Ahh, stress. We all experience it in our daily lives. Whether you’re annoyed with your kids or significant other or had a painstakingly long and overwhelming week at work—it eventually snowballs! You know when you feel stressed and anxious. You feel it slowly starting to build up inside of you. Sometimes, you react angrily and yell at whoever is stressing you out. Or maybe you burst into tears (sometimes uncontrollably) to release all the frustration and tension.   

Some people are more prone to stress, but the truth is that we ALL have some form of stress in our lives. The problem occurs when you don’t know how to handle it and seek less-than-ideal coping mechanisms. When you start to turn to unhealthy habits such as drinking too much after a stressful day or eating your feelings with lots of junk food—Houston, we’ve got a problem! 

So, how do you mitigate stress in a healthy way? If you want to stress less, you’ll need to learn techniques that help you manage that stress before it gets out of control. Keep reading to learn about how I practice letting go of stress in my life. I hope they make as much of a difference for you as they do for me! 

Helpful Tips on Letting Go of Stress 

Now that you’ve acknowledged that stress is a normal part of life and everyone experiences it, you can move towards effectively managing it. It’s time to stress less as a commitment to live a happier and healthier life. Think of stress as a boiling pot of water. A little stress simmers the water, but a full-blown meltdown overflows the pot. You want to avoid that pot boiling over! 

Add these tips to your list to help mitigate stress in your day-to-day life: 

1. Practice Breathing Exercises 

If you’re looking for activities to help with anxiety and stress, breathing exercises are an AMAZING calming strategy that I use all the time! Naturally, calming your anxious mind helps to reduce stress. 

Have you ever heard of cyclic sighing? Cyclic sighing is physiological breathing you can do immediately in a stressful situation. This breathing exercise starts by taking one deep inhale, another sharp inhale, and then a long, slow, sighing exhale. When you do this for five minutes each day, you’ll notice yourself letting go of stress, which can reduce anxiety and boost your mood. This will be the most important five minutes of your day, so add it to your daily calendar! 

2. Focus on What You Can Control 

Let’s face it: so many things in life are simply out of your control. Like the behaviors of others or getting a flat tire on the side of the road—file these under things you can’t control!  Instead of stressing out about all the things that aren’t going well and are just a natural part of life, focus on what you CAN control.

You can control who you surround yourself with, so spend time with those people who help support your mental and emotional health. You can also control what you put into your body and how you spend your time. Those small changes will help you feel more in control and help you mitigate stress. 

3. Move Your Body  

I can’t stress enough (pun intended!) the importance of moving your body daily. Even if you can only fit in a quick 10-minute walk on busier days, getting outside and taking a stroll helps ease your mind! Things like cardio, Pilates, and stretching—whatever you choose to do to move your body are great activities to help with anxiety and stress. I especially love yoga as a calming strategy for those extra stressful days since it combines breathing exercises and moving the body (the best of both worlds!).  

4. Connect and Disconnect

It’s time to disconnect! Do a social media cleanse and unfollow accounts that fill your feed with negativity. Avoid doom scrolling on your phone and turn off the news. Pay attention to what’s adding more stress to your life, and take a break. 

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, turn off the notifications on your phone. You may feel less stressed just thinking about it! I know it’s not realistic to disconnect all day, but taking small breaks will help. The idea here is to connect with your friends and family in person and disconnect from technology. It’ll work wonders to mitigate stress, trust me!

5. Lean Into Comfort Foods 

When you feel stressed, you might head to the fridge or the pantry (aka emotional eating). The body naturally craves high-fat and sugary treats when stressed, so there’s no surprise here! But you DON’T want to eat a pint of ice cream or a box of cookies when you start to feel stressed out. 

Instead, focus on comfort foods that can still support your health goals. If your body is craving fatty foods, stick with healthy fats like those found in avocados and nuts. If you want something sweet, go for fresh fruit instead of processed sugar. It’s all about making healthy swaps to help your body manage stress levels! 

Stress Less for a Healthy Mind and Body 

Focusing on ways to mitigate stress in your life is one of the BEST things you can do for your health. Stress negatively affects our mind and body, so it’s essential to practice activities to help with anxiety and stress daily. Stress less with breathing exercises, focusing on what you can control, moving your body, connecting and disconnecting, and leaning into comfort foods that support your goals.  

The heart of stress management is what you put into your body. As a certified transformational wellness  coach, I help women reach their optimal health without sacrificing what they love. Let’s create a nutrition-backed plan to help you feel less stressed so you can live the life of your dreams. Visit my website to learn more about how we can work together!