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Stress isn’t just annoying—if left unchecked, it can take a toll on your mental and physical health. “Stress can build up over time and have a significant impact on our mood, sleep, relationships, and more,” says Stephanie Marcello, Ph.D., chief psychologist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “We carry stress in our bodies, not just in our thoughts, so it needs to be released rather than ignored.”
Stress affects everything from how we deal with others to how we cope with unexpected events. “How we manage and deal with stress has a significant impact on how our central nervous system responds, how we regulate emotions and whether we react impulsively, which is common when stress isn’t managed,” says Marcello.
Surprisingly, even a happy event such as getting married, starting a new job, or having a baby may feel stressful. “Good life changes cause stress too, because they are still changes that may be novel and tax our limited resources, whether cognitive, social, or financial,” says Charlotte H. Markey, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Rutgers University and the author of the Body Image Book series. “But coping with good stress is similar to coping with bad stress, and many of the same stress-relief techniques can be useful.”
Fortunately, even quick stress-relief techniques can help. “You may not have 20 minutes every day to engage in stress management. However, even something as simple as taking three deep breaths throughout the day can help us reset,” says Neda Gould, Ph.D., an associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director or the Mindfulness Program at Johns Hopkins. “Think of these as ‘micro-breaks,’ which can make a difference.” More important, practicing these activities regularly can prevent acute stress from becoming chronic stress.
Ahead, a few fast and effective ways to manage stress:
Schedule “you” time.
Feeling better usually requires planning, not spontaneity; in other words, it won’t happen unless you make it happen. “I will literally block this time out on my calendar on a couple of days during the week, because I have the luxury of job flexibility. You have to take it seriously and schedule it often to really do it,” says Markey. Use moments of “downtime” such as commuting, watching your kid’s soccer practice, or taking a lunch break to do activities that feel restorative, such as reading, listening to music, spending time outdoors, journaling, connecting with friends, or doing a physical activity you like such as walking, yoga, or stretching.
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Actually breathe deeply.
When we’re anxious, we often take shallow breaths so the air isn’t drawn fully into our lungs. But research shows that slow, intentional breathing can calm us. See for yourself by trying this simple breathing exercise anywhere, at any time: Allow yourself to breathe deeply for a few minutes, focusing on each in-breath and each out-breath, says Gould. You can do this to a count of 5 in and 5 out or at whatever pace feels right to you. Do it a few times throughout the day or whenever you feel yourself getting ramped up.
Practice being in the moment.
Often called mindfulness meditation, this doesn’t have to be a complicated practice. You can try a guided meditation or something like this quick exercise: Take a few deep breaths, noticing what you experience through each of your senses and naming one thing you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch right now. “Our senses ground us in the present moment,” says Gould. Refocusing us on “right now” helps us redirect our thoughts so we’re not allowing our brains to churn, which usually isn’t productive.
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