There is no doubt that we live in stressful times. There is a lot of uncertainty around us on a regular basis. Sometimes, it even feels like panic is setting in. Are we ever going to overcome this current crisis? Will things eventually get better? Will I always live this stressed out?

It is important that we understand how to relieve stress. Majority of the patients in the hospital are there for stress-related illnesses according to a Mayo Health Study. You need to be aware when you are feeling stressed and have some ways that you can begin to relieve that stress when you feel the pressure pouring on.

How to Relieve Stress

1. Change Your Environment – One technique that you can use is to just change your environment for a bit. We all get in a rut at times and we just need some space. We need a perspective shift that can help us to approach our challenges with a new angle and perspective. Changing your environment could be as easy as taking an extended walk outside or driving to the beach for the afternoon to just put your mind into neutral for awhile.

2. Take a Siesta - If you want to really learn how to relieve stress, then you need to know when your body is craving rest. We are not designed to burn the candles at both ends. Becoming more productive isn’t always working harder, longer hours. When we are tired we take twice as long to finish a task most often. Many cities in Mexico have regular afternoon siestas as part of the culture. Some of that I am sure is due to the heat and the difficulty of working in the hottest part of the day. However, it has become the culture to rest in the afternoon before going back to your day. Most of the time, dinner is not even served until 8:00pm because of the siesta.

3. Have a Talking Out Session – Stress bottled up inside is never a good thing. You cannot expect to take on challenges all your own without the help of others. Often, just talking things out with others allows us to reduce the stress in our lives.

4. Spend Some Alone Time – Other times it can be good for us to get away and think things through. Maybe check into a hotel down the road and just spend 24 hours thinking, reading, praying, and planning. My favorite thing to do is to spend some time alone reading my Bible. I find that it allows me to connect in a deeper way with God. This always causes me to walk away with a new perspective. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” God asks us to regularly roll all of those burdens off our shoulders onto His.

5. Try a New, Fun Way to Exercise – Probably the best way to learn how to relieve stress on a regular basis is to develop a habit of exercise. Exercise does not always have to be something routine and boring that we do. Maybe it is swimming laps in a pool or joining in on a local full-court basketball pickup game.

6. Read a Novel – Find a good book to read. Particularly, a book that has a story to it. If you can take the time to allow yourself to be absorbed into a good story, you can get a break from the stresses of life. Your mind gets drawn into the characters, the plot, and the twists of the story.

7. Get Out of Town – I love to take mini-get-away trips. This is different than running from your problems. These trips allow you to experience life for a short while from a different prism. Often times my best ideas come when I am doing something else. Just sitting in your office and trying to solve all of your problems does not always work.

8. Journal It All Out – I have found that journaling is incredibly powerful once you develop a habit of it. It helps you to get in tune with your thoughts and ideas. It is a way to get it all out without having to involve a whole lot of people. Sometimes when I read over what I wrote I think of the situation much differently then when it was just swirling around in my head. My usual conclusion is that the problem on paper is not as difficult as when it was swirling around in my thoughts.

9. Come Up With an Action Plan - We also live stressed because we do not have clear steps of action. I believe that stress and confusion are closely related. We avoid looking at the reality of some of our problems because we hope that it will just go away. Better it would be for us if we face the problem, accept it, and develop some action steps to get ourselves out of the hole.

10. Change Your Habits - I talk a lot about this on this blog, but changing your habits will change your life. Right now you are a sum of the choices you have made up to this point. The good news is that you can begin to make new, better choices now and get different results in the future. If you want to learn how to relieve stress, just begin by changing your daily habits.

Related articles

• How to Reduce Stress (at Work) (CPACareerCoach.com)
• 5 Anger Management Techniques That Work (simplelifehabits.com)
• How to Change Your Life for the Better (simplelifehabits.com)
• How To Live a Simple Life (simplelifehabits.com)
• Am I Depressed? (simplelifehabits.com)
• A Reader’s Advice: 5 Ways to De-Stress (fitsugar.com)
• Stressed and Overworked? 10 Tips to Help You Deal (modealanix.com)