Rescue Remedies For Stress
Whether you’ve got deadlines stacking up on top of one another, you feel like you simply haven’t got enough hours in the day, or you’ve suddenly noticed that you’re in the middle of a mild existential crisis without understanding how you got there, stress is not only horrible, but it can creep up on us over time without us really noticing!
Unfortunately, it’s likely that we’ve all been in a situation (or multiple situations far too often) where we feel so stressed that we simply can’t see a way to calm ourselves.
But, it’s all OK because that’s exactly what this article is here to help you with - you have reached a digital sanctuary where it’s OK to stop, pause, and learn about how you can lower your stress levels and regain a sense of calm and tranquillity right now!
So, let’s take a deep breath and take a look at some rescue remedies for stress that you can use both right now to calm yourself immediately, in the short term, and in the long run to ensure you maintain low, manageable levels of stress!
Immediate Rescue Remedies For Stress: Reduce Your Stress Levels in 5 Minutes
You’re in the middle of work and something goes wrong. You’ve just had an anxiety-inducing meeting. You’ve decided to sit and home and randomly have an existential crisis over the messiness of your home. Here are 5 things you can do within 5 minutes to reduce your stress levels:
Take 10 Deep Breaths
It’s time to drop everything you’re doing and take 10 deep breaths! This will calm and reset your central nervous system, lowering your stress levels immediately.
Use the box breathing method and repeat ten times:
- Inhale: Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
- Hold your breath: Hold your breath for a count of 4.
- Exhale: Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.
- Hold your breath: Hold your breath for a count of 4 and repeat.
Go Outside
If you can, take a step outside and breathe in the fresh air, notice the sounds around you, and look at the nature you’re surrounded by.
Taking yourself out of the situation you’re in and going outside will help your mind refresh itself and bring you a moment of calm.
If you can’t go outside, open a window and revel in the breeze!
Stretch
Whether you roll out your yoga mat and do a quick guided stretch or you simply stand up from your desk and roll your shoulders back and forwards a few times, moving your body helps you reconnect not only with your physical self, giving you a chance to check-in with how you’re doing and removing yourself from the stress you’re facing at that moment.
Have A Cup of Calming Tea
Taking five minutes out of your day to have a cup of tea not only makes you prioritise a moment for yourself, but it can lower physical stress levels in your body too if you’re choosing to drink calming teas such as chamomile, mint, or lavender.
Apply or Diffuse Essential Oils
Applying a little dab of lavender on your wrists or diffusing your favourite bergamot and ylang-ylang oil can help you regain an immediate sense of calm and tranquillity.
Remember: never use essential oils directly on the skin without a carrier oil.
Short Term Rescue Remedies For Stress: Reduce Your Stress Levels In 24 Hours
Had a particularly tiring day and feeling all riled up? Ready to unwind after a busy night? Feeling a little hangxiety (yes, it’s a thing) after a night with the girls?
Here are 5 ways you can reduce your stress levels within 24 hours:
Get Your Heart Rate Up
Whether you take yourself for a walk, head to the gym to pump some iron, or get onto your living room floor and do a pilates guided workout, getting your heart rate up helps you release endorphins and serotonin (the happy chemicals!) and reduce stress levels significantly.
Call or Visit A Loved One
If it’s calling a parent, spending time with a friend, or simply hugging and talking to a pet, being around or speaking to loved ones can help you release oxytocin (the love chemical - another happy one!) and lower stress levels.
Also, a problem or stress shared really is a problem or stress halved, so start sharing with your support network!
Take A Bubble Bath
Unless you’re someone that truly finds no joy in sitting in the tub surrounded by bubbles (in which case, you will have to think of another self-care activity you love to indulge in), there’s nothing better than mentally and physically letting all the tension go by spending some time in a sumptuous bubble bath.
Pro tip: Add Epsom salts to help your body really unwind!
Practice Mindfulness
Whether you pick up a paintbrush, sit down for a guided breathwork class, or take a walk amongst nature whilst listening to a calming soundtrack, mindful practices can help you connect with yourself and calm your mind.
Mindfulness isn’t just meditation: explore the world of mindfulness and find something that helps your mind clear and brings you closer to yourself!
Declutter and Clean
A confused and busy mental space can often be helped by physically de-cluttering and cleaning your physical space.
So, go through your wardrobe and put a pile of donation clothes together, get the rubber gloves on and start that deep-clean of the kitchen you’ve been wanting to do for weeks, or simply put on some laundry and get clearer (trust me, it’ll help you get clearer within too!).
Long Term Rescue Remedies For Stress: Keep Your Stress Levels Consistently Low
The key to avoiding random outbursts of stress is to keep your stress levels low consistently in the long run by looking after yourself and prioritising certain activities that reduce your stress levels.
So, here are 5 things you can try to achieve just that:
Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Daily Routine
Even if it’s just for 10 minutes every day, try to add a mindfulness practice into your daily routine. Guided meditations, breathwork, yoga, painting, reading, or journaling can all help to reduce your stress levels and improve your mental health significantly over time.
Don’t panic if it all feels a little odd at first - overtime, practising mindfulness becomes easier and more natural - try to stick with it!
Keep A Schedule and Prioritize
Creating and sticking to a (realistic!) schedule, whilst also prioritizing what you actually must get done every day can help you regain a sense of calm because you’ll be ticking off all your to-dos left, right, and centre without having to worry too much about thinking about what you’re doing next or forgetting.
Plus, you’ll likely create more time to do the things that actually bring you joy too if you stick to your properly thought-through schedule!
Regularly Take Time Just For Yourself
Being alone allows you to really connect with your body, mind, spirit, and soul, so make sure you carve out time on a regular basis to just be by yourself and enjoy whatever it is that makes you happy - whether that’s going to get your nails done for an hour a week, going for a walk by yourself every day, or taking yourself for a night away by yourself once a month.
Actively Find Joy In Life
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by everything - we all do it! However, you can often reduce stress levels by actively finding joy in your life and finding joy in the small things (however cliche that may sound!).
Whether you write a gratitude journal every morning or start to cultivate a mindset of “I get to do this” and not “I have to do this”, actively finding more joy in your life will help banish high-stress levels for good!
See A Therapist
If you have the ability to, and you think it’s right for you, seeing a therapist might be a great idea! Doing therapy on a regular basis can help you not only connect with what’s going with you and within your life, but help reduce your stress levels by allowing you to open up to someone and talk things through.
Read our article on the benefits of therapy - HERE
Ask Yourself: Is It More Than Just Small Bouts of Stress?
It’s incredibly important to mention that if you are experiencing more than just small bouts of stress, you should try and be as aware of it as possible. If you regularly feel anxious or stressed, please do seek support and contact a mental health professional.
Feeling Better? We Hope So!
After reading this article hopefully, you’re all ready to reduce your stress levels like a pro!
Just remember, try to always treat yourself as if you would your best friend, then, it’s very unlikely you’ll spread yourself too thin, not give yourself the care and attention you deserve, or spend too much time feeling stressed out!
