You’ve got 400 new emails, three assignments due, a pile of unread bills, you’ve spilt coffee down your trousers… You’re stressed. If you don’t have time to head off on a stress-relieving vacation, don’t panic. Here are some brilliant ways to relieve stress without needing a big time commitment – in most cases, they’ll only take five minutes.
1 Make Some Great Green Tea
First thing to do when you’re feeling stressed or angry? Get some green herbal tea. It’s a brilliant source of L-Theanine, which relieves anger and levels you out. For extra points, do some deep breathing while the kettle boils, then sip the green tea and let the stress melt away.
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2 Grab a Good Snack
It could be a square of dark chocolate – 1.4 ounces is enough to regulate the cortisol in your blood and stabilize your metabolism, which will calm your nerves. No chocolate? Head for the honey. As well as being a great moisturizer and antibiotic, honey reduces inflammation in the brain, meaning it’s ideal for fighting anxiety. And if you want that holiday feeling at your desk, grab a mango. They are packed with linalool, which lowers stress. Delicious.
3 Meditate
Yep, there’s some science behind all those popular meditation apps. Just two quick bouts of meditation a day can relieve stress and depression, and you don’t need much to get you started. Find a comfortable place in a quiet space, focus on your breathing and feel your stresses slip away.
4 Breathe
If you really need to relax and have no time, concentrate on your breathing. Slow, deep breaths will lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and make you feel instantly less rage-y. For something more fancy, try pranayama breathing, which is a yogic method which relieves anxiety. It works in a similar way to acupuncture, so it’s definitely worth learning.
5 Count Backwards
Slowly count to ten and then count backwards back down. You’ll distract yourself thinking about the numbers when you’re counting backwards, which cuts stress and lets your mind clear. If that doesn’t work, try some creative visualisations. Think of something that makes you feel happy – baby rabbits, kittens, Ryan Gosling turning up at your house – and breathe deeply. Instant mood boost.
6 Have a Hand Massage
A DIY hand massage will calm a racing heart and soothe a racing mind. They are especially beneficial if you do a lot of work with your hands, such as manual labor, working on a keyboard or writing. Apply a luxury lotion that smells divine, and start by kneading the muscle at the bottom of the thumb to release stress from the shoulders, scalp and neck. Surprisingly effective.
7 Get Tactile
A stress ball is the perfect way to physically release some tension without upsetting your friends, colleagues or the driver in the next lane. If the ball on its own isn’t enough or you don’t have one handy, drip some cold water onto your wrists and behind your ears. You’ll cool some major arteries, which provides instant relief.
8 Repeat Things over and over
Finally, do something repetitive. Knitting, colouring, even brushing your hair – repetitive motions feel soothing and familiar, and force the body to relax.
Result? A less stressed you. What do you do to de-stress when time is at a premium?
