how to De-Stress Yourself in 30 Mins or Less — Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Has stress been taking over your life lately which led you to look for ways to manage it? I’m sure it has. Stress is a normal part of life after all. I highly doubt there are very many people in this world who can say they have never experienced stress. Trust me, I know allll about stress and anxiety. Going to work and knowing that people’s lives are in your hands is not an easy task. The toll nursing takes on your body, mind, and spirit is something that I think about a lot. In my wellness journey, I want to incorporate more self-care habits for myself that I would love to share with you. With that said, I know sometimes it’s not very realistic to do all the things necessary to fully rid ourselves of stress, but here are some things you can do in a pinch when you need to de-stress yourself quickly.

You know the symptoms — increased heart rate, irritability, anxiety, inability to focus etc. Your mind is just filled with worry keeping you from going about your day and preventing you from enjoying it. Stress has other more serious consequences if you don’t manage it and continue to subject your body and mind to it.

There are many scientifically proven ways to properly manage your stress level. But what can you do when you need to quickly de-stress yourself? You know, just enough to continue with your day and get back on track. After all, you are a contributing member of society, and you have a dozen things on your list that need to get done!

When you’re faced with a sudden need to alleviate stress, the best way is to remove yourself from that environment, even just for a brief moment, and find a distraction or other things to focus on. Just enough to give your mind a break and re-center.

Here are some ways that you can de-stress yourself in thirty minutes or less.

1. Move your Body

We all know exercise is a proven way to reduce stress, but what if you can’t squeeze in a full workout right at that moment. The easiest way is to get up and move your body. For instance, you can take your dogs for a walk, take a step out of your office and take a lap around the building while getting some fresh air, or stretch. These are simple things to get your muscles moving and get your body to release some stress reducing, feel good hormones called endorphins.

2. Meditate/Pray

10-minute meditation is a popular practice for many and people swear by it. If you are religious and find peace through praying, take a bit of time to remove yourself from that stressful environment and have a quiet time. Can’t find a quiet room? Go to your car, close your eyes and practice breathing exercises.

This book, Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday by Matthew Sokolov, offers amazing techniques for practicing meditation and mindfulness that you can incorporate in your daily life.

3. Work on Your Hobbies

This is a great way to focus your stress energy into something more positive and productive. Working on something you know you enjoy will help associate the positive feelings while helping you focus on the task at hand instead whatever is stressing you out.

4. Read a Book

This is another super quick way to get your mind off of stressful thoughts if reading is something you enjoy doing. Find a quiet place to enjoy your favorite book and let yourself get lost in the story and be in a better place mentally before tackling on the day once again.

5. Journal

Journaling and practicing mindfulness is a powerful tool to de-stress yourself and help get your mind off things during a stressful period. Writing down your thoughts can help you process what you are feeling and sometimes can give clarity on what you should do that might just help improve the stressful situation you are in.

You can pick up this copy of The Anxiety Check-In: A Guided Journal to Support Your Mental Health and Help You Through the Hard Days — if you’re new to journaling and don’t know how to start. This book provides prompts to get you started and help you work through those bad days.

6. Play a Game

Video games, board games, card games, phone games… it doesn’t matter! Sometimes a quick fun game is enough to diffuse that frustration you feel from being so stress out and give enough boost of dopamine to get you through another stressful moment.

Talk it out/Vent

The good ol’ venting. Find a trustworthy person you can talk to about what you are feeling. Sometimes, all we need is to get the thoughts and feelings out to reduce some of the weight off our shoulders. How many times have you heard someone tell you they feel a bit better after talking things out? This concept is nothing new and groundbreaking. It’s just human nature.

Living in a constant stressed state is not sustainable and so unhealthy for you. These tips are just a quick patch to get you through the little stressful moments that life throws at you. If you find yourself constantly worrying and anxious due to stress, that it’s affecting your life significantly, you need to seek professional help. It takes time and dedication to properly manage stress levels and enable you to live a better balanced life.