7 Hacks for Lowering Everyday Stress

We are no stranger to stress, and lately stress has become an integrative part of our everyday lives. However, we are here to offer you 7 hacks for not only coping with stress but learning how to effectively manage it.

1. Acknowledge Your Stress

Acknowledging your stress can really help lift the weight off your shoulders and is a great first step to asking for help.  

Facing stress is an opportunity to reset your mind and take it as a chance to grow. The brain is rewiring and trying to learn from the experience so you can handle it differently next time.

So, think about whether the stress is a buildup or related to a more long-term issue. If it’s unrelated to anything, maybe it’s a sign your mind and body need a break. Self-care is a great way to give your body both a mental and physical break from the world around you, and is more effective than people think!

2. Try Essential Oils

Inhaling essential oils is a great strategy to calm the mind in times of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. This popular technique, also known as aromatherapy, focuses on using scents to holistically balance your physical, emotional, and psychological health.

When wondering what scents you should use, I recommend choosing scents that resonate with you. For example, if the smell of peppermint reminds you of a time where you are skating on the frozen lake during Christmas, it is a great idea to use that scent to subconsciously put your mind in that state without you even realizing it!

To use essential oils for stress, there are three methods that do the trick!

Click the link to one of our previous blog posts to read more on essential oils and how to use them safely.

Essential Oils for a Healthy Immune System

3. Write it Out

If you love to write (or type), this is a great tip for you. Visually writing out what is causing you stress can help you focus your thoughts on the positive or ways to tackle the negative.

However, if writing isn’t your strong suit and actually gives you more stress, then there is an alternative. 

There is something called the “So What?” exercise, where you can mentally ask yourself that question until it reveals something about yourself. 

Let’s say for example you are working from home due to the pandemic, and the thought of that is giving you stress. Sit back, and think to yourself “So What?”

You will find that in this particular situation, the reason you are working from home is not because you are being punished but because it is the safest place to be right now. 

By thinking of the root of all your to-dos throughout the day and the little things that could bring you stress, it allows you to find the deeper reason behind your stress and be able to control it effectively.

4. The “4-7-8” Breathing Technique

This technique is one of my favorites, and is a powerful trick to give your body that extra boost of oxygen that you may need. Deep breathing is an effective way to reduce anxiety, stress and depression by focusing on one thing: Your breathing. 

Let’s do it together!

As you are reading the next few lines, practice the breathing technique.

1. You are going to want to start with placing the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and keep it there the whole time. 
2. Start by parting your lips slightly and exhale with a whooshing sound through your mouth. 
3. Close your lips and inhale silently through your nose. Count to 4 in your head. 
4. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. 
5. Exhale (with a deep whooping sound) for 8 seconds

Complete this cycle for four full breaths.

5. The Tapping Trick (ETF)

My favourite! I was just introduced to this technique last week by Genèvieve, and to say I’m obsessed with it is an understatement. 

Tapping on certain acupressure points on your body is a specific methodic sequence that involves tapping specific meridian points (areas of the body energy flows through) and reciting setup phrases that will help you acknowledge issues and accept yourself.

It is 5 super easy steps that you can incorporate into your everyday life. 

1. Identify what’s causing you stress.
2. On a scale of 0 to 10, write down how intense the issue is (10 being the highest).
3. Create a setup phrase that addresses your problem. For example: “Even though I’m stressed about this deadline, I deeply and completely accept myself.” 
4. Tap on the nine meridian points (eyebrow, side of eyes, under eyes, under nose, chin, start of collarbone, and under arm, top of the head, middle of forehead) seven times.
5. Repeat the phrase with each tapping point. Do this sequence two to three times.
6. Rate your final intensity to see if your stress level has gone down. If not, repeat.

I did this strategy the other day with Geneviève, and I went from a 7 stress level to a 3. It was amazing how by tapping on certain acupressure points can relieve stress in your life that may have been lingering for a while. However, if you find that your stress did not decrease significantly, that is OK! This method may take a couple tries to truly bring down stress levels. However, if your stress levels went down one notch, you are on the way to success my friend!

6. Visualize & Rate Your Stress

This technique is for those who are more of a visual learner (much like myself), and way to have fun with your stress!

It may sound a little funny at first, but trust me, this is a perfect way to lower stress fast! Visualizing the opposite of calm may also help relieve stress, believe it or not. 

Try this: Feel your stress, and try to picture it. What color is it? What is its shape? Is it moving? Visualizing your stress in this way helps you to cope because it re-frames it as something finite and separate from yourself.

Now that you have visualized what your stress may look like, rate it on a scale of 1-10. 

1 being it is not impacting your life that much, and 10 being it is really impacting your life. 

This recognition may help you let go of some of that anxiety. Rating your stress on a periodic basis can also help you gain insights about your stress and its causes.

7. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward to

At the beginning or end of the day, there is always something that you may be excited to do. It could be something as little as cooking dinner later, or waking up and making your morning coffee for those few moments of peace. Whatever it may be, think about that moment and have it in the back of your head as you go about your day.

A life that revolves entirely around to-dos won’t keep you very satisfied. It can add extra stress that you may not have anticipated, as well as slow down how productive you are throughout the day. 

By giving yourself something to look forward to, it helps to set the day and end it right. So get excited to make dinner! Those little moments of excitement are truly important.

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/stress-coping-eliminate#6–12:–ten–minute-tricks