Life can be very stressful at times, maybe for you, all of the time. But there is hope. There are natural ways to reduce stress in your life. Actionable strategies and tactics exist that can help you. Help you as they have helped me get through some very stressful situations in my life.
They don’t require a tremendous amount of effort on your part. Just some focus and a deep desire to want to reduce stress in your life. This seems obvious but I’m certainly guilty of saying that I wanted to reduce stress in my life but never really following through with anything of substance.
And, if there is one thing that I’ve learned during my time on this earth is that we naturally tend to make matters worse for ourselves. What I mean by this is, while our lives can be stressful, we don’t, often enough, just stop for a few quick moments in the run of our day to breathe. We simply keep moving through life very quickly, or at least I did.
I used to be that person. I used to be stressed all of the time. But then after doing some self discovery and working on personal growth since 2017, I realized that there are natural ways to reduce stress. There are things that you can do in the run of your day that will allow you to breathe. To bring calmness into your life.
That will allow you to hit the reset button on a daily basis. And nothing that I am going to talk about or recommend is revolutionary by any means. They are just actionable strategies and tactics that have helped me on my personal growth journey.
7 Actionable and Natural Ways to Reduce Stress
Keep in mind that these are ways that I have personally implemented to reduce stress in my life that have worked.
Practice Meditation
If you have never tried to meditate, you’re not alone. I was the same way. In 2017, a lot of people that I was in contact with online and in person were meditating on a regular basis. And most of them seemed to be very calm. They seemed very sure of who they were and did not seem phased by a whole lot.
This intrigued me. I wanted to feel that way. I wanted to stop stressing about money, my relationship with my wife, my relationship with my kids, bills, my job at the time and on and on and on. I just wanted all of it to calm down. I wanted my life to calm down.
And since I had never tried meditating, I thought why not. So I searched Google for Meditation for Beginners and I came across Jason Stephensen and the rest is history.
Meditation allows me to relax. It allows me to not stress about the things that I can’t control.
I only meditate at night before I go to sleep. While meditation can be done at any point during a day, I prefer the nighttime. Meditation, for me, has been one of the most effective and natural ways to reduce stress.
Have a More Restful Sleep
Getting an adequate amount of sleep is challenging especially if you’re stressed. But I cannot stress enough how important it is to get, not only an adequate amount of sleep but to ensure that you have a restful sleep. There is a difference.
Just because you are lying in bed for 7-8 hours doesn’t always mean that you are having a restful sleep. Based on my experience, the quality of sleep matters more than length. Recognizing this, I searched for ways to have a more restful sleep. Melatonin spray and CBD have helped me have a better quality of sleep. And having a better quality of sleep has helped reduce the stress in my life.
Nurture Yourself
As someone that would do anything for their wife, kids, family and friends, I found it very difficult to focus on just myself. Before I started my personal growth journey, It inherently felt selfish to focus on just me.
Fast forward to today and I now know the importance of doing at least one thing a day that makes me happy. Whether it’s reading, watching YouTube, or watching a movie on Netflix, taking time out of my day to do something that truly makes me happy helps me reduce stress.
From this day on, challenge yourself to do one thing for yourself everyday. Just yourself. Think of something that you like doing that makes you happy. Maybe that might be going for a short walk, maybe it’s napping, or listening to your favorite music in peace without distractions. Treating yourself to the things that you enjoy is one of the natural ways to reduce stress that will make you happy.
Strengthen Your Social Networks
In some cases, it can feel like your family and friends don’t understand how you’re feeling. If this is the case for you, this can add to your stress. Feeling alone with no support system is an awful feeling. And I know this feeling all too well.
Prior to 2017, because I didn’t deal with a lot of trauma in my life, I started to push my wife and kids away. It got to a point where I had alienated them so much that they almost gave up on me. Feeling like I didn’t have their support felt like I was alone on a stranded island. Feeling like that only skyrocketed my stress levels.
I needed to connect with others that were finding life just as challenging as I was. I was craving positivity. So much so that I started my own positivity Facebook group that has actually grown to almost 200,000 members. You can search social media for groups that have like minded people that share the same thoughts and ideas as you.
You can also connect with others through video chatting, texting, joining a virtual book club or by taking part in a watch party. Surrounding yourself with like minded people can help you feel less isolated and can lower your stress levels.
Resolve Stressful Situations
I used to bottle up a lot of emotions and I can tell you from experience it isn’t healthy. Not dealing with stressful situations in your life could be causing you more stress. By choosing to avoid and not resolving these issues now, you are only compounding your stress.
I personally use the Eat That Frog approach. Eat That Frog is a book by Brian Tracy where he reveals 21 ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. Outside of the 21 ways that he discloses, I apply this principle to anything that I don’t want to deal with. I feel that if I just get it over with, I can move on and free up my mind for more positive and productive things.
Even though I understand that it can be difficult to resolve stressful situations in the moment, it pays off in the long run. And that’s why this is one of the top natural ways to reduce stress that I actively implement in my daily life and recommend to others like yourself.
Sharpen Your Time Management Skills
To say that I used to be very scatterbrained was an understatement. My time management skills were very lackluster. Operating this way for days, weeks, months and years on end only added stress in my life. If you feel that you are being pulled in several directions throughout your day, this is most likely adding stress to your life.
In order to organize my day effectively, I use a free online calendar from Keep & Share. I schedule my day in one hour intervals. This adds more structure to my day therefore reduces the stress in my life. I stick to it as best as I can. Using this calendar could help you add structure to your day if you feel that you could benefit from some organization.
Ask For Help
If you feel that your stress levels are too much to bear or if you feel that using natural ways to reduce stress in your life won’t be effective, you always have the option to ask for help. I used to see a counselor to deal with my stress. So, I know it can be difficult to ask for help but it’s worth it once you do find help.
Health Sapiens is a Telehealth Service that you can try if you feel that you need to talk to someone. You can also talk to your spouse, family, or friends. If your stress or anxiety persist, I encourage you to schedule an appointment with your doctor or a mental health professional.
Summary
As you can see there are a number of natural ways to reduce stress. The ones that I have listed for you are ones that I have personally implemented and used with great success. I know that you have it in you to live as close to stress free as you can.
Consider trying one or all of the recommendations that I made for you. I’m confident that with a little shift in focus and an openness to try new things, you will reduce the stress in your life.