How to Destress after a Tough Work Day
It’s been a long, exhausting day at work.
Your client kept calling you, your boss kept demanding your report, and you also had a few meetings online and offline. All this happened in just one day.
We hear you.
All you want to do right now is go back home and sit down on your cosy couch.
The good news is that there are many other activities that you can do to eliminate your stress right away.
Here are some ideas for you to recover from stress and restore your positive energy levels:
Get Laughing
One of the most simple and easiest activities to reduce your stress hormones is to expose yourself to humour and laugh. A lot of studies show the health benefits of humour on stress management and mental health (Barbara, 2024).
When we laugh, it affects our physical body. From the electrical activity in the brain, to the facial muscles that make you smile and laugh, to the diaphragm that forces the lungs to inhale and exhale, laughter inspires a tremendous chain of bodily activity (King, 2019, p. 172).
Moreover, the James-Lange theory of emotion states that our brain interprets our physical reaction as an emotion. If our body is smiling, laughing or clapping, it interprets our emotion as being happy (Charlotte, 2023).
As such, find some humour and laugh. It will relieve your tension and make you feel happier immediately.
Do Physical Activity
Physical activity is the absolute best way to quickly and effectively reduce stress (King, 2019, p. 193).
When you feel stressed, it’s a sign that your brain is pumping out stress hormones which will trigger adrenaline. When adrenaline surges through your body, it increases your blood sugar and heart rate.
This indicates that your physical body is ready for action. So, give it some action.
Any physical activity, such as walking, jogging, running, working out at the gym, or even dancing, can help reduce your body’s stress hormones and produce endorphins, which can relax your body and improve your mood (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).
Distract Your Brain
Stress can cause us to overthink and worry a lot. When we start worrying, those thoughts can consume us in a negative way.
To overcome this, our brain simply needs a distraction. We need to find a way to redirect our thoughts by changing the subjects to something positive (King, 2019, p. 45).
So, distract your thoughts with anything you feel like doing at that moment.
For instance, during your daily commute, you can listen to your favourite music or podcast, play games on your mobile phone, or even better, watch comedy shows to make you feel better.
These activities will make your brain cells active and it can help you to avoid excessive worrying.
Activate Creative Cells
Creative activities will help you feel better and reduce your anxiety (Alexa, n.d.).
It allows you to express yourself, focus on the present moment, and increase brain connectivity.
For instance, painting and drawing can stimulate your hand-eye coordination which triggers the right side of your brain and helps to improve your motor skills.
To be creative, you do not need to be skilled at anything. You can simply colour, doodle, or write about your day. These simple activities can help you decrease cortisol levels and feel more at ease (Juliette, 2024).
Just Breathe
If you feel so overwhelmed with stress, just remember to breathe.
Take a series of deep focused breaths, in and out, which will get your body to be calmer.
In fact, when we purposely slow down our breathing, it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to calm us down. Deep breathing is universally recognised as an excellent calming tool and is a major part of meditation practices (King, 2019, p. 193).
Overall, we can always do something to overcome stress, either physically or mentally.
Start with simple things like laughing, walking or simply just breathing mindfully.
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References
Burton, J. (2024). The Art of Destressing: How Creativity Creates Less Stress. MQ Mental Health Research.
https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/the-art-of-destressing-how-creativity-creates-less-stress/
Ferrante, A. (n.d.). 7 Ways Creativity Boosts Your Mental and Physical Health. Memorial Care. Accessed 21 May 2024.
https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/7-ways-creativity-boosts-your-mental-and-physical-health
Field, B. (2024). The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter. Verywell Mind. Accessed 21 May 2024. https://www.verywellmind.com/health-benefits-of-humor-and-laughter-5101137
Harvard Health Publishing (2020). How does exercise reduce stress? Surprising answers to this question and more. Harvard Medical School. Accessed 21 May 2024.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax
King, Dr. B. (2019). The Art of Taking it Easy: How to Cope with Bears, Traffic and the Rest of Life’s Stresses. Apollo Publishers.
Nickerson, C. (2023). James-Lange Theory of Emotion: Definition and Examples. Simply Psychology. Accessed 21 May 2024.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-the-james-lange-theory-of-emotion.html