I have a friend who is never stressed. Even when the world is swirling in chaos and screaming directly at her, she is calm and centered.
Her friend, me, usually feels wound up tight. When the world is swirling in chaos and screaming directly at me, I scream back and start throwing eggs.
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For the price of her favorite smoothie and a walk around the neighborhood, I grilled her for 30 minutes about why she is never stressed and looked for every sign that she could be lying.
Maybe she was born with it?
Why She is Never Stressed
“Is it the yoga?” I wondered.
“No, it’s not the yoga,” she said. She credits her chill demeanor to having daily habits that function to calm her down, center her, and keep her relaxed.
I suddenly felt as though I was in the presence of Stress Yoda.
There is a strange group of people that have mastered the art of zen no matter what life hands them. Because of my personality – I thrive on being worried and do my best work under a deadline – I may not be able to join the never stressed, but could find my way to sometimes relaxed.
I think most of us know the healthiest and least stressed among us prioritize sleep, eating right, and exercise. But, it was my friend’s comment about creating daily habits – whose main function is to keep you calm, centered, and relaxed – that makes me believe that if I tweak a few of my habits, I can feel a little more stress-free and clear-headed each day.
Six Habits To Help You Become More Relaxed
Many Google searches and interviews later, I narrowed it down to six things we could all do to keep our stress levels in check. Having a goal of being stress-free is unrealistic because you’re human and things happen. But you can drastically lessen the amount of stress you regularly experience.
Each of these six habits is possible for all of us, but you don’t have to do all them to feel relief.
The six habits that can take you from stressed out to a little more chill:
- They practice deep breathing: When we are caught up in a tense situation, we hold our breath or breathing shallow, quick breaths. Taking deep breaths in and out can calm your body’s natural stress response that causes tension.
- They are mindful: Mindfulness doesn’t always mean meditation. It often means slowing down to be present in the space around you and to calm your racing thoughts. The intention is to begin to focus on what is happening in that very moment to and around you.
- They have a good laugh: I am a firm believer in laughter being the best medicine for stress. Laughter releases endorphins, stimulates your heart and lungs, and improves circulation. Bonus – when you are laughing, that usually means you are having a good time or enjoying something.
- They spend time with friends: When the going gets tough, usually the first thing to go is our social life and time spent with supportive friends. You need that connection and interaction to decrease your stress response. The next time you are stressed out and your bestie asks you to grab coffee: GO.
- They get outside: Even a short walk in nature can reduce your stress and increase your wellbeing.
- They disconnect from work: Like literally detach themselves from their job. No email, no phone calls, no texts – there is a hard boundary between work and play time. They know that whatever needs to be done, will still need their attention tomorrow.
