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Quick Fixes for Stress Relief

stress relief

You probably already know that chronic stress can make you miserable, affect your enjoyment of life, and could lead to a variety of health problems. However, there’s a difference between knowing these facts and addressing them in your own life. If you’re looking for fixes for stress relief, below are possible options! Do any of these stress relief strategies work for you or a loved one? Comment below!

Stress is normal, but it can become too much

We all have to live with a degree of stress, and to a certain extent, it’s a necessary motivation for action and decision-making. The problem arises when it is chronic stress.

It puts a permanent strain on your mind and body, rather than the situational necessity it is designed to be. You may not even realize how stressed you are, or that it has become a chronic problem.

You might feel like you should be able to cope with whatever life throws at you, and that overwhelm and exhaustion are signs of weakness. In reality, this isn’t true at all.

Not taking steps to reduce your stress levels will just make your situation worse. So, act now to encourage stress relief, using the sensible strategies below for stress symptoms to help improve your health and happiness.

Stress symptoms

There are two aspects of stress, which manifest in different ways. Understanding the symptoms helps to point you toward the best methods of stress relief for you.

These are common stress symptoms:

  • Psychologically you may feel down, and in the longer term, clinically depressed.

You may find it harder to keep your temper, getting angry at small inconveniences and snapping at the family. You can suffer a range of negative emotions, including sadness, irritability, grumpiness, and crying. Motivating yourself can be difficult too. Perhaps life feels like a daily grind, a chore to endure rather than a joyous experience full of hope and opportunity. It may be hard to enjoy yourself, and you turn to comfort eating or alcohol to get through the day.

  • Physiologically you probably feel tired, even constant exhaustion, and find it hard to accomplish what you need daily.

You may get headaches, as well as aches and pains in your muscles, particularly the neck and shoulders. Other signs of stress are trouble sleeping, racing of the heart, constant muscle tension, and change in appetite – either not feeling hungry or craving certain foods.

Chronic stress can affect every bodily system, as the effects of having a constantly high level of stress hormones put a strain on every part of you. The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol were originally designed to enable your primitive ancestors to outrun a Smilodon, and they effectively boosted strength, speed, and mental alertness in small doses. They are not meant to be circulating at higher levels through your system all the time, though, as that puts excessive strain on the mind and body.

That’s why chronic stress feels so bad. Hence, the need for stress relief.

Recognizing you have chronic stress

The effects of chronic stress can creep up on you over time. That makes it harder to realize that your health is declining.

To help you recognize what’s going on, read through the common stress symptoms in the list above. Also, check out more detailed information on symptoms of stress to see if you could be suffering without realizing the extent of the effect.

There are many free resources online and, even better, go see your doctor for a diagnosis for your unique situation. The professional can suggest the best course of action for you.

It’s hard not to have a stressful life in today’s fast-paced world. So, even if you think you’re coping well, you can still benefit from adopting some stress relief techniques.

Quick fixes: Stress relief options

For many people, a quick fix for stress involves having a glass of wine at the end of the day. Or, maybe it’s a cigarette to calm the nerves.

The occasional glass of wine isn’t likely to do you any harm. But, if it becomes a regular habit, you might start to feel like you can’t manage without a drink.

At that point, it’s a problematic habit. Using alcohol as a crutch may give you a few moments of relief, but it’s not a long-term solution.

As for smoking, it’s common knowledge that it’s bad for your physical health. But, when you feel stress, it can be difficult to give up that nicotine fix you turn to.

The benefits to your health and well-being of quitting are significant, though. So, it’s worth trying to find a way to cut down and ultimately stop altogether.

You might find that THCA for stress relief works for you in low doses, after getting your doctor’s approval. Certain strains are more effective than others for reducing stress and anxiety, and the ones you choose can ship to your doorstep from shops like http://perfectplantmarket.com/ to help you find what works well for you.

Comfort eating is another common way people cope with stress symptoms. Again, the occasional sweet treat won’t do you too much harm, but getting into the habit of eating for stress relief will adversely affect your health over time.

Other stress relief strategies

If you’ve never tried meditation or mindfulness, don’t dismiss its benefits. Meditation can be a useful method of stress relief.

The activity can be simple, enjoyable, and not overly time-consuming. Try starting with 10 minutes at either the start or end of the day.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to taking care of yourself this way, following an audio-guided meditation is an easy way to do it. Many examples are freely available online.

Meditation is essentially a method of clearing your mind and relaxing your body. There is nothing mystical about it, so you needn’t feel skeptical. Another way to look at it is that you won’t lose anything by giving it a try, but you could benefit a great deal.

Finding an exercise method that you enjoy is another highly effective way to relieve stress. It doesn’t need to be a strenuous gym workout either. Simply walking around the block in the evening can help tremendously as a stress relief strategy for some people.

Finding what fixes for stress relief work for you

Acknowledging your stress and finding ways to both manage it and reduce its harmful effects doesn’t have to be hard work. Fixes for stress relief don’t have to take up a lot of time either.

Investing time and energy into looking after this basic aspect of well-being is worth it. Stress relief can benefit you mentally and physically. It will also benefit your family, friends, work colleagues, and everyone you come into contact with in the future.

You can tackle stress effectively and lead a happier life, so don’t put off finding stress relief methods any longer. Making a few changes in your routine can make all the difference to your health and happiness. So, be good to yourself and get your stress under control.

Top image credit: Pexels

46 thoughts on “Quick Fixes for Stress Relief”

  1. dailydoseofdyan

    Christy, what a thorough post about how stress can affect our bodies! It was very informative about the medical and physiological effects of stress on the body. I love that you are talking about an issue that in media can be disregarded as “not important.” Stress affects my daily life and I’m sure many others as well, so this blog post helped me feel encouraged that I’m not alone.

  4. olganm

    Thanks, Christy. I attended a workshop on Mindfulness almost four years ago and I have been regularly meditating every since and it has made a big difference to my life. Great advice! (I also find exercising, always adapted to our abilities and taste) a good way to reduce stress and keep healthy.

    1. Christy B

      For me, exercise is a great stress reducer – I like running and it is social within a group. Socializing helps with stress too. Thanks Olga for sharing what works for you xx

  6. Marje @ Kyrosmagica

    I’m feeling a bit stressed at the moment as I am working 45 hours a week in a new job plus trying to blog and write when I can. Which isn’t often! During my lunch break today I sat in the botanic gardens, and read which helped quite a bit. Need to find some way to fit in some exercise but when? Ah, life is so busy!

    1. Christy B

      Sitting among those beautiful gardens would make for a wonderful rest from work in nature, Marje. I’m glad you got the new job (congrats!) and hope you do get some downtime soon aside from your lunch break xo

  10. jade

    Good article. As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression I have found meditation and group therapy to be a great way to feel more grounded and put my problems in their correct place, rather than blowing them out of proportion

    1. Christy B

      Hi Jade. Anxiety has a way of making things seem so out of whack – I’ve had panic attacks so I understand! Thank you for sharing your experience with what works for your anxiety. Wishing you a peaceful rest of the day.

    2. Kathleen Reily

      Hey Jade! You’re very right, these strategies are very helpful. Chronic stress and anxiety attacks used to play a huge role in my daily life. However, after trying many different healing strategies I was able to find a life changing and long term solution. I was able to build new neurological pathways in the higher brain. These pathways were conditioned to sustain a mindset of calm and resilience thereby displacing earlier habits of chronic stress.

  11. Amy Caudill

    I never realized how stressful my last job was until I left it and the tension headaches I was having decreased dramatically. I since have tried to be more mindful of my stress levels.

    1. Christy B

      Hearing this reflection you’ve had on the stress of your last job, Amy, I’m thinking it’s a good thing you left when you did ♥

  12. Gallantly, gal

    I always knew I was easily stressed but never thought of it as chronic stress! Thank you. Much needed today. I definitely feel a lot of daytime fatigue which I found weird because I generally sleep well and enough. Plus, I hydrate and eat well… must be from the stress then. I remember a few times a couple of years ago, my heart raced a LOT and it was very scary and I’ve started to wonder if those were panic attacks or something… I thought I needed to eat more potassium because I stopped eating bananas xD so I started eating them and felt better after and thought that solved the problem! haha

    1. Christy B

      Ooooh more potassium; sounds like it was what your body needed! I am glad you find comfort in this post and YES daytime fatigue can happen when we feel stress or overwhelm. Take a few minutes from the overload and go for a walk or simply sit away from the computer/desk/etc. I’m thinking of you!

    2. Gallantly, gal

      I wonder if that was what I needed or my brain tricked me into curing myself that way ahaha either way, it worked so hurray! Thank you :) great suggestions!

    3. Kathleen Reily

      You’re very right, how stress seems to always linger! Chronic stress and anxiety attacks used to play a huge role in my daily life. However, after trying many different healing strategies I was able to find a life changing and long term solution. I was able to build new neurological pathways in the higher brain. These pathways were conditioned to sustain a mindset of calm and resilience thereby displacing earlier habits of chronic stress.

  14. Norah

    Guarding against stress is important for all of us. A little may help us function, but too much is a preventative. Thanks for the reminder to take care of ourselves.

  17. Alessandro Tinchini

    I am heavily stressed in this moment of the year, Christy. Working as a waiter at a restaurant on the seaside in Italy in the summertime is one of the most proving jobs I have made. And it’s not just my opinion.

    Even if it is a seasonal job-six to seven months per year-the amount of daily hours worked reaches high peaks; I’m talking about twelve hours a day, with one day off during the low months (April, May, September and October), two half-days a week during high months (June, July) and no day off at all during the holiday month (August).

    And I run. I follow orders and carry weights all the time (dishes are heavy and I carry four at the time). Colleagues are demanding and rough and sometimes abusive. Psychologically and physically I am hyper stressed.

    I’m the kind of guy that, at the end of the day, drowns the stress with food. Lucky me I am 116 libs and I burn calories at an astounding speed.

    But I am affected on a deep level, for I lost a lot of weight and also, this job prevented me from writing and carrying on with my projects. So this is why I am basically stressed. I have been left behind in my entrepreneurial path due to a day job which should help me invest in my future, but instead it’s sucking away all my energies.

    Do you think meditation would do good to a troubled and ever-tense spirit as I am?

    2. Alessandro Tinchini

      Thanks for the advice! What I really need is peace of mind and yoga could be of great help. I never practiced it.

    4. Christy B

      Wonderful to read this conversation, Alessandro and ValerieEstrella! May yoga and meditation be helpful for you both during stressful times.

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