By Sanumriaz 
As the world is becoming more digitalized and fast paced, mental health is getting disturbed due to continuous stress provoking situations. Most of the time person is juggling from work demands; he has personal responsibilities and maintains interpersonal relationship.
Read this article and discover some simple technique for everyday stress and bring calm back into your routine life.
It is normal for a person to have stress due to work load, financial and emotional responsibilities. Managing stress doesn’t mean that you left everything and go to hills to find peace of mind. It doesn’t mean that you go for meditation for hours. There are some quick mindfulness tips for busy people that work in real life.
Live in the Present Moment
Most of the time people live in the past. They keep on regretting what they had done in the past. They do not live in the present. They keep on thinking about the past failure or success. They forget what is doing around them at present moment
There are many worries in mind of a person about the future as well. The future worries over shadows the present. You must live in the present without getting worried about future.
At times you wonder how to reduce stress without medication? The best answer to this question is to stay in the present moment. It will provide you with the best and powerful start without medication.
You need to be in the present moment. Past and future only creates chaos in the mind and makes you to neglect present. When you start to focus on present it brings natural calm to your mind.
You don’t need to be judgmental about your feelings and thoughts. Let them pas smoothly without judging them
Mindful Breathing /Box Breathing
Whenever you encounter a stress provoking situation you can go for box breathing. This simple technique for everyday stress consists on following elements.
- Inhale and count to 4
- Hold your breath and count to 4
- Exhale and count to 4
- Pause and count to 4
These simple and quick breathing exercises to calm your mind are effective in reducing stress. There highly effective breathing exercises will also help your body to relax in tense situation. It slows down your rate which makes you more centred.
The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
In a situation where you fell mentally scattered you can bring back your attention by engaging yourself in grounding technique. This simple stress reducing technique consists on the following steps.
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
When you concentrate on your senses and use all of them to divert your scattered thoughts it will naturally bring clam to your mind. These grounding exercises to reduce anxiety and stress will improve your focus.
You can bring your mind to present from scattered and racing thoughts. You will be in better position to handle the situation and in turn to reduce stress.
Walking
It is not necessary that in all stress reducing techniques you need to be still. You can go for walking as well. You can make it your habit to bring calm to your nerves.
When you go for walk focus on your surroundings, feel the air, sounds and smells around you. Focus you mind on your feet when they touch the ground, rhythm of your arms and how they are making a little sound while moving with you will naturally divert your attention towards positivity.
When you will go for mindful walking this simple technique for everyday stress will provide you with emotional balance. It will promote your presence in the moment and improve your emotional state. Even a short walk for instance 5-10 minutes can reduce stress.
Body Scan Meditation
Have you ever noticed that your body also reacts in the stress?
The way body responds to stress is quicker than you consciously perceive the situation is stressful?
It means that stress is shown up in the body before we consciously realize that the situation is stressful. In such scenarios body scan can be helpful. This simple technique for everyday stress can help you naturally to reduce tension.
You need to sit or lie to somewhere quiet and peaceful. Now close your eyes and bring your focus to your toes. Use all your might and focus on toes. Now slowly shift your focus and start scanning your whole body i.e toes, feet, hips, torso, shoulders, neck and head.
While moving and scanning through each area notice your sensations. When you find tension in any area just breathe in and out and let the tension release from that part and then continue your body scan.
This body scan meditation is easy mindfulness practice for beginners to bring peace to mind and reduce stress. You can practice this simple stress reducing technique daily before bed to relax your body.
The STOP Technique
One of the most effective and simple techniques for everyday stress is the “STOP technique”. When you feel very high emotionally and find yourself in stress this calming technique can bring back your peace of mind.
You don’t need to do much in this calming technique for daily stress. Just follow the following rule.
- S – stop what you are doing
- T – Take a breath
- O – Observe what you are feeling
- P – proceed with intention
This powerful yet simple technique for everyday stress can help you stress provoking situations and make you more present in the moment.
Mini Mindfulness Moments
There are some small and simple techniques for everyday stress which you can be incorporated into daily routine.
These routine doesn’t require you to properly do session of meditation. You can easily weave your stress away by practising them daily:
- When you brush your teeth focus your senses on texture, motion and taste rather than letting your thoughts to go wild.
- In the same manner when you brush your hairs focus on your hairs, feel them on your hands and don’t let thoughts to carry you with them.
- When you are making tea or coffee, observe the aroma and warmth of the cup. Don’t let the steam rising form cup to take you in memories.
- While you do washing of dishes try to focus on dishes, feel the Water as it moves on your hands and its sounds. It will make your mind calmer and more focused.
These small stress reduction activities you can do daily to relax your mind and manage stress in better way.
These simple techniques for everyday stress are not about escaping from stress but actually these methods change your perception about it. They actually make you aware and mentally present in reactive situations.
Try starting with just one of these technique today and discover that how they help you to have a calmer and focused person.
FAQ's
What are simple techniques for everyday stress relief?
Simple techniques for everyday stress are as follows
- Mindful breathing
- Living in present moment
- Grounding exercises
- Body scan medication
- Mindful walking
How can mindfulness help reduce daily stress?
It encourages you to focus on present moment and don’t let you to dwell into past or future. When you don’t regret about past and not worried about future it brings peace to your mind and reduces daily stress.
Can I manage stress without medication?
Yes, many people find relief using natural stress management techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, physical activity like walking, and sensory grounding methods. These approaches are especially helpful for managing mild to moderate stress levels without medication.
How long do simple stress relief techniques take to work?
It depends on your consistency, practice and will power. When you use these simple stress reducing techniques in daily routine life you will see the change. Some techniques takes 5-10 minutes to provide relief in stress provoking situations.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique and how does it work?
The 5-4-3-2-1 technique helps you manage anxiety and stress. It brings your attention to five senses. When you identify 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste. Then this sensory focus will help you to ground your thoughts in the present moment.
Can walking be a mindfulness practice for stress relief?
Absolutely. Mindful walking is a powerful way to reduce stress. By paying attention to your breath, steps, and surroundings when you are walking, you can shift your focus away from stressful thoughts and promote calmness and emotional balance.
Are these simple techniques suitable for beginners?
Yes, these simple techniques for stress are for beginners as well. They beginner friendly and you don’t need experience with meditation or mindfulness. You can easily nclude them into your daily routine.
References
- Harvard Health: Six Relaxation Techniques [https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response?utm_source]
- NIH: Mindfulness for Your Health [
- Mayo Clinic: Meditation and Stress Relief [https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858?utm_source]
- Time: How to Be Mindful Without Meditating
- New York Post: Micro-Practices for a Calmer Life
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