12 Effective Ways To Reduce Stress And Find Inner Peace

I am always on the lookout for ways to reduce stress.

Despite having a routine centered around wellness, my mind is prone to worrying, overthinking, and hustling.

That’s why I make sure to pamper myself through stress-busting activities that are easy and convenient to indulge in.

If you are looking for some simple yet effective ways to reduce stress, this post is going to be a perfect read for you.

woman reading in bed about ways to reduce stress

Everything You’ll Find In This Post:

12 Ways To Reduce Stress
9 Positive Affirmations for Stress-Relief
A Bonus Stress-Busting Tip

Stress is a giant balloon of worries that takes up all the space in our minds. It can be annoying, distracting, and hard to deal with.

I think we can all agree that stress is a negative occupant in our lives, yet it never ceases to amaze me how often to normalize its presence.

As some people like to say, stress is a necessary evil to get things done.

There might be some truth to this, but I decided a long time ago that I am not okay working under stress.

Stress Doesn’t Have To Be A Part Of Your Life

When I was in school, I had a super hectic schedule that wouldn’t let me breathe.

I got headaches every day, and my simplest method to solve the problem was to pop in aspirin and get going, because who had time to curl up and nap?

It’s clear to me now that I was under a lot of stress, but I decided to ignore the warning signs of mental exhaustion.

Years later, now that I am a different person with an easy-going lifestyle, I’ve picked some ABCs of managing stress.

Newsflash – it isn’t hard to rid yourself of this toxic feeling. And you absolutely do not have to put up with it when you have a choice to let it go.

Some mindful and positive activities can go a long way to making you happier and stress-free, which is what I am here to help you with.

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In this post, we look at the 12 best ways to reduce stress.

After a long day at work, these stress-relieving activities might be just what you need to hit the refresh button.

Pick the one that sounds the most fun to you, and shake off your stress like a pro.

12 Ways To Reduce Stress

1. Take A Long Bath

A major contributor to stress is overthinking and impatience with life.

When you’re trying to get rid of stress, it’s important to walk in the opposite direction of a ‘hustle mindset’ and slow down your mind.

A good bath can be magical to make this happen.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always believed water to have healing tendencies. It’s the basis of life, and so it makes sense for it to be the perfect cure to stress.

Draw a bath, and relax for as long as you want to. Or if you want to steal my method, strike a yogic pose under the shower with your eyes closed.

How To Make It Better

Turn on some calm music
Use a nice-smelling shower gel
Light up scented candles
Moisturize your body afterward

2. Exercise For Better Mental Health

When your brain is churning mindless thoughts, exercise might be the last thing you want to do. But it is one of the quickest and healthiest ways to reduce stress.

Exercise boosts our endorphins and lowers our stress hormones (like cortisol), resulting in stress reduction.

It demands your complete focus and awareness and requires you to be present at the moment, resulting in a much-needed brain declutter.

If you’re looking to create an everlasting healthy mindset, then it is best to exercise regularly.

You don’t have to run to the gym for this. I love working out at home and it does wonders for my mental health.

Walking, jogging, and cycling are other activities that you can try too. As long as you’re moving, you’re winning.

If you’re stuck in a physical rut, here are 8 tips to motivate yourself to workout without feeling exhausted.

3. Read A Book

Henry William has beautifully said, “We read to give our soul a chance to luxuriate.”

Reading helps you escape to another world, and find yourself through the words of another person written in a different time.

On days when you’re not in the mood to absorb any wise words, go for light-hearted fiction.

But whenever you need some motivation, good non-fiction always saves the day.

I suggest you read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

The author does an excellent job of reminding us to live in the present.

This might be just what you need, considering stress doesn’t let us enjoy our present the way we should.

If there’s a book you’ve been meaning to read, do it now. It’ll help you occupy your mind with better and brighter things.

4. Grab A Cup Of Tea

I cannot recommend this strongly enough. Now, I understand tea might not be everyone’s cup of…tea.

But researchers have found tea to lower the level of cortisol, which results in stress relief.

I can personally attest to this fact; there’s nothing more therapeutic for me than hot water with a sash of tea.

Sipping green tea is one of the most heavenly ways to reduce stress.

It has antioxidant power that rejuvenates body cells. Plus, its natural smell would be heavenly for your tired brain cells.

If tea isn’t a part of your diet yet, now might be the time to jump on board.

You can create a ritual out of it by adding books and music to the mix. Sit in your favorite spot and let the herbal water heal your spirit.

5. Clean Your House

My therapist recommended I vent my negative emotions by scrubbing the bathroom tiles.

I thought she was nuts for asking me to do that, but it turned out to be an amazing piece of advice.

We’ve already established that moving your body helps you let go of stress, and cleaning makes you do just that.

Even a few minutes of organizing your desk and shelves can provide you with an outlet for your emotions.

The best thing about it is that you end up with a cleaner space. That’s one thing off of your to-do list.

So go and rub the dirty corners of your house. Grit your teeth if you have to, but doing it with a smile helps 🙂

6. Build A Bedtime Self-Care Routine

Going to bed with a cluttered mind is an open invitation to stressful thoughts.

It results in poor sleep, makes you less excited for the next day, and leads to a cluttered mind space.

This is where a self-care night routine comes in.

It’s one of the best happy habits you can adopt that would give you a lot of advantages in return.

By doing some simple activities during your bedtime, you can chuck your worries out the window and calm down your mind.

It’s all about taking care of your body and mind before you hit the bed so that you are prepared to take charge of your life the next morning.

Here are some things you can do at night before bed:

Eat a healthy and light dinner
Take a bath to relieve the tension in your muscles
Do basic skincare
Try bed yoga
5 minutes of meditation
Read a book
Journal your bedtime thoughts
Sip on herbal tea
Listen to soothing music

7. Do Yoga

Yoga is something that’s quickly gained popularity in the fitness world, and all for good reasons.

I didn’t try it for a long time until I finally did, and since then, there’s been no going back.

Yoga creates mindfulness by channeling your thoughts into your breaths and gently relieves you of stress.

It’s a great form of workout that combines the body and the mind in beautiful ways. Its calming effect stays with you for hours.

Here’s my favorite yoga session. As the name suggests, it’s PURE JOY! You won’t regret pressing click on this one 🙂

8. Watch A TV Show Or A Movie

Some people would disagree on this one, saying it’s not a proper coping mechanism, and I understand why.

Relieving stress by sitting in front of a screen might not be everyone’s idea of stress relief, but it works like charm for me.

Stories are great reminders that there is more to life than hectic schedules and overflowing brains.

Immersing yourself in a new fandom is a great way to make stress disappear.

If this sounds like something you’d like to do, grab a bucket of popcorn and head to your TV.

Watch a movie from your favorite genre, binge-watch a season from one of the popular TV shows, or stream an episode of your favorite sitcom.

Just in case anyone’s wondering, a light-hearted romcom always works for me. 😉

A Cute Post: 35 Little Things In Life That Can Make You Happy

9. Cook Something

Now, I would love to create a blog section for cooking recipes, if I knew any. But the truth is that I’m not that good at cooking.

The reason I’m including this in the list is that I’ve seen my father cope with stress just like this.

After a long and tiring weekend, he’d cook us a delicious, whistling to some classical music playing in the background. It always freshened him up.

I’ve been trying my hand at baking, and even though the results have been not-so-stellar, I feel awesome moving around in an apron.

So, if you’re into cooking at all, do it as a way to bust stress. And if you’re a novice like me, it’s never too late to get started.

Put youtube to good use and look up recipes for your favorite dishes. Who knows, you might just turn out to be a great cook.

10. Spend Time With The Nature

There is something that my English teacher once taught me that’s stuck with me to this day: Nature is the best teacher.

Over the years, I’ve taken the liberty to add something of my own to this: Nature is also the best healer.

A few minutes out in the fresh air can lift your mood, make you more mindful, and teach you the art of slow living.

Here are the ways you can relieve stress in nature:

Head outside for a long walk in an area filled with trees.
Organize a trip to the nearest hiking point. Go with your friends, or be like me and make it a solo date.
Deepen your connection to the earth through gardening.
Sit under the cool shade of a tree.
Visit a garden, and touch the flowers with utmost mindfulness.
Watch the sky in daylight, or do some star-gazing at night.

And always, always remember: Nature is the best of everything.

11. Journaling

Journaling is a soulful activity that connects you with the deepest parts of yourself and heals your worries with the power of introspection.

Ever since I started keeping a journal, it’s made me mentally stronger.

I think it’s a great way to access self-love, dump your negative thoughts, and enhance your positive emotions.

Try to create a journal entry every day. It clears your mind and helps you reflect on what’s important in your life.

Write about what’s bugging you, share your thoughts for the future, and relieve yourself of the past by pouring it out on the pages of your journal.

This habit will nurture your personal growth, beautify your wellness, and ultimately reduce your stress.

12. Indulge In Your Favorite Hobby!

When you’re under stress, it can be easy to forget about what you enjoy doing the most.

I’m a voracious reader. Yet when I was a student, I read books only during the summer vacations.

And once classes started, I always went back to my textbooks, while my novels collected dust in a corner. It did not have to be this way.

Sure, I was busy, biting my nails while worrying about exams. But life would’ve been so much easier had I spared even 20 minutes a day to read.

Connecting with a hobby is the most fun way to remove stress from your mind.

It helps you be creative, and spend some quality me-time while being yourself.

So, pick up an old forgotten hobby, or create a new one. Learn an instrument, try knitting, or do some painting.

Whatever you choose to do, have loads of fun with it. Stress will be the last thing on your mind afterward.

Positive Affirmations for Stress-Relief

Here are some sparkly, positive affirmations to help kickstart your process of stress relief.

Take a deep breath, and speak out loud:

1. I am in charge of every single thought I have.

2. At this moment, I have complete power over my mind.

3. I choose positivity.

4. I choose to listen to myself over the noise from the world.

5. I can, and will, take life one sip at a time.

6. I choose happiness.

7. I am bigger than my circumstances.

8. I am stronger than I seem.

9. No matter what happens, I will be OK.

10. I allow myself to let go of things I cannot control.

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A Bonus Stress-Busting Tip

If I tried writing all the situations that cause humans stress, it would be longer than my start-of-the-month shopping list.

So instead I’ll talk about the simplest thing you can do to curb stress:

Don’t think about whatever is causing you stress.

Easier said than done, I know. But this is the one thing that can shift your mindset to a large degree.

Once you’re actually out of the stressful environment, leave it all behind. Carrying it home, or to your room with you makes no sense at all.

Don’t carry your worries with you. Repeat the affirmations listed above, focus on your breaths and smoothly detach yourself from the situation.

Doing so won’t make you irresponsible. It’s a door slam to the part of our brain that’s been wired to stress 24/7.

Let the reality of the present moment sink in, and do something about it rather than focusing on what could’ve been and what will be.

Remember – The lighter you feel, the easier it gets.

What are some of your go-to ways to reduce stress? Leave a comment behind. I’m always up for a good chat.