Stress Relief!

Get your dose of stress relief with these handy social stress strategies :)

Smile and laugh on the daily

Hang out with friends who make you laugh, keep a collection of your favorite photos or even just watch a funny film!

Laughing and smiling is a super easy way to relieve stress- studies even suggest that it can be more effective than distraction! Laughing with others relieves tension by relaxing your muscles, and calming the bodies stress responses. Long term effects of laughter also included improved immune health and mood.

Spend time with family, friends and pets

Connect with others and make socialising a priority- you won’t regret it.

Relationships are important and a perfect way to reduce stress. By connecting with others you will feel a sense of belonging and improved self worth. Having a large support network and spending time with others also reduce stress through the the production of the natural stress reliever: oxycontin. Having a pet also achieves this along with creating a sense of purpose and providing companionship, both anxiety reducing factors.

Be assertive

Don’t be afraid to say no. Try not to over commit yourself as you will end up overwhelmed.

Simply say: “Thank you for the opportunity but I just don’t have the time to fit it in”

Speak your truth and if you don’t feel comfortable doing something, or even just don’t want to, it is okay to say no. While you can not control all stressors, you can control some. It is important you don’t take on too many commitments because it will result in you feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Share a hug

Positive physical contact like hugs release feel good endorphins such as oxycontin, which reduces stress.

Not only does this reduce stress but it also lowers cortisol, blood pressure and heart rate. Studies show that a 20 second hug each day is the most effect way to stimulate oxycontin, better than chemicals or drugs. Physical contact is such a good stress remedy- that even animals use it! Chimpanzees are also known to cuddle stress primates.

Write a letter to someone

Choose someone you trust and right them a letter! Expressing your thoughts and feelings or just keep it light hearted are both great ways to relieve stress.

It can be hard to communicate how you feeling in person, especially when voicing your feeling and stressful times. Writing a letter is a perfect solution to this. While writing you will be better able to understand and process your emotions, not only preventing but managing stress. By sending it to someone you care for they will then be able offer you helpful solutions to reduce the source of your stressor

Get involved in extracurriculars:

Joining sports, dance, arts, service, and other extracurricular activities are an awesome way to connect and reduce stress.

While engaging in these activities you will be able to connect with others, building relationships that you can then turn to in times of need. These activities will help distract you from the source of your stresser, giving you a break and allowing you to be present in the moment. While acting as a group you will build useful life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication. Many of these activities also involve movement, enhancing your physical wellbeing and reducing stress also.