8 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress From Work

Even if your job isn’t stressful, just getting up and going there every day can put stress on your body. Looking for ways to relieve stress is something millions of people do on a regular basis, and believe it or not, there are tons of things you can do to relax both your body and your soul. That’s important because when you’re stressed from work or any other area of your life, it can result in tense muscles and the inability to concentrate. Taking care of yourself both physically and emotionally is crucial to your overall health, which is why relieving stress is so important for everyone.

The good news is, most of the things you can do to relieve both physical and emotional stress are simple to do and require no special skills or expensive accessories. In fact, most of them are uncomplicated and require only what you likely already have in your home. This is good because you want less stress in your life, not more. Below are a few of the best ways to reduce your work-related stress.

1. Get Some Exercise

When you exercise, your muscles relax and therefore so does your mind. It doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise to help. Just take a walk around the block a few times or sit on the floor and do some stretching exercises. Remember, physical and emotional health go together, so do what you can to help those muscles loosen up a bit.

2. Laugh

When you’re stressed, laughing can help you relax immediately. Turn on one of your favorite comedies or movies so you can laugh a little bit. The more you laugh, the more your entire body will relax, and you’ll be feeling much better before you know it. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine, and you’re likely to be surprised by how well it works.

3. Light a Scented Candle

Scented candles can work wonders on your psyche, and the effects are immediate. Lavender is soothing and calming, but there are other essential oils that work just as well. These include sandalwood, rose, geranium, ylang ylang, Roman chamomile, and bergamot. Bergamot also helps with any emotional baggage you may be experiencing.

4. Practice Meditation

When some people hear this, they think you have to meditate a certain way, but making it more complicated can make you more stressed, not less. To meditate, all you have to do is sit in a relaxed position, put on some soft music, close your eyes, and practice some deep breathing – in through the nose, out through the mouth. Start by doing this for five minutes and building up to around 20 minutes or more.

Related: Why You Should Start Meditation Today: Top 9 Reasons

5. Keep a Journal

When it comes to finding ways to relieve stress, this is a very simple method that everyone can participate in. Writing in a journal every day helps relieve tension because it allows you to work through anything that might be stressing you out each day. You’re also forcing yourself to deal with the situation, which is always a good thing.

6. Listen to Music

Listening to your favorite music always puts you at ease. It doesn’t necessarily have to be soft music – it just has to be music you love. Just listening to music you love for 10 minutes or so can make a huge difference because again, it relaxes both your mind and your body. Of course, if it’s too fast or loud, it might not work as well, which is something important to keep in mind.

7. Spend Time with Your Pet

If you have a fur baby, spending time with them is a great relaxation technique. Pets, especially dogs, tend to love their owners unconditionally, and they can usually sense when something’s wrong. Getting some attention from your pets and giving them that attention back is a great way to relax, especially emotionally.

8. Chew Some Gum

Studies have found that chewing gum can lower your stress level and even contribute to your sense of well-being. Gum comes in all different flavors and can even be sugar-free, so when it comes to this product, you can always find one that you love. Not only is gum tasty, but just the act of chewing gum can help relax you both physically and emotionally.

Stress does horrible things to the body and can even increase our chances of getting sick or even getting serious illnesses such as cancer and others. Most people are stressed at least somewhat, especially right after getting home from work.

It’s important to find ways to relieve stress that work best for you because of this. Always try to find something that relaxes both the muscles, such as getting more active and the mind. The two always go together, and only by giving both of these areas some attention can you come up with the best plan to help you relax on a regular basis.