Racing thoughts. Being on edge. Not feeling like yourself. If any of these phrases describe how you’ve been feeling lately, then you’re probably a bit overwhelmed. If you’re wondering how to destress yourself, then you’ve come to the right place.

Easing your mind might be easier said than done, but it’s not an impossible task. By using some healthy coping mechanisms, you can help get yourself into a better frame of mind.

Stress

Before we dig into some useful stress management activities, what exactly is stress?

Stress is generally tied to a life event. Examples include arguing with a loved one, moving across the country, or handling an important project at work. If you’re experiencing stress, then these stressors go away once they are no longer a part of your life – the conflict is resolved, you’re all moved in, or the project is wrapped up. Likewise, you can become stressed without a specific reason such as recent car trouble, a forecast for bad weather, or recently witnessing an accident. 

Acute and chronic stress

When it comes to easing your mind, it can be helpful to know what's going on inside your body.

During temporary bouts of stress, the nervous system sends signals to activate the fight-or-flight response. The adrenal glands flood the bloodstream with cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” causing an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.1 As the body braces itself, it also shuts down non-essential functions, suppressing hunger, at least in the short-term.2

If a person remains in a constant state of stress, then it becomes chronic. Their cortisol levels will remain elevated.3 Cortisol increases appetite, often leading to cravings for comfort foods high in sugar, fat, and starchy carbohydrates.

Over time, chronic stress can create a vicious cycle; high cortisol levels can cause a person to overeat, throwing their weight management goals off track, and making them feel guilty over a lack of self-control.

While there are certainly no magic remedies for stress, there are healthy ways you can manage it with activities for stress support, regardless of your gender or age. If you’re curious about how to relieve stress for a woman or a man, whether you’re 18 or 80, here are a few tips you can use to help mitigate stress:

1. Engage in regular exercise

We’ve all heard about the benefits of exercise, which include reducing your risk of disease and strengthening different systems within your body.

But perhaps two of the most popular reasons that people start exercising are for stress relief and weight loss – two benefits that are closely related, especially for those who have chronic stress.

As mentioned above, elevated cortisol levels can lead to cravings. This can cause a person to find comfort in stress eating.

The good news is if this sounds like you, then exercise can really help with easing your mind. The mental health benefits of exercise are well known – it relieves stress, improves memory, boosts mood, and much more. In addition, there’s also some evidence that suggests exercise can cause your body to crave healthy foods.

If you’re caught in a stress eating cycle, then check out Thorne’s Relora Plus, formulated to help reduce cravings and stress-related eating habits, all while supporting a balanced cortisol level.*

2. Practice mindfulness with meditation

The idea of sitting in silence and actively concentrating on your breathing may seem like a silly concept, but meditation is one of the most effective activities that can help with stress.

In fact, regularly practicing mediation can change your brain structure.4 Studies show that regular meditation can increase the size of the hippocampus, which controls learning and memory.4 Individuals who meditate for one hour each week say they are more joyful and content.

Meditation also may improve memory and concentration. It’s believed that meditation decreases activity in the part of the brain that handles mind-wandering, the default mode network (DMN).5 Ruminating or worrying about the past or the future are hallmark features of mind-wandering. MRI studies show that meditation can decrease DMN activity, “quiet” the wandering mind, and increase activity in the brain regions involved in cognitive and emotional control.5,6

For more on meditation, check out the Mayo Clinic’s guide on meditation, relaxation, and supplementation from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Listen to music

A jam session could be just the anti-stress strategy you need.

Several studies have found evidence of music’s positive effect on the human stress response. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics highlighted its potential within a health-care setting.

Researchers from the University of Alberta tested whether music helped manage stress in children undergoing an IV placement. All 42 subjects received standard care (techniques that staff typically use when a child gets an IV insertion such as topical anesthetics, words of encouragement, etc.). In addition to receiving standard care, the experimental group also listened to four music tracks.

Experts found that the children in the music group reported significantly less stress (once the researchers omitted the children who didn’t experience discomfort) compared to those who didn’t listen to music.7 Health-care providers also said they had an easier time administering IVs to the music group than the standard care-only group.7

4. Talk to someone

When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, sometimes you just need to talk it out.

Share your feelings with a close, trusted friend. If you’re the one on the listening side, then it can be tough to know how to help someone who is stressed. Just remember that although you might feel powerless, your presence and active listening are more helpful than you realize.

If the idea of opening up to someone you know makes you uncomfortable, then seek out a third party. Consider seeing a mental-health professional or reaching out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline.

Getting professional help is not a sign of weakness; rather it shows how much you prioritize your health and well-being. And you’re not alone in taking action: More and more U.S. adults are seeking mental health treatment.

According to a report from the CDC, overall mental health treatment among U.S. adults increased between 2019 and 2021, with the largest increase for those in the 18-44 age group; in 2021, 23.2 percent of U.S. adults received mental-health treatment, up from 18.5 percent in 2019.8

5. Consider a nutritional supplement

Feeling overwhelmed? Check out Thorne's line of stress management supplements. Start with the Stress Management Bundle, a trio of nutritional supplements designed to support a balanced response to stress and healthy adrenal gland function.*

Want more recommendations? Take our Stress Support Quiz to find the right supplement for you. 

Go deeper into your biomarkers with Thorne’s Stress Test kit, an at-home health testing kit that samples your saliva to measure your levels of the stress hormones DHEA and cortisol. Results include an individualized wellness plan.

References

  1. Why stress causes people to overeat. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeat. [Accessed January 27, 2023.]
  2. Chronic stress puts your health at risk. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037. [Accessed January 27, 2023.]
  3. Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342. [Accessed January 27, 2023.]
  4. Luders E, Toga A, Lepore N, Gaser C. The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter. Neuroimage 2009;45:672-678.
  5. Killingsworth MA, Gilbert DT. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science 2010;330(6006):932.
  6. Afonso RF, Kraft I, Aratanha MA, Kozasa EH. Neural correlates of meditation: a review of structural and functional MRI studies. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2020;12(1):92-115.
  7. Hartling L, Newton AS, Liang Y, et al. Music to reduce . . . stress in the pediatric emergency department: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr 2013;167(9):826-835. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.200
  8. Terlizzi EP, Schiller JS. Mental health treatment among adults aged 18-44: United States, 2019-2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db444.htm#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20U.S.%20adults,44%20(23.2%25)%20received%20treatment. [Accessed January 31, 2023.]