How to Reduce Stress?
Learn how to effectively reduce stress with proven techniques and strategies, including exercise and mindfulness. This comprehensive stress management guide may help in enhancing the well-being of individuals.
Written by Dr.Sonia Bhatt
Last updated on 3rd Jul, 2025
People experience stress from time to time. If felt in moderation, stress can even help motivate one to complete tasks. However, when stress becomes intense or lasts longer, it can affect individuals’ daily lives and even their physical and mental health. Stress is a natural response to challenges or threats that can affect the mind and body.
What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as any change that causes emotional, physical or mental strain. It is the body’s response to anything that requires attention or action. Everyone experiences stress to some degree, but how one responds to it significantly affects their overall mental and physical well-being. As per WHO, stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a challenging situation. The human response also prompts individuals to address threats and challenges. Since it can affect the body and the mind, it can result in physical discomfort, behavioural changes and emotional distress. Chronic stress can lead to serious health issues such as high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and heart disease.
Different Types of Stress
A few types of stress include:
1. Acute Stress
This is a short-term reaction to an immediate challenge or threat. It is a type of stress that typically resolves quickly and doesn’t cause long-term damage.
2. Chronic Stress
It is caused by long-term stress due to persistent life challenges such as relationship conflicts, financial struggles or demanding jobs. It can negatively impact physical and mental health over time.
3. Eustress
This is positive stress that can boost motivation and performance. It is commonly experienced when taking on new challenges or working towards goals, but it remains within manageable levels.
4. Episodic Acute Stress
This includes frequent episodes of acute stress, often experienced by individuals with anxious personalities or high-pressure jobs. It can lead to emotional instability and frequent irritability.
5. Behavioural Stress
This is a reaction to stress that can lead to unhealthy coping behaviours, including irritability, substance abuse and withdrawal from others.
6. Physical Stress
This can cause a variety of physical symptoms, such as discomfort, pain, and changes in breathing and heart rate.
7. Emotional Stress
This type of stress stems from intense emotions like anger, fear, frustration, or sadness. If left unmanaged, it can interfere with daily life and well-being.
8. Environmental Stress
It is a negative response to environmental factors that can impact a person’s behaviour, biology, and psychology. It can occur in different settings, such as homes, outdoors, and workplaces.
What Causes Stress?
Understanding the sources of stress can help individuals in developing effective coping strategies. Stress triggers can vary from person to person, but a few common factors can significantly contribute to stress levels.
1. Common Triggers of Stress
Below are a few common stress triggers:
Relationship conflicts with family, friends, or colleagues can cause emotional tension and turmoil.
Health issues, either personal or within the family, can lead to feelings of anxiety and helplessness.
Financial concerns and unexpected expenses can cause anxiety and stress for individuals and families.
Work-related pressure, job insecurity and deadlines can lead to anxiety and ruin the work-life balance.
Major life changes, such as changing jobs, moving house or cities/countries, or personal loss, can lead to uncertainty during the transition, contributing to stress.
Social pressure and expectations to meet societal standards in lifestyle, career and personal achievements can cause unnecessary stress.
2. Impact of Lifestyle on Stress
Below is mentioned how lifestyle can have an effect on stress levels:
Poor diet, lack of physical activity and insufficient sleep can exacerbate stress levels.
Poor time management can result in unfinished tasks and missed deadlines, adding to stress levels.
Excessive screen time and social media exposure can lead to mental strain and anxiety. Constant comparison with the lives of others can lower self-esteem and cause undue pressure.
Lack of work-life balance can contribute significantly to stress. Overworking can lead to exhaustion, leaving little time for personal activities and relaxation.
How Does Stress Affect Everyday Life?
Stress is like carrying a heavy backpack. At first, one overlooks the burden and keeps pushing forward. However, as more items are added to the bag, such as worries and responsibilities, the load becomes heavier and increasingly challenging to manage. Hence, it is essential to figure out how to deal with stress. The effects of stress on the body can be triggered by the release of hormones, leading them to deal with pressures or threats.
Continued release of these hormones for a long time can cause physical stress symptoms such as:
Racing heartbeat
Headaches
Stomach upset
Muscle tension
A few common emotional and behavioural symptoms include the following:
Forgetfulness
Constant worry
Sleep changes
Difficulty in concentrating
Feeling overwhelmed
Choosing unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking
Changes to eating habits
How to Reduce Stress?
Implementing a few stress management techniques can help in improving overall well-being.
1. Fast-Acting Stress Relief Strategies
A number of helpful stress management techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing, are fast-acting tools that can help reduce stress quickly.
2. Guided Imagery
Guided imagery means taking a short vacation in the mind. It can involve imagining oneself in their “happy place,” like imagining sitting at the beach, smelling the ocean, and listening to the waves.
3. Meditation
Meditation can provide short-term stress relief and lasting stress management benefits. One might take slow, deep breaths or spend a few minutes practising mindfulness, which involves being in the moment.
4. Breathing Techniques
Focusing on breathing or changing the way one breathes can make a big difference in one’s overall stress level. Breathing techniques can calm the body and brain in just a few minutes.
5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This involves relaxing all the muscles in the body, group by group. To practise, individuals can start with a few deep breaths. They can then tighten and relax each muscle group, starting with the forehead and moving down to their toes. This practice enhances body awareness, helps identify tension, and promotes overall relaxation.
6. Exercise
Physical activity and exercise are key to managing stress and helping improve mental health. To relieve stress, individuals can choose to do any physical activity daily, such as going to the gym, strength training, home-based workouts, running, swimming, hiking, kayaking, or taking a spin class.
7. Walking
Taking a walk can prove to be a great stress reliever that works in minutes. It provides a change of scenery, helping people shift their mindset and gain a fresh perspective. This simple yet powerful activity rejuvenates the mind and revitalises the body, making it easy to reset and recharge.
8. Hugging
Physical touch can help relieve stress. Hugging a loved one can be especially beneficial. When one hugs, oxytocin (also known as cuddle hormone) is released. This is associated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress.
9. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy helps individuals feel more relaxed, energised, and present at the moment. Emerging research suggests that certain scents can help alter brain wave activity and decrease stress hormones in the body.
10. Creative Arts
Igniting one’s creative side can help relieve stress. Individuals can choose to do any kind of innovative art, including drawing, painting, or simply colouring a book. Adult colouring books have lately gained popularity, and for good reason, proving colouring to be a great stress reliever.
11. Leisure Activities
Leisure activities can help people feel their best. When one feels better internally, one can perform better, which means leisure time can make one’s work time more efficient. Whether it’s caring for a garden or making quilts, hobbies and leisure can help one live one’s best life.
12. Positive Self-Talk
Positive self-talk helps develop a healthier outlook. Optimistic and compassionate conversation can help people manage their emotions and take positive action.
13. Balanced Diet
Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that can add to one’s long-term stress. Consuming a healthy diet with foods including avocado, walnuts, and eggs can help combat stress over the long haul.
14. Yoga
Yoga involves meditation, physical movement, light exercise, and controlled breathing, all of which help to relieve stress. It also offers a variety of physical, spiritual, and psychological benefits.
15. Gratitude
Gratitude helps in recognising all that one has to be thankful for. It reminds people of all the resources they have to cope with stress, which can be quite empowering.
Conclusion
A holistic approach is key to effectively managing stress. This approach encompasses physical activity, mindfulness, lifestyle and dietary changes, and professional support. Implementing small but significant changes leads to long-term improvements in stress resilience. Stress can be managed effectively by adopting healthy habits and seeking support when needed.
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