101 Practical Stress Killers To Use Now

The Ramifications Of Stress

Stress is everywhere.

In fact, experiencing stress is a normal part of life.

However, there comes a time when you are under too much stress and it starts to affect you in a very negative way.

Perhaps you are suffering from anxiety, irritability, anger, sadness, or depression. It is also possible you are experiencing headaches, fatigue, insomnia, muscle tension, or a change in your sex drive.

All of these are the common effects chronic stress can have on the mind and body.

Furthermore, stress is related to many chronic medical conditions, and places an undue burden on the body that can lead to ill health and speed the aging process. There are many ways that you can help ease the stress and the effects of the stress in your life.

101 Stress Killers

Get rid of stress and live a happier and healthier life.

1. Walking – Walking helps to reduce stress because it gives you some physical activity. Walking gets your blood flowing and gives you some time to focus on the things around you instead of the stress in your life.
2. Gardening – Gardening, or even taking care of health plants, can give you the feeling of accomplishing something great. You have managed to grow a flower, or plant, from a tiny seed. Seeing the beauty in this can take your mind away from negative thoughts.
3. Jogging – A more intense form of walking, jogging is a great way to work up a sweat and release feel-good endorphins into your body.
4. Biking – Another great way to release the feel-good endorphins that come from exercising. Biking can be done either at an intense pace or at a slow relaxing pace, depending what your mood calls for.
5. Swimming – The workout from swimming releases the same feel-good endorphins that other exercise does. As a bonus, swimming is also relaxing because you can float on the water and feel a connection to nature.
6. Lifting Weights – This is a great stress reliever because it enables you to push your body to its limits while releasing stress-fighting endorphins.
7. Stretching – Stretching helps loosen muscles that are tight from being stressed. It also encourages good blood flow throughout your body to promote health.
8. Tai Chi – This is a slow moving, guided exercise. It is a great way to relax your nerves, body, mind, and emotions and reset yourself to feel less stress.
9. Yoga – There are many variants to yoga, which means that you are going to be able to find one that matches your abilities. Yoga helps to stretch the body and clear the mind.
10. Meditation – Meditation is about learning mindfulness. It helps you to clear your mind and learn to control your thoughts and emotions.
11. Compose A Mantra – Composing and repeating a mantra is a great way to boost your confidence and reduce your stress. A great example of a mantra is “I can handle this; I have this under control.”
12. Take A Warm Bath – A warm bath is relaxing, especially if we have a bath in a dark quiet environment. This is because it evokes a womb-like quality that relaxes us on a deep level.
13. Give Yourself a Scalp Massage – Or get it from someone else. Massaging the scalp can help encourage the blood flow to the brain and can also help relieve headaches.
14. Get A Swedish Massage – A Swedish massage has the primary goal of relaxing the body. It used long, gliding strokes in the direction of blood returning to the heart.
15. Get an Aroma Therapy Massage – Similar to a Swedish massage, this massage also aims at relaxing the body, but uses scented body oils to aid in the relaxation.
16. Step in the Sauna – Spending some time in a sauna or steam room relaxes muscles, soothes aches and pains, flushes toxins and cleanses the skin. All of these things contribute to minimizing stress.
17. Give Yourself a Foot Rub – Or ask someone else to give you one. A foot rub uses reflexology and pressure points to ease stress from your body. It is just as effective to do it yourself as having someone else do it for you.
18. Practice Guided Imagery – To do guided imagery, you use your imagination to picture a time, place, or person that makes you feel relaxed, happy, and peaceful.
19. Use Self-Hypnosis – Self-Hypnosis takes guided imagery to the next step. While imagining a relaxing place, say to yourself “I am happy, peaceful and am in control of my life. I am relaxing easily just by imaging this place and pinching myself”
20. Learn Autogenic – This process takes a few months to learn. The goal of Autogenic is to be able to relax your body on command to help you deal with stress.
21. Learn Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Progressive muscle relaxation is the practice of contracting and relaxing different muscle groups. Many people who suffer from insomnia find this technique useful.
22. Use Breathing – Focused breathing is a useful tool for achieving a relaxed state of mind that is clear from stress. There are many different breathing techniques you can use to achieve lower stress and anxiety levels.
23. Biofeedback – Biofeedback is a method that controls a body function that the body would normally control, with the mind. This includes skin temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. This can help the effects of stress on the body to be reduced when your stress levels start rising.
24. Acknowledge You Are Stressed – In order to minimize your stress levels; you first need to acknowledge that you are stressed.
25. Take Regular Breaks – Stopping what you are doing at regular intervals is a great idea to help reduce your stress. You can take this time to stretch, or take a short walk to get your blood flowing.
26. Establish A Routine – You can reduce stress by having a routine. Having a routine can help you find the things that cause you the most stress and help you learn what parts of your day you need to employ extra relaxation techniques.
27. Remember Past Successes – When you are struggling with a project or task, thinking back to a time that you overcame obstacles can help you keep your stress levels lower.
28. Identify What Is Causing You Stress – If you are able to pinpoint the exact causes of your stress, you will be better able to focus your stress relief techniques on those problems.
29. Focus On One Worry at A Time – When there are multiple things causing you stress at the same time, focus on one stressor at a time. If your mind is trying to solve all your problems at the same time you are going to end up more stressed and overwhelmed.
30. Stop Wondering “What If” – If you are constantly looking back and wondering if you made the right choice, you are always going to be creating more stress in your life. Accept the things you can’t change, and focus on changing the things you can.
31. Accept That Stress Is Normal – Stress is something everyone feels at one time or another. Don’t get upset because you are stressed out in a situation. Accept that the stress exists and work towards overcoming it.
32. Learn to Delegate – Don’t hold on to all of your stresses and think you need to do everything on your own. Give your children chores around the house, have your husband cook supper, and get a coworker to do part of the big project at work.
33. Stop Trying to Control Everything – You cannot control every aspect of your life. Sometimes things aren’t going to go the way you planned. Accept that it’s part of life and make a backup plan. This will prevent additional stress.
34. Edit Your Commitments – You don’t need to be on every team and committee that asks you to join. It’s great to be part of things, but if you are too bogged down with activities you are going to be more stressed out with remembering all your commitments and struggling to be everywhere on time without forgetting anything.
35. Learn to Forgive – Forgive yourself and others for your imperfections. Accept that no one is perfect. By realizing that sometimes mistakes are made, you can avoid being stressed out by these mistakes.
36. Don’t Victimize Yourself – Don’t accept your stress by saying you have a high-stress job or that you’re ‘just under a lot of stress right now.’ These thoughts invite the mentality that stress is welcome in your life.
37. Rate Your Problems – You may feel like you are under a lot of stress just to realize that all of your problems are ones on a ten-point scale and are easily solved. Rating your problems can help you gain perspective.
38. Take A Vacation – Time away from all of your stresses is a great way to gain a new perspective on the things that you see as a negative in your life.
39. Join A Religious Community – Many people rely on their religion as a way to find comfort from their stresses. Having a religious community can make you feel supported when you are lost in your stress.
40. Be Present – Being mindful in the moment can help you focus on the good things around you instead of dwelling on the negatives.
41. Don’t Procrastinate – Procrastination often leads to stress when you are forced to scramble to meet deadlines. By taking care of tasks as they come up, you will never find yourself short on time to complete them.
42. Be Grateful – Recognizing all the good things in your life is a very effective way to help shift your focus from your stresses and make them seem less important.
43. Keep A Journal – Keeping a journal of the situations that cause you stress can help you find the stresses in your life and come up with ideas on how to overcome them. When you write your stresses down it also relieves stress because the thoughts are no longer stuck in your head.
44. Listen To Music – A favorite song can help boost your mood and take your mind off the things that are causing you stress. Listening to loud music can help drown out your thoughts and help you refocus.
45. Play Music – If you play an instrument, playing while you are stressed is a good way to help expel the emotion from your body into the music you are making.
46. Sewing – Engaging in a creative craft such as sewing can be a great way to relax, this can also include cross stitching.
47. Knitting – Knitting is another great creative craft to relax. Creating something from a ball of yarn gives a sense of pride and distracts the mind when you are focusing on your activity. Crocheting is another option.
48. Painting – A third creative activity is painting. Often painters are able to express their emotions through their art and process the things going on in their mind. This includes drawing and sketching.
49. Use Lavender – The smell of lavender is well known for its relaxing properties. Using lavender candles, potpourri, or incense around your house is a great way to invite relaxation into your home.
50. Work On Your Time Management Skills – If you find that you are always stressed out because you are running late for everything, improving your time management skills might be the key to reducing your stress.
51. Housecleaning – Spending time cleaning the house is a great way to relieve stress for several reasons. It gives you exercise, helps you practice mindfulness and rewards you with a clean house when you are finished.
52. Get Enough Sleep – When you are stressed, you might find you aren’t getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep leads to feeling stressed out easier. Getting enough sleep will help you approach your day with a clear mind and result in less stress.
53. Invest in a Stress Ball – This is a temporary stress reliever. It works by keeping your hands busy and boosts blood circulation throughout your body.
54. Declutter – Clutter around you leads to clutter in your mind. By reducing clutter in your home or office, you are allowing your mind to work through stress easier.
55. Visualize Calm – When you are overwhelmed by your stressors, visualizing yourself as being calm and stress-free can help you actually feel calm.
56. Try A Tonic – Tonics are a homeopathic remedy to help you cope with stress and nervous energy in your life.
57. Smile – The power of a smile is an amazing thing. When you smile at someone, they often smile back. When you experience people smiling at you, it will help boost your mood.
58. Don’t Grind Your Teeth – A common side effect of stress is grinding your teeth, which can then lead to a headache and often more stress. Be conscious of teeth grinding and get a mouth guard to help prevent grinding.
59. Count To Ten – Simply taking a few seconds and counting to ten, either forwards or backward, is often enough to break the cycle of jumping into stress. It can calm you down and help you approach situations from a different frame of mind.
60. Use Warmth – Warmth and darkness are very comforting. Rub your hands together vigorously until they are warm, cup them over your closed eyes, and focus on your breathing.
61. Practice Good Posture – Often when we are stressed we tend to slump over. By ensuring you are sitting or standing with good posture you can reduce the added stress of sore and tense muscles.
62. Try To See The Positive – When you are in a situation that seems hopeless, look for something positive within it. This can help you to change your focus from your stress to something positive.
63. Look At The Bigger Picture – Perhaps you are going to be late for work because an accident stopped traffic. Look at the big picture; you are late because the paramedics took their time ensuring the person they were helping was stable before they transported them. You likely aren’t going to be fired for being late once.
64. Make Time for You Every Day – Make yourself a priority. Ensure that you get a block of time every day to focus on something you want to do that helps you relax and destress.
65. Unplug – With technology today, you are always reachable by everyone. This can make it hard to really distress. Turn your smartphone off and enjoy what is happening around you.
66. Wake Up Early – Waking up early can give you the benefit of a little extra time to get things done while everyone else is asleep. This can help you focus and reduce stress later when you are scrambling to get things done.
67. Rip Paper – The action and noise paper makes when it is being ripped can help you to feel in control and powerful when you are stressed out and feel out of control.
68. Stay Organized – One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is to be organized. Being organized helps to reduce clutter and ensure that you are always aware of what is going on.
69. Stop Smoking – While some people see smoking as a form of stress relief, you actually experience less stress when you quit smoking. This is because smokers often feel increased stress when they are unable to have a smoke for any reason.
70. Reduce Caffeine Intake – While small amounts of coffee can help to reduce stress, being dependent on the coffee can be just as unhealthy as smoking when it comes to stress. When a person is unable to have a coffee, it can increase stress levels.
71. Act Silly – Acting silly can help reduce stress and increase feel-good hormones by taking your mind off the negative and forcing it to focus on something positive.
72. Chew Gum – Chewing gum when you are stressed out can help your mind focus on something other than the stressor. It can also help in improving concentration.
73. Laugh More – This works the same way as acting silly does. Watching a comedy is a great way to make yourself laugh more and release feel good hormones.
74. Separate Your Work Life from Your Home Life – Bringing work stresses home with you leads you to be more short-tempered with your family. This causes your stress to be passed on to them as well. Keeping your work stresses at work is easier said than done, but it is more than worth the effort.
75. Counseling – If you find that you are always under a lot of stress and nothing you do seems to be helping you manage it, therapy in the form of a counselor or psychologist is a great way to learn how to cope with the stress.
76. Enjoy Some Dark Chocolate – Not only does consuming chocolate make you feel as though you are indulging, but dark chocolate also helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol.
77. Sip Chamomile Tea – Chamomile tea is an aromatic tea that is mild and produces a mildly sedative effect, which aids in relaxation and sleep.
78. Eat A Balanced Diet – Ensuring that you are getting a variety of vitamins and nutrients helps with ensuring that your brain and body are functioning at their best.
79. Sip Green Tea – Green tea provides the benefits of alertness that is associated with caffeine without the jittery side effects. It also provides L-Theatine, which is an amino acid that provides a state of calm awareness.
80. Eat High Carb Snacks – Foods that are high in good carbohydrates help stimulate the release of serotonin which aids in relaxation
81. Boost Your Vitamin And Mineral Intake – Ensuring that your body is getting all of the vitamins and nutrients it needs help it to produce optimal serotonin levels, which help you to deal with stress.
82. Avoid Processed Foods – Processed foods create stress in the nervous system, which can lead to more external demonstrations of stress.
83. Get More Vitamin C – People who consume high levels of Vitamin C have been proven to deal better with stressful situations than those who don’t consume as much.
84. Lower Your Fat Intake – Indulging in fatty foods while you are stressed won’t make you feel any better; in fact, it often leads to more stress when your body holds onto the extra fat instead of burning it.
85. Lower Your Sugar Intake – When you consume a large amount of sugar at one time, your body has a hard time processing it and it can cause a spike in your insulin levels. This can cause you to be stressed out easier.
86. Increase Your Magnesium Intake – Stress can be a sign of a magnesium deficiency. When you are getting enough magnesium, it can lower blood pressure and ease the effects of stress. Apricots are a great source of magnesium.
87. Eat Foods Rich In Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega-3 fatty acids contain EPA and DHA, these act as an anti-inflammatory for the brain and can improve your ability to handle stress.
88. Eat Small Meals Throughout The Day – By eating small meals throughout the day you are doing two things. One: you are helping to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Two: You are going to prevent mood fluctuations from being hungry.
89. Sex – When you engage in sexual activity with someone you care about it does wonders for the mind and the body. It helps improve the mood and combats anxiety by reducing the stress signals that are in the brain.
90. Love A Pet – Spending time with a dog can help reduce your stress levels by lowering your body’s stress hormones. It can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure as well.
91. Spend Time Outdoors – The smell of many flowers have been shown to reduce stress levels. Being out in a garden or among trees is a great way to lower your stress. Being outdoors also shifts our mood into something more positive.
92. Connect With Others – Being around people who understand the things that cause you stress helps a lot to allow you to relax and enjoy that connection, even if your conversation has nothing to do with your stressors.
93. Assert Yourself – Don’t be afraid to say no to people who want things from you. When you continuously say yes to do things you don’t want to, you increase your stress. Don’t be afraid to be assertive and say no if that’s what you want to say.
94. Socialize – Get out of the house and do things with your friends. Don’t think about the things that are stressing you out, just get out of the house and enjoy the company of others.
95. Kiss Someone – Kissing your significant other, in the spur of the moment, decreases the stress hormone cortisol and increases serotonin levels in the brain. It also releases endorphins that improve our mood.
96. Contact An Old Friend – Contacting an old friend can be a really grounding experience. Since you haven’t spoken in a while, you are more likely to focus on the positive things in your life instead of the negative stressful things.
97. Get Social – making plans with a friend or a loved one gives you something to look forward to. Make sure these are plans that you want to partake in, and not something you are agreeing to do out of obligation.
98. Hug It Out – Hugging increases the love hormone, oxytocin. Something as short as a twenty-second hug is enough to reduce the harmful physical and mental effects of stress.
99. Meet New People – Meeting new people can help reduce your stress levels because the give and take of friendship add to your self-worth and increases your support system to include more people who care about you.
100. Volunteer – It would seem that taking on the work of volunteering would be counterproductive, but volunteering actually contributes to lowering your stress levels because you are helping other people.
101. Avoid The People Who Bring Stress into Your Life – This can be easier said than done sometimes. However, by avoiding the people who cause you more stress, you are going to be able to reduce the stress in your life in the long run.

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