10 Ways to Relieve Stress Right Now
Well.
Aren’t we just in the cutest little shit show you ever did see?
We’re in the middle of “the election of our lifetime,” with the results taking days — potentially weeks — to come in, leaving us all in a constant state of uncertainty and heightened stress.
Meanwhile, the US set a record for its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day with 102,831 confirmed cases yesterday. Black people are murdered for being black. Unemployment is higher than it was during The Great Recession. Parents are juggling whether sending their kids to school is a death sentence. Healthcare is too expensive for most people when we need healthcare and mental healthcare more than ever.
And. The holidays are coming. When we’ll spend time with family members we’ve spent months fighting with on Facebook.
I feel like there’s often a tendency to think “get over it” or “it’ll be ok in the end” when we have a lot of stress, but (1) that’s not actually helpful and (2) this stress is, like, reeeaaaaally high and overwhelming and all-consuming.
It’s like the one thing that’s uniting us right now.
While there’s a cluster fuck swirling all around us, there are things we can do to take care of ourselves. Call them ways to de-stress if you’d like, but, honestly, I’m just happy if they’re nothing more than ways to be one percent less stressed.
Breathe. That’s it. That’s the tip. Take a minute to focus on your breath to slow your heart rate and slow your mind. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Repeat as long as you’d like.
Take a walk. You’ve been cooped up far too long. Get outside. Get some sunshine. Smell some flowers. Look at pretty trees or stray cats crossing the street or people walking their dogs. Get out there for at least 15 minutes to get the full benefits of sunshine and fresh air.
Move your body. You know what kind of physical activity makes you feel best. Go do it. Whether’ it’s HIIT, running, yoga, dancing or stretching. Listen to your body and give it what it needs in this moment.
Touch yourself. While there are ample benefits to regular orgasms (hello, great skin and more confidence), the reduced stress levels and increased bonding with those in our social circles are arguably the most beneficial in our current circumstances. Plus, flying solo has the added benefit of ensuring you’re touched exactly how you need and like it.
Touch others. (with consent) Whether you touch them sexually (see benefits above), intimately or platonically, touching other people (again, with consent) increases our oxytocin levels and helps us feel safe and less alone. If we’re talking hugs, studies show that we need 12 a day to really thrive.
Play video games. This is my husband’s favorite method of self-care. Sometimes he plays games to get lost in a story, and sometimes it’s to release aggression by killing monsters. Whatever the reason, video games relieve stress.
Journal. And this is one of my favorites (just ask any of my health coaching clients). I like to think of journaling as using a real-life pensieve. It allows us to get all of the thoughts swirling around out of our heads and onto paper. From there, maybe we review it and organize the thoughts into action-items, maybe we have a realization about why we’re having certain emotions, or maybe we just shut the notebook and put it away. It doesn’t matter what you do with it. It just matters that you do it.
Meditate. Similar to intentional breath work, meditation helps us slow down. But, we can also use it to focus on what we need in the moment. If people are annoying the hell out of you because of their political beliefs, for example, you can do a loving-kindness meditation. This helps you send yourself love, joy, health and peace, and then send those same beautiful vibes to the assholes.
Unplug. Seriously. Turn off the tv. Put your phone down. Escape from the doom and gloom that’s filling your feed for 30 minutes or a few hours or an entire weekend if that’s an option. Any amount of dedicated unplugged time will do your head and your heart some good.
Read. Getting into a good book allows us to escape into another world, let go of the stressful things in our own lives and improve our minds in a gentle and fun way. If you’re not into books, grab a comic, a magazine, poems or song lyrics. Just find something to read that makes you feel good.
What are some of your favorite ways to release stress?