4 Productive Ways To Combat Stress

The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.

No human being can completely avoid stress. Stress is commonly related to work, finances, family dynamics, health, and romantic relationships, but that list is far from exhaustive. You’ll find no shortage of online articles about removing sources of stress from your life, underscoring the pervasiveness of stress-related challenges.

There are some not-so-great ways to deal with stress: compulsive spending, irresponsible drinking, and verbally abusing others, to name three. Many people have their favorite method for relaxing; if you haven’t found yours yet, maybe one of the four options below will become your go-to next time the cortisol and adrenaline kick in.

Head To The Kitchen

You don’t have to be an award-winning chef to make a lovely meal. For many people, the most rewarding part of cooking is activating all five senses and their creativity simultaneously. Cooking can help us get out of the fight-or-flight response we’re trapped in when stress takes over our brains. Learning to prepare healthy meals can also help our bodies get the nutrients we need to stay at the top of our game—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Tend To Your Garden

Science can’t prove this, but foods may taste better when we plant, grow, and harvest them ourselves. Whether or not that’s true, gardening can improve our mental health in plenty of ways. Getting our hands dirty outside activates multiple senses and forces us to concentrate on one tactile task at a time, which activates natural calming mechanisms.

Being in nature is also a tried-and-true method for decreasing stress levels. You’ll get a bonus if the sun is shining, as vitamin D is essential for regulating our moods and immune systems. When your hard work pays off, and you see some delicious-looking fruits and vegetables poking up from the dirt, your self-esteem will get a substantial boost.

Go On A Trip

Do you ever just want to get away? Only every week, right? It’s no accident that countries requiring companies to provide employees with paid vacation days are often listed among the happiest on earth. While the U.S. has no such laws, many Americans don’t use the vacation days they’re given, anyway.

Each vacation day you don’t take is a missed opportunity to rest and relax. Some people get stressed about the logistics of vacations; if this describes you, consider scheduling a getaway well in advance so you don’t have to do a lot of planning in a short amount of time. It might not be worth seeing everything interesting in a new city—pick and choose what’s important and simply relax the rest of the time.

Get Moving

Exercise is good for our bodies—any doctor will tell you that—but it is just as vital for mental health. Aerobic exercise often lowers cortisol levels in a pinch and can also reduce baseline cortisol levels if done consistently over a long period. Physical activity can eliminate any tension your body’s been holding in and decrease bodily inflammation, which is closely correlated with cortisol and elevated stress levels.

Getting involved with an exercise group may lead to new friendships. Social bonding and exercise are a great one-two punch for reducing stress.