10 Best Stress Relief Exercises & Activities

When the pressures of life weigh you down, these simple stress relief exercises and activities can help you turn your day around

As overwhelming as stress can be, recent research suggests it plays a crucial role in our lives. As it turns out, there’s a healthy sweet spot for how much we should experience. 

Too little, and we can become bored or unhappy. Too much, and our mental and physical health can suffer…

But just the right amount can keep us sharp and optimize our performance.

To stay in that healthy zone, it’s important to find ways to relax and decompress that work for you. That’s why we put this list of ten of the best stress relief exercises and activities together. 

These fun and creative ideas are all excellent options that can help lift your mood and improve your overall well-being.

STRESS RELIEF EXERCISES

1. Go for a Relaxing Walk or Bike Ride

Exercise is arguably one of (if not) the most potent antidotes to stress…

And when life’s pressures are taking their toll, activities with a low barrier to entry are often the best options to ease the mind.

That’s why going for a calming walk or bike ride can work wonders for your mental health. You can go as slow or as fast as you like, and all you have to do to get started is throw your shoes on and walk out the door.

If you like, you can make it a mindful experience by leaving your phone at home and focusing on taking in the world around you…

Or, if you want to tune everything out, you can put on some relaxing soundscapes or music.

2. Sweat it Out

Sometimes the best way to deal with stress is to work it out. 

An intense weightlifting session, basketball game, or tennis match requires you to be fully present, which will help relieve some of that mental tension…

And the challenging nature of the exercise will cause your body to release stress-relieving endorphins that help lift your mood. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, a tough workout is one of the best stress relief activities you can do.

3. Stretch it Out

Stretching is a great stress relief exercise that cultivates presence and keeps the body loose and limber.

For those times when you’re feeling overly tense, what better way to handle it than an activity that relieves muscle tension? And, you don’t even have to leave the house! 

If you’re looking for a good stretching sequence, YouTube is home to many talented yoga creators that post routines designed for all experience levels.

SELF-CARE STRESS RELIEF ACTIVITIES

1. Throw on Your Favorite Music & Jam Out

Nothing has the power to uplift the soul quite like music. There’s even scientific research to support that statement.1 2 3

So, next time you find yourself overwhelmed by stress, put on your go-to playlist or favorite artist and go to town.

Enjoy it however you love to — dance like crazy, headbang, jump around, or sit back, relax, and let the sounds wash over you.

It may not completely wash away all the stress, but it can create some much-needed space between you and your worries.

2. Make Yourself a Nutritious Meal

Cooking a healthy, tasty meal for yourself is a powerful act of self-care, and an excellent stress relief activity. Not only are you putting time and effort into maintaining your well-being, you’re also providing your body with the nourishment it needs.

Whenever you’re feeling down, head into the kitchen and whip up something nutritious. It could be your favorite dish or something new you’ve been meaning to try. Just make sure to put love into it as you would if you were cooking for someone you love.

3. Do Some Breathwork

Whether you prefer meditation or timing your inhales and exhales, breathwork is a simple yet effective way to slow down the mind and center the body.

With so many things trying to grab our attention these days, time spent doing nothing but focusing on our breath is priceless. 

4. Tidy Up Around the House

The surrounding environment often influences our mental state, and if we’re already stressed out, a cluttered home may make matters worse.

Even if it’s just one room, cleaning can provide a visual representation of order and organization that can help ease your worries. Plus, you’ll get the bonus satisfaction of completing a task!

5. Do Some Journaling

According to research, journaling can provide benefits such as increased well-being, self-confidence, self-awareness, and improvements in mood. 

In the above study, three different types of journaling are mentioned: expressive, gratitude, and visual. 

Expressive journaling involves writing about “deep and personal experiences,” gratitude is where you write about things you’re grateful for, and visual “combines written narration and the creation of art.”

So, if there’s a lot on your mind, try out these different journaling methods and find which one works best for you.

6. Create Something

Whether you have a creative hobby or not, spending time creating something out of nothing is mentally stimulating, rewarding, and gives you something to be proud of.

It could be as simple as picking up a piece of paper and doodling, playing around on a musical instrument, or something more involved, like working on a painting.

As long as the creative juices are flowing, this stress relief activity will provide a nice buffer between you and your worries. 

7. Reduce Stress in Minutes With BEMER Therapy

BEMER therapy is an all-natural way to relieve stress and improve your energy levels, vitality, and overall well-being.

BEMER is a state-of-the-art recovery device that safely sends a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) signal through the body to stimulate the muscles. This muscle activation increases local blood flow, oxygen delivery, and carbon dioxide removal in the target tissues, enhancing stress relief and relaxation.

And if a tight schedule is on your list of stressors, don’t worry. Just two eight-minute sessions a day will do the trick, and you’ll never have to leave the house to use it — unless you want to. BEMER is designed for at-home and on-the-go use, so you can manage your stress wherever you go.

All you have to do is turn on your BEMER device, start your session, and apply one of three applicators to the desired area:

1. The B.BODY – Applies the BEMER signal to the whole body. Simply lie down and let BEMER do all the work. You can place it comfortably on the floor, couch, or bed.
2. The B.PAD – A long, wide strap-like applicator you can wrap around your waist or legs to target larger muscle groups.
3. The B.SPOT – A smaller circular applicator for targeted sessions.

It’s that simple. 

Get in touch with a distributor near you today to level up your stress-fighting power and optimize your health.

Note: Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any diet, nutrition, or fitness plan.

¹ Suzanne B. Hanser, Larry W. Thompson, Effects of a Music Therapy Strategy on Depressed Older Adults, Journal of Gerontology, Volume 49, Issue 6, November 1994, Pages P265–P269, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/49.6.P265

² Bradt J, Dileo C, Potvin N. Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD006577. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006577.pub3.

³ M. Chennafi, M. A. Khan, G. Li, Y. Lian and G. Wang, “Study of Music Effect on Mental Stress Relief Based on Heart Rate Variability,” 2018 IEEE Asia Pacific Conference on Circuits and Systems (APCCAS), 2018, pp. 131-134, doi: 10.1109/APCCAS.2018.8605674.

*BEMER does not provide any medical advice or services. This device is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It should not be used for any purpose other than as described in the user manual. Please consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical issues.

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