Before we jump into ways to de-stress and reduce anxiety in our lives, we have to identify the cause of stress.
You can’t do anything about it if you don’t know the main reason for being stressed out. Get to the core of it and then focus on the solution, not on the problem.
Ask yourself questions like:
– What’s been going on lately that made me feel stressed or anxious?
– When exactly did I start feeling stressed? What caused it?
– In what situations do I experience stress/anxiety the most?
Notice the pattern and then focus your energy on coming up with a solution.
In today’s post, I’m sharing with you 10 self-care ideas to implement when you want to de-stress and reduce anxiety. Implement one or two today and see how you feel. Change things up and improve along the way. Reducing stress in your life is a process, so take it easy on yourself.
Now let’s dive into today’s topic.
1. Create a morning routine to de-stress and reduce anxiety.
I wrote a whole article about how you can set up your own morning routine (it doesn’t even have to last more than 20 minutes), so you can read more about it here. But for now, let me just say that the way you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.
Having a structured morning routine is one of the easiest ways to de-stress and reduce anxiety. Especially if you find yourself constantly being on the go, you can start creating your own morning rituals that will make you calmer and focused throughout the day.
Read next:
10 Things to Add to Your Morning Routine
2. De-clutter your environment.
Messy room = messy mind.
If you’re continuously seeing the mess around you, it’s going to affect your thoughts and your mood. You don’t have to jump straight into minimalism and KonMari methods of organizing your life but start at least with your workspace.
Of course, while you’re working you’re moving stuff around but every now and then you could take a minute and reorganize. You could also add some plant or a scented candle just to create some ”hygge” atmosphere. It’s one of my favorite ways to instantly de-stress and reduce anxiety.
Read next:
6 Things to Declutter for a More Organized Life
3 Ways to Clear Negative Energy from Your Life
3. Laugh.
Don’t force negative emotions and stress to stay, replace them with laughter and positive things instead.
I’d suggest going on YouTube and searching for some bloopers or funny compilation videos. Believe me, it works. Watching Friends or The Office bloopers is definitely going to boost your mood. Such a simple way to de-stress, right?
Or, you can watch a movie or some TV show you like, the options are endless.
4. Take a few deep breaths.
Just sit still and imagine breathing in the calm and loving air, and breathing out the stress and anxiety.
Inhale calmness. Exhale stress.
Let in the calm. Let out the stress.
Be calm. Let go of everything that is not serving you.
5. Stretch.
Research some basic stretching exercises you can do on your chair. Find what feels good and move your body a bit. A great way to de-stress and reduce anxiety is also running/doing yoga or some workout, but oftentimes we just want to keep it on the lighter note, so stretching is also a good way to relax your body when you need it.
6. Drink a cup of hot tea.
Maybe you prefer coffee, but caffeine is counterproductive when it comes to handling stress and reducing anxiety. I enjoy peppermint tea because I find it very refreshing, so there’s an idea…
7. Sleep well. Eat well. Drink well.
The reason why I put it all into one step is that they equally nourish your mind and body when you let them.
Getting the amount of sleep you need (I’d suggest 6 – 8 hours, but we’re all different so find what suits you), eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and drinking about 2 l of water daily is crucial.
Those are the things that give you energy and boost your productivity and mood, but oftentimes we forget about them. We often forget about ourselves. At all times be your number 1 priority and take care of yourself.
8. Make time for gratitude.
No matter what kind of situation you find yourself in, you can always choose your reaction. It can be a negative situation, but make sure you learn something from it. If you can’t find any lesson in the situation, find something to be grateful for. Think about the good things.
Shift your perspective to the good that you have. Open yourself to receive more abundance. Because only when you appreciate what you have now, and when you value the things and the life you have now, you will be able to receive more of it.
Nothing that is currently happening in your life isn’t happening to you, it is happening for you. It’s in your life’s experience so that you can learn and grow from it.
Read next:
How to Choose Your Thoughts and Master Your Mind
9. Repeat a positive affirmation.
I am in control of my own life.
My mind and body are becoming more calm and peaceful.
I choose happiness.
I choose positive thoughts.
Great things are about to happen to me.
(or choose some other affirmation that resonates with you and keep it in your mind)
I created a free PDF filled with 111 powerful affirmations to up-level your life. You can download it on the link here.
Pick ones that resonate the most with you and print them out or write them in your notes on your phone so you have them when you need some empowerment.
10. Make time for yourself. Always.
Don’t wait for stress to hit you to start taking time for yourself and thinking of the ways to de-stress and reduce anxiety. Make yourself a priority.
Turn off all the distractions. Remove toxic people from your life. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Take a walk. Spend some time in the sun by yourself.
Don’t wait for someone else to make you feel good. Don’t let someone else make you feel bad. Be there for yourself. You have your body, take care of it. Nourish your mind with positive thoughts. Love yourself. Respect yourself.
Read next:
4 Tips to Enjoy Your Time Alone
How to Take Back Your Power and Become the Best Version of Yourself
How to Own Who You Are
Until the next time,
Ivana
As a person who suffers from anxiety, I found found deep breathing and taking time for myself most helpful. These are some great tips!
Definitely 🙂 Glad you like them 🙂
Beautiful post, Ivana! I think I need to work on the decluttering one. As I’m looking around at my desk, I have the mail sitting here, a child’s backpack, my kids’ math work, a receipt, the mouse for my son’s laptop, a board game we played yesterday, and a cleaning cloth I just wiped down the computer with! 🤣 Ms. KonMari would have a fit if she had to do life with three boys, lol. I’m going to clear it off before I do any more work though. 😉 Thanks for all the wonderful tips.
Thanks for the great tips. I need every single one of them today! Monday has hit me hard.
I struggle with anxiety, this post is very useful!
I’m glad you find it useful 🙂
Most people are chronically stressed which is detrimental to our health. This is a great list of practical tips for stress reduction.