Top 5 Ways to Practice Stress Relief at Home

Anytime our routines are interrupted, we tend to respond with some kind of stress that over time can negatively impact our bodies. With many of us working from home due to COVID-19, it’s now more important than ever to find effective ways to de-stress on our own. Here are 5 tips to give yourself a little stress relief while at home.

Self Massage
Massage is one of the top ways to relieve stress. It gets rid of the muscle tension and aches and pains we experience when cortisol (our #1 stress hormone) is finished with its job, settles and builds up. For many, the prime settling areas are the neck/shoulders, head and feet. These areas also happen to be great for self massage…you can reach them with no problem. So go ahead, give those neck/shoulders, head and feet a rub. Note: Don’t be afraid to apply deeper pressure where you feel the most tension.

Meditation
Whether you choose Guided Meditation or meditating on your own, this mindfulness practice is a sure fire way to relieve stress. An added benefit is you can do this anywhere, anytime! You can even get creative and add music or whitenoise to help you achieve maximum meditation results. Close those eyes and drift away…

Stretch
Often overlooked as just part of a yoga routine, stretching is another stress buster. If you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed and your body seems stuck from being bent over a laptop for hours, getting up for a quick full body stretch will do wonders. Yep, that’s it…reach for the sky!

Breathe
Deep breathing is an easy and super effective stress reliever. It does wonders for calming anxiety as well. Here’s how you do it: Get comfortable. Breath in through your nose, allowing your belly to fill with air. Breathe out through your nose slowly, feeling your belly “deflate”. That’s it. Simple right. Now do it a few more times and feel all that stress and anxiety float away.

Color
Coloring is a fan favorite for stress relief. There’s something meditative and freeing about unleashing your inner child with coloring sticks (aka markers, crayons, colored pencils or paint brushes) onto a piece of paper…or in today’s world…a computer screen. There are no rules and your mini work of art will certainly fill you with a sense of accomplishment. Now what were you stressed about again?