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Request Appointment. Healthy Lifestyle Stress management. Sections Basics Stress basics Stress relief Relaxation techniques In-Depth Expert Answers Multimedia Resources News From Mayo Clinic What's New. Products and services. Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress Exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Show references Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed Aug. Physical activity adult. Mayo Clinic; Working out boosts brain health.

American Psychological Association. Seaward BL. Physical exercise: Flushing out the stress hormones. In: Essentials of Managing Stress.

Bodenheimer T, et al. Goal-setting for behavior change in primary care: An exploration and status report. Patient Education and Counseling. Locke E, et al. Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A year odyssey.

American Psychologist. Olpin M, et al. Healthy lifestyles. In: Stress Management for Life. Cengage Learning; Laskwoski ER expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. See also Alternative cancer treatments: 11 options to consider Meditation Mindfulness exercises Relaxation techniques Guided meditation video.

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Here are some suggestions to better improve your health: Get vaccinated for the flu each year. Stay up to date on your COVID vaccines and boosters.

Find a COVID vaccine location near you on Vaccines. gov Keep up with regular health appointments. Eat healthy. Have fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and low- or no-fat dairy. Limit foods with unhealthy fats, salt, and added sugars.

See Healthy Eating Tips. Get enough sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to help you sleep better. Adults need 7 or more hours per night. Move more and sit less. Every little bit of physical activity helps. You can break it into smaller amounts of time, such as 20 to 30 minutes a day.

Choose not to drink, or drink in moderation on days you drink alcohol. Moderation means having 2 drinks or less a day for men or 1 drink or less for women a day.

Find out more at Drink Less, Be Your Best. Avoid using illegal drugs or prescription drugs in ways other than prescribed. It offers resources and support for people who feel: Afraid Angry Grieving Lonely Sad Stressed Worried Unsure or just numb.

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If you can't avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life. Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way.

If you don't voice your feelings, resentment will build and the stress will increase. Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you'll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.

Be more assertive. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. Find balance. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout.

Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime.

If you can't change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time. Look at the big picture.

Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere. Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress.

Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Practice gratitude. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life , including your own positive qualities and gifts.

This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective. Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can't prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession.

In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it's easier than railing against a situation you can't change. Don't try to control the uncontrollable.

Many things in life are beyond our control, particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Look for the upside. When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes. Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes.

Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on. Share your feelings. Expressing what you're going through can be very cathartic, even if there's nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.

Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. When you're stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is getting up and exercising. But physical activity is a huge stress reliever—and you don't have to be an athlete or spend hours in a gym to experience the benefits.

Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel good, and it can also serve as a valuable distraction from your daily worries. While you'll get the most benefit from regularly exercising for 30 minutes or more, it's okay to build up your fitness level gradually.

Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day. The first step is to get yourself up and moving. Here are some easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule:. While just about any form of physical activity can help burn away tension and stress, rhythmic activities are especially effective.

Good choices include walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, tai chi, and aerobics. But whatever you choose, make sure it's something you enjoy so you're more likely to stick with it. While you're exercising, make a conscious effort to pay attention to your body and the physical and sometimes emotional sensations you experience as you're moving.

Focus on coordinating your breathing with your movements, for example, or notice how the air or sunlight feels on your skin.

Adding this mindfulness element will help you break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that often accompanies overwhelming stress. There is nothing more calming than spending quality time with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood.

It's nature's natural stress reliever as an added bonus, it also helps stave off depression and anxiety. So make it a point to connect regularly—and in person—with family and friends.

Keep in mind that the people you talk to don't have to be able to fix your stress. They simply need to be good listeners. And try not to let worries about looking weak or being a burden keep you from opening up. The people who care about you will be flattered by your trust.

It will only strengthen your bond. Of course, it's not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you feel overwhelmed by stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you can improve your resiliency to life's stressors.

Don't get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you'll be in a better place to handle life's stressors. Set aside leisure time.

Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Do a relaxation exercise. The relaxation response — the opposite of the stress response — was defined by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson. It slows your breathing, reduces your heart rate, and lowers your stress hormones.

To elicit this state, Dr. Ramchandani recommends a basic breathing exercise, such as taking 10 very slow breaths in and out. Or try an imagery exercise: "Imagine being in your favorite vacation place, maybe the beach or in nature," Dr.

Ramchandani suggests. Hold this image for a few minutes and notice the relaxing effect. Stretch your muscles. Your muscles tense up under stress. Relieve that tension by stretching.

Repeat three times," Dr. Ramchandani says. Take a mindfulness break. Being mindful helps elicit the relaxation response by bringing you to the present moment; it can break a cycle of stressful thoughts. Ramchandani says, "Or it could be taking a mindful shower or a leisurely and mindful walk through nature.

Take a brisk walk. Getting minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, is important for all aspects of health, including stress management.

If arthritis or another condition make walking difficult, ask your doctor about other aerobic exercises you may be able to do. Use laughter. William Fry, and may provide a source of healing. It reduces stress hormones and becomes an expression of joy, optimism, and hope," Dr.

Reduce loud noise in your environment. Ramchandani notes. If loud noise is unavoidable — perhaps because it comes from neighbors, traffic, or someone in your home or office — try wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. Play soothing music. Unlike loud noise, pleasing music can help elicit the relaxation response.

Counter negative thoughts. Positive thoughts help boost positive emotions. Use positive self-talk. If you give yourself praise and support, it helps reduce stress.

When stress becomes overwhelming or chronic, it can affect your well-being. That's why it's essential to have effective stress relievers that can calm your mind and body.

Some effective stress management techniques include:. There isn't a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to stress relief, however. What works for one person might not work for another. And what works for you at home might not be an option when you're at work or in the community dancing around your living room might be helpful but dancing in the grocery store might not be.

So it's important to have a variety of stress relief tools at your disposal. Then, you'll be able to pick a strategy that works best for your current circumstances.

What strategies can relieve stress fast? A number of helpful techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, are fast-acting tools that you can do anywhere, anytime.

Whether you're about to be interviewed for a job or you're feeling overwhelmed by your child's behavior at the playground, it's important to have some stress reduction tools that can lower your stress right now.

Guided imagery is like taking a short vacation in your mind. It can involve imagining yourself being in your "happy place"—maybe picturing yourself sitting on a beach, listening to the waves, smelling the ocean, and feeling the warm sand underneath you.

Guided imagery can be done with a recording where you listen to someone walk you through a peaceful scene.

Or, once you know how to do it yourself, you can practice guided imagery on your own. Simply close your eyes for a minute and walk yourself through a peaceful scene. Think about all the sensory experiences you engage in and allow yourself to feel like you're really there.

After a few minutes, open your eyes and return to the present moment. Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management benefits. There are many different forms of meditation to try—each one is unique and brings its own appeal. You might develop a mantra that you repeat in your mind as you take slow deep breaths.

Or, you might take a few minutes to practice mindfulness, which involves being in the moment. Simply pay attention to what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. When you're focused on the here-and-now, you won't be able to ruminate about something that already happened and you can't worry about something in the future.

Meditation and mindfulness take practice, but it can make a big difference in your overall stress level as it brings you back to the present. Progressive muscle relaxation involves relaxing all the muscles in your body, group by group. To practice, you can start with a few deep breaths. Then, practice tightening and relaxing each muscle group, starting with your forehead and moving down to your toes.

With practice, you'll learn to recognize tension and tightness in your muscles and you'll be able to relax more easily. Each time you practice, however, you should experience a feeling of relaxation sweeping through your body.

Just focusing on your breath or changing the way you breathe can make a big difference to your overall stress level. Breathing techniques can calm your body and your brain in just a few minutes. The best news is that no one around you will know you're doing them.

So whether you're in a stressful meeting or you're sitting in a crowded theater, breathing exercises could be key to reducing your stress. While there are many different breathing exercises, like karate breathing , a few simple ones include:.

Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever that can work in minutes. Taking a walk allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and brings the benefits of exercise as well. So whether you just need to take a stroll around the office to get a break from a frustrating task or you decide to go for a long walk in the park after work, walking is a simple but effective way to rejuvenate your mind and body.

Physical touch can do a lot to relieve your stress. Hugging a loved one can be especially beneficial. When you hug someone, oxytocin also known as the "cuddle hormone" is released. Oxytocin is associated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress. Oxytocin also causes a reduction in blood pressure.

It reduces the stress hormone norepinephrine and can produce a sense of relaxation. So don't be afraid to ask a loved one for a hug if you need it. It's good for both of you and it can be one of the simplest forms of stress relief available.

Aromatherapy has real benefits for stress relief—it can help you to feel energized, more relaxed, or more present in the moment. Emerging research suggests certain scents can alter brain wave activity and decrease stress hormones in the body.

So whether you enjoy candles, diffusers, or body products, consider incorporating some aromatherapy into your day. If you aren't into drawing or painting, consider coloring in a coloring book. Adult coloring books have risen in popularity, and for good reason—coloring can be a great stress reliever.

Research consistently shows that coloring can have a meditative effect. One study found that anxiety levels decline in people who were coloring complex geometric patterns, making it a perfect outlet for stress reduction.

What can you do to calm mental stress over the long term? Certain habits can promote resilience to stress and increase overall wellness. For example, those who exercise or meditate regularly tend to become less stressed in the face of a difficult challenge.

So it's important to create a lifestyle that will help you ward off stress and deal with challenges in a healthy way. A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress.

Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress. Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar.

When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety. Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Foods like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance.

Some vitamins and supplements may have benefits for stress relief. What vitamins help with stress? A daily multivitamin may help address nutritional deficits and ensure you get the necessary vitamins and minerals to feel your best.

Other supplements that may help relieve stress include:. Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress. Yet, many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun. But building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best.

And when you feel better, you'll perform better, which means leisure time may make your work time more efficient. Whether you find joy in caring for a garden or you like making quilts, hobbies and leisure are key to living your best life.

The way you talk to yourself matters. Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and catastrophic predictions aren't helpful. If you're constantly thinking things like, "I don't have time for this," and "I can't stand this," you'll stress yourself out. It's important to learn to talk to yourself in a more realistic, compassionate manner.