Reduce Stress Fast with 10 Simple Activities!  

It’s summer! Time to have fun and relax! 

Relax? What does that mean? How do I do that? When do I do that? 

I completely understand how you feel. I’m very busy and even when I do have the day off I am not great at relaxing. At the beach I can’t sit still and read for more than 10 minutes before I want to jump in the water and I actually like commercials cause they give me tiny chances to get up and do stuff. 

That being said, being anxious and overworking all the time is not good for you so I try to make time for simple activities that reduce stress fast. In fact, I would say that I engage in at least three of these anti-stress activities every single day. And the best part is they are all easy to access and don’t take long to work! 

Why Should You Do Things to Reduce Stress Fast? 

Sometimes, because I’m an anxious person, I like to make the excuse that stress is very motivating. I’m very productive because I have a lot to do and I don’t make excuses so I get it all done. People who aren’t stressed just aren’t trying hard enough. 

Well, that’s what I like to think but the truth is this. Stress doesn’t make you that much more productive. It just makes you faster and when you are faster you make mistakes, can’t think straight, and you will eventually burn out. 

Stress isn’t good for your mental or physical health. It can damage your relationships and it can even lead you to self destructive behaviors like addiction. 

After years of “productive stress” driving my “A type personality” I had chronic heartburn, poor sleep, mood swings, a short temper, and unwanted weight gain. When I finally crashed into a sea of anxiety and depression I couldn’t do anything for awhile and that definitely wasn’t productive. That’s when I decided to get serious about reducing stress with small accessible actions EVERY DAY. 

What Can You Do to Reduce Stress Fast? 

It is very likely that your story is just like mine. You probably like to get things done and like the “energy” stress gives you to do them. But you may also realize that too much stress isn’t getting you where you want to go in life.

Still, it may be hard to know what to do. What exactly can you fit into your life every day to reduce stress fast? Let’s find out! 

1: Reduce Stress Fast with Reading 

The first thing you can do to reduce stress fast is so simple it seems too good to be true. Did you know that reading for just 6 minutes a day can reduce stress by at least 60% and it is proven to be more effective than many other types of therapy? 

When I read that fact I decided it made sense. After all, I read before bed every night and sometimes I don’t last any longer than 6 minutes. Even on very stressful days I can konk out with a good book. 

I can’t think of a better way to reduce stress than to read a little bit. I mean, that’s just one of the benefits of reading. Reading also helps you look at things from new perspectives, feel more empathy for others, and understand new concepts. 

Next time you are feeling snappish, excuse yourself from the situation and read for just 6 minutes! Use the library app Libby to have a book on your phone at all times! 

2: Take a Walk to Reduce Stress Fast

What is another thing you can do anywhere, anytime to reduce stress fast? You can take a walk! Getting outside to walk in fresh air is the best but any walk can help you work through a problem, reduce your blood pressure, and increase your overall health. 

Taking a walk to reduce stress can prove an instant mood booster, help you to sleep better, and increase your creative thinking.

In fact, moving your body in any way you enjoy can produce endorphins which make you happy instead of stressed so dance, run, hike, swim, do whatever you love to do but start moving!

3: Get Some Fresh Air

Speaking of walking, you may have heard of forest bathing. Made famous by the Japanese, forest bathing focuses on taking time to slowly walk around in a forest, absorbing the fresh air and feeling the calming power of nature. 

Whether you are walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, or just sitting on the porch, take time to get outside and enjoy nature more. Nurture that sense of wonder inspired by the beautiful creation around you. It will reduce stress every time. 

4: Enjoy a Creative Hobby

As an anxious person I have struggled with nightmares for a long time. I’m talking about nightmares I would wake up from with my heart pumping and tears in my eyes, nightmares that made me not want to sleep at all. But what has helped me the most is something that may surprise you. 

Being creative. If I engage in one of my creative hobbies during the day I almost never have nightmares at night. When I use all my creative problem solving brain power during the day it can’t torture me at night. 

I personally enjoy writing, sewing, playing violin, and making jewelry the most. What do you like to do? It may seem selfish to make time in your busy schedule for creativity but is it selfish if your creativity helps you reduce stress fast? Isn’t it really self-care? 

5: Meditate on Uplifting Information

Another thing I have noticed helps me reduce stress fast is meditating on uplifting information. I am part of a very supportive religious group with a positive message about the future so I’m lucky to hear good news all the time. It brings me a lot of peace.

Even if you aren’t religious you can find positive things to meditate on. Look for encouraging social media, read books with happy messages, watch funny shows, and surround yourself with positive people. 

When you spend too much time watching the news, listening to true crime podcasts, or reading obsessively about your medical conditions you are bound to be stressed out! I know that when the last thing I watch at night is scary I am setting myself up for nightmares. Pay attention to what your eyes and ears consume and look for something good if you want to reduce stress fast! 

6: Chat with a Friend 

Sometimes I feel super stressed just because I feel rushed. I feel like my schedule is full of work and errands and things I don’t really want to do. That’s when a lunch date with a friend can help me reduce stress fast! 

Chatting with your friends, or spouse, or even your parents can help you reduce stress fast because it relieves the anxiety boiling up inside you. Sometimes when you put your worries into words spoken aloud you can hear how silly they are. At other times your friends may be able to problem solve with you. 

Whether you find a solution or not, whether you express your stress or you just chit-chat, taking time for a lunch date with a friend can help you feel connected to others and supported. Making time for something special like that can make you feel less rushed and stressed about your life!

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7: Eat Less Junk 

Another way to reduce stress fast is, believe or not, to eat less junk. Especially sugar. That’s right! I recently read the Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspe and it changed my life! After seeing her hacks on her Instagram @glucosegoddess I started to change the way I eat. Yes, the way I eat. Not so much what I eat.

Why did I change my eating habits? Of course I always want to lose weight but most of all I did it because I wanted to stabilize my moods. I wanted to be calmer and less snappish with my mother (who I live with). I wanted to have more energy and feel like my hormones weren’t ruling my life. And it seemed easy enough to not eat sugar by itself but only as a small dessert after a good meal full of veggies and proteins. 

Did it work? Absolutely! I never realized before how the little sugar treats in the middle of the day sent me on a glucose roller coaster resulting in big spikes and huge crashes that left me grouchy, stressed, and so exhausted I sometimes felt like I could do nothing but nap all afternoon. 

I can truly say that eating with my glucose in mind has made me a calmer, nicer, and more energetic person so if you are looking for a way to reduce stress fast, you have to check out the Glucose Revolution! 

8: Enjoy Small Luxuries 

The amazing change in mood I have experienced due to changing my eating habits doesn’t mean stressful things don’t happen to me anymore. So what do I do to reduce stress fast when life wants to send me into a spiral? 

Well, I take little moments to enjoy small luxuries, things that make me happy. What kinds of things? Drinking a cup of tea never fails and neither does reading as I mentioned before. If I have a little window of time in the middle of the day I might indulge in the guilty pleasure of watching some TV instead of being productive or I might get in the hot tub. 

What if you don’t have any time? Well, first of all, you should always try to make time for these small things but also you can squeeze them into your self-care morning routine. It’s called multitasking. Don’t just put your make-up on or cook dinner or fold laundry, do it to some happy music. Dance in the shower! Put a little skip in your step just for the whimsy. Listen to an audiobook while you clean. Stop rushing around and play with your dog. All these little moments add up to reduce stress fast! 

9: Take a Break From Your Screen

There is something we all do to reduce stress fast that is actually counterproductive. What is that? Doom Scrolling…you know, I know. It’s when you sit down for a minute and end up wasting thirty minutes or more scrolling social media, playing online games, watching reels, or shopping online. 

Screen time is bad for your mental health though. Not only does it reduce your attention span and keep you on your butt more than you should be. It can also lead to a feeling that you have no true friends or feelings of jealousy because everyone else’s lives and bodies and homes and clothes are better than yours. It’s the perfect mechanism for our consumer society to drive us to buy more while we continue to feel less and less fulfilled.

I’m sure you have also noticed screen time creeping into real life socializing. Isn’t it annoying when someone is looking at their phone at dinner? Isn’t it awful when they start a sentence but get distracted by their phone or you end up waiting for them to Google a random fact? What if that person is you? Are you getting less out of real life interactions because of your screen? Probably. 

Finally, screen time can really affect your sleep. Scrolling endlessly may keep you up for hours and researching every symptom might stress you out in the middle of the night but the light from your phone can also mess up your circadian rhythm. 

If you want to reduce stress fast reduce your screen time and start living in the real world! 

10: Take a Nap! 

The last thing you might consider to reduce stress fast is taking a nap. Yes, you can take a nap even though you are all grown up. I’ve been a napper all my life. I don’t nap every day but if I get a chance I will. 

The benefits of taking a power nap in the middle of the day include better work performance as well as better judgement, memory, and reaction times. You will also find that a nap often helps you feel less stress because things feel easier when you aren’t sleep deprived. Sometimes I want to push through to get things done but then I keep making mistakes and procrastinating. When I take a quick nap I wake up feeling ready to do all sorts of things because I’m able to think more clearly. 

If you want to reduce stress fast, try taking a nap. Just make sure you don’t sleep for more than 30 minutes!

You Can Reduce Stress Fast!

I hope this article helped you find simple action steps you can take to reduce stress fast every day. I’m not a doctor of any kind, just a person who has dealt with anxiety and stress for my whole life. My advice is not medical advice but rather practical every common sense. If you have severe stress you should still seek medical help and/or therapy. 

What are your favorite little tricks to reduce stress fast? How do you protect your happy simple life from the chaos of the world? Share in the comments below!