled with traffic to walk. Choose a place filled with trees, birds and other living creatures. Connecting yourself with nature lifts your mood. You can choose your lunchtime to take a stroll. If you can’t make 30 minutes at least try for 10 minutes first. Once you have a practice to do it, you can increase the time and accommodate it to your schedule.

Vent your stress out

If you have played the game “The Sims”, you might have known that your sim avatar would lose their energy and may feel frustrated if they haven’t vented out. It relates to a real-time human emotion. As a human, to vent out is our basic need, just like brushing our teeth, bathing and eating. Venting out our stress is the food for our mental wellness. You can open up things that bother you with your family or friends. If nothing works out, you can list it in your journal. Either way, letting out brings a sense of peace.