15 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress

Stress and anxiety are common experiences for many people. In fact, millions of adults in the United States say they feel stress or anxiety daily.


Many people deal with stress every day. Work, family issues, health concerns, and financial obligations are parts of everyday life that commonly contribute to heightened stress levels.


What’s more, factors such as genetics, level of social support, coping style, and personality type influence a person’s vulnerability to stress, meaning that some people are more likely to become stressed than others (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).


Plus, research shows that parents, people in professions such as healthcare and social work, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ individuals are more likely to have higher stress levels (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).


Minimizing the chronic stress of daily life as much as possible is important for overall health. That’s because chronic stress harms health and increases your risk of health conditions such as heart disease, anxiety disorders, and depression (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).


It’s important to understand that stress isn’t the same as mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, which require treatment from medical professionals. Although the tips below may relieve many types of stress, they may not help people with these conditions (11Trusted Source).


Here are 15 evidence-based ways to relieve stress.


1. Get more physical activity 

If you’re feeling stressed, moving your body on a consistent basis may help


A 6-week study in 185 university students found that participating in aerobic exercise 2 days per week significantly reduced overall perceived stress and perceived stress due to uncertainty. Plus, the exercise routine significantly improved self-reported depression (12Trusted Source


Many other studies have shown that engaging in physical activity helps reduce stress levels and improve mood, while sedentary behavior may lead to increased stress, poor mood, and sleep disturbances (13Trusted Source, 14


What’s more, regular exercise has been shown to improve symptoms of common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source


If you’re currently inactive, start with gentle activities such as walking or biking. Choosing an activity that you enjoy may help increase your chances of sticking to it in the long term.

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