1. Meditate for 15 Minutes Every Day
The first stress-reducing thing that I am a big believer in is meditation.
Meditation doesn’t have to be some long ordeal or very comprehensive. Something as simple as buying an eye mask, putting it on, and sitting in a fairly upright position in a quiet spot. Ideally, shut out as much daylight as you possibly can for 15 minutes.
Something very precise happens with the brain after 15 minutes. It’s good to build up a routine around it. Preferably every day.
There’s no right or wrong way of meditating. A good way to start is to just focus on listening to yourself breathe. When you do that, you stop thinking. The whole idea about reducing stress is that you want to quiet down your mind.
2. Exercise Three Times a Week
The second stress-reducing thing is exercise.
There isn’t any particular kind of exercise I think you should do. I prefer something that has a fairly strenuous cardio piece to it. I’ll jump on a rowing machine for 25 to 30 minutes, and then I might do some light weights if I’m in the gym. Lately, I’ve been going out on a fairly strenuous bicycle ride for about an hour or so and probably cover about 10 miles plus.
I’ll do that as many times a week as I can. I would say exercise at least three times a week. Yoga is a good stress-reducing thing too. And you can do yoga with meditation as well.
3. Reduce Caffeine Intake
A third one I have been practicing a lot over the last couple of years is reducing my caffeine intake.
That turned out to be a very big change in my experience. I used to drink two or three cups of coffee in the morning, some tea in the afternoon, or I might have an espresso (I am European, after all).
When I added it all up, I had the equivalent to three or four shots of caffeine in various ways on a daily basis. I’ve got that significantly down to the point where I use substitute coffee products.
I really liked drinking coffee and I really liked the taste of coffee, so I found some mushroom products like Dandy Blend that give you a similar feeling and taste to coffee.
I know for a lot of people it’s difficult because coffee has a ritual to it.
I would suggest testing out the alternative products that are out there like mushroom and Dandy Blend. Cutting down on caffeine helped me a lot. It prevented my brain from getting all jacked up in the morning and it was easy to stay in a balanced state.
4. Get Regular with a Therapist
A fourth one to reduce stress is a little bit more inclusive because it involves therapy.
I very much believe that the reason why people are stressed is that they are trying to compensate by filling a void with doing things that have an overcharged built into it.
If you overwork, do things in excess, or overfocus because you’re worried the world is going to come to an end, all those things are representations of your internal state. We use them to justify the feeling of an overcharge in our bodies, which is subsequently what stress becomes.
Therapy helps you take a step back from all these experiences so you can get some perspective. I often see my clients’ energy come way down after a session. Over time, they start to feel they have a handle on things in their lives that used to cause them to feel overwhelmed.
That feeling of “I got this,” really only comes after you consistently work with a therapist, however. You need to be consistent.
5. Have Fun
The fifth way to reduce stress would definitely be having fun.
One of the most calibrating things we can do is do joyous things.
I think if you ask anybody who has been out for a day having some fun, they end up opening up their heart. Whether it’s spending time in nature, taking on a challenge, hanging out with friends, working out, doing something that has excitement, laughter, community, and camaraderie built into it… it really doesn’t matter. The key is you’re having fun and that helps you relieve stress.
I think a lot of people today struggle to allow themselves to have fun. I can definitely attest to the fact that I often pick something other than doing something fun because it’s silly or “not productive.”
One of the things you can try is to allow a small child to direct what you’re doing when you hang out with them. They’ll show you how to have fun, because that’s what kids do.
We forget it when they grow up. I always think it’s funny when children imitate adults. They lose their ability to have fun.
So, do some of whatever you think is fun on a regular basis even if it’s only for five minutes dancing around in your apartment, playing some music, or doing something silly.
6. Research What Stress Does
I think another good angle on how to reduce stress is to do a little research and actually learn what stress does to your body.
When I learned what stress actually does to the body I was very, very keen on figuring out how to reduce it.
We lose about 2 billion cells a day I think, but we also produce about 2 billion cells a day. So it’s sort of a wash. Within a seven year span, we have replaced every single cell in our body.
What happens is when you go into a stress situation, your body actually thinks that something bad is about to happen. It’s sort of like a fight, flight or freeze, which means that it will preserve energy in order to fight off an enemy.
One of the first things the body does is it cuts cell production because it requires an enormous amount of energy to produce the cells.
So it’s okay if you’re in a stressful situation for, let’s say 20 minutes or half an hour, because after that, your nervous system comes back down again and cell production starts back up.
But think what happens to you if you’ve worked in a stressful job and you for let’s say 10, 15 years, which most people do. What happens is you’re hollowing out your body from the inside.
You’re losing more cells than you’re producing. And that in return, this creates an environment in which sickness and disease can take root.
So many of the other diseases that end up killing people actually come from the fact that the body has lost its ability to take care of itself. I think if you really understand what stress does, then you’d be more interested in actually figuring out how to regulate your body and relieve it.
Speaking of which, I have several spots open for new clients.
If you’d like help relieving stress without taking toxic medications or pharmaceuticals, sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with me.