5 Ways to Manage Stress Right Now

With hectic schedules, looming deadlines, and loved ones to take care of, our lives are becoming more stressful.

Although some stress is a normal part of life, chronic stress can negatively affect mental and physical health.

Fortunately, there are natural ways to reduce stress and ease tension throughout your entire body. Here are 5 ways to naturally manage stress right now.

Natural Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Exercise

Exercise is listed first for a reason — it’s a proven way to reduce stress naturally. Ever heard of a runner’s high? Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, feel-good hormones that help ease stress and provide a natural mood boost.

Exercise can also help release muscles that you may be tensing as a subconscious reaction to stress.

Intense exercise is especially effective for stimulating the release of feel-good hormones. To experience a mood boost from exercise, try a heart-pumping workout such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or a group exercise class.

Not up for a full class or workout? If needed, start small and do what you can. Even a 20-minute walk in nature can do wonders for soothing your body and reducing stress levels. Better yet, bring a good friend along with you for a long walk.

2. Deep Breathing

Stress can cause tension throughout the entire body. In response to stress, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) — the body’s “fight or flight” response — is activated.

When the sympathetic nervous system perceives a threat, cortisol (a stress hormone) and adrenaline get released. This forces the body’s resources to focus energy on controlling the “threat” rather than expending energy on other important tasks.

Deep breaths can help calm your sympathetic nervous system and stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) instead. The PNS is responsible for reducing anxiety and stress and promoting feelings of calm by:

• Reducing heart rate
• Reducing blood pressure
• Stimulating digestion
• Increasing feelings of well-being

When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed by stress, try stopping for a minute or two to take deliberate, mindful breaths.

3. Hypnotherapy

My clients often ask me, “Can hypnotherapy be used for stress?”. The answer is yes! Hypnosis for stress is a natural, scientifically proven way to manage tension and promote calmer feelings.

Hypnotherapy for stress involves a practitioner guiding an individual into a trance-like, deeply relaxed state. In this state, the subconscious mind is more receptive to suggestions that can bring about positive change.

A practitioner can help you experience the benefits of hypnotherapy for stress by:

• Teaching you mindfulness techniques for relaxation
• Helping you address underlying issues or past trauma that may be contributing to your stress
• Calming the body and relaxing the mind
• Teaching you anchoring techniques for dealing with stressful or anxiety-inducing thoughts
• Implementing positive suggestions
• Identifying stress triggers

4. Guided Meditation

Guided meditation is a natural, effective tool for managing daily stress. If the word ‘meditation’ intimidates you, don’t worry. As little as 5 minutes of guided meditation can help you feel more centred and relaxed. Plus, guided meditation helps you take advantage of the benefits of deep breathing for stress.

Here’s a basic 5 minute guided meditation to get you started:

• Close your eyes and allow your body to begin relaxing
• Take several deep breaths, focusing on slowly expanding your belly as you inhale and feel the air fill your belly, lungs, and chest. Allow the air to continue to expand, feeling it move into the crown of your head. Aim to hold the breath in for five counts
• For the next five counts, slowly and deliberately exhale
• Start by exhaling from the crown, the chest, then the ribs, and finally the belly until you’ve moved all the breath from your body
• Repeat the process for a total of five minutes
• Throughout the process, focus on letting any tension and stress melt away as you simply experience the present moment
• Repeat this 5 minutes guided meditation every day for a week and take note of any results

Alternatively, programs like the one curated by The Heart Centred Herb Company can also support you if you need further help.

5. Manage Your Time Online (Limit Social Media)

You may think mindlessly scrolling through social media is harmless but it can increase stress levels. Too much social media use can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, inadequacy, comparison, and isolation — all of which can add to feelings of stress.

Along with the potentially negative feelings social media can cause, it also prevents us from taking time to de-stress in other ways. Spending quality time with our family and friends, relaxing with a new book, or soaking in some time in nature are all natural de-stressors that social media can make us miss out on.

Hypnotherapy for Stress

If you would like to learn more natural techniques for managing stress or have questions on stress reduction hypnosis, I invite you to schedule a free clarity call with me.

I’d be happy to discuss treatment options with you and help you learn more about the benefits of hypnotherapy for stress.