Individuals worldwide are no strangers to stress, yet we would all be much better off – both mentally and physically – if we could get a better handle on it. When stress is experienced over a long period of time without being controlled it is considered chronic, and can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, mental conditions, digestive issues, obesity and even cancer.

If you want to get your stress levels under control without using medication, here are a handful of natural stress relief strategies to consider.

Keep Moving

Exercise is a proven form of natural stress relief that helps to improve all processes in the body and mind. Considered the body’s built-in painkiller and mood-lifter, exercise releases powerful endorphin chemicals in the brain, helping to ease anxiety.

Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods

A healthy body supports a healthy mind. And much like the benefits of exercise, sound nutrition is one of the most effective natural stress remedies available to us. Taking in a steady supply of essential vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, amino acids, electrolytes and antioxidants will equip your brain to handle stress better when it hits. Stress can also deplete certain nutrients, including vitamin A, C, E and B complex vitamins, so it is important to keep replenishing them for natural stress relief.

Get Some Fresh Air

Spending time outdoors in a scenic natural setting, even for just a few minutes, is linked to improved wellbeing – lifting your mood, reducing stress and benefitting sleep. Try “forest bathing” as a form of natural stress relief; immersing yourself in naturally beautiful and health-boosting forest surroundings has been shown to provide various health benefits, including decreased stress hormone levels.

Write it Down

If you are exploring natural stress remedies, you could try writing down your thoughts and feelings. Keeping a stress journal can help you identify stressors, how you they made you feel, how you responded and what you did to make yourself feel better. All of which can contribute to you managing your stress better overall.

Practice Meditation

Meditation is touted as one of the most helpful practices for those seeking natural stress relief. Regularly following guided meditations has been shown to lower the body’s responses to stress, improve mental alertness and help individuals overcome mental and physical issues such as anxiety, depression, poor eating habits and disrupted sleep.

Take a Deep Breath

Controlling the breath is another leading form of natural stress relief. Systematic deep breathing is an effective way to reduce the activation of the sympathetic nervous system – responsible for the body’s fight or flight responses – and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” responses. If you want to explore natural stress remedies, try breathing in slowly and deeply for a count of five, holding the breath for two, and exhaling slowly and fully for a count of five or more.

See a CBT Therapist

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is renowned as one of the most effective therapies for lowering anxiety, stress and other mental disorders. It is useful for training us to avoid internal sources of stress, such as pessimism, jumping to conclusions, and having “all-or-nothing” thinking. This type of treatment can also serve as a form of natural stress relief by helping individuals to react better in situations they find stressful.

Sniff Essential Oils

Certain adaptogenic herbs and essential oils are considered natural stress remedies because they have been shown to lower anxiety by reducing the effects of stress and cortisol on the body. Adaptogens such as ginseng, maca and ashwagandha can help make stress more manageable by regulating hormones and physiological functions. Essential oils such as lavender, bergamot and myrrh are often used to provide natural stress relief, as they can improve immunity, reduce inflammation and balance hormones, aiding with stress, sleep and digestion.

Connect

Meaningful connections are tied to longevity, helping individuals to feel supported and create a sense of belonging. Seeking out social connectedness can help us cope with stress better and simultaneously boost resilience. Sharing laughter with others – or even laughing at a funny video – is another powerful antidote to stress.

Manage Your Commitments

It’s easy to feel anxious if you have too many commitments, whether those are personal or work-related. Effective time management or having a game plan of action steps for pending commitments can help turn stressful anticipation into productive action, helping to keep your stress at bay.

Prioritize Sleep

Quality sleep is one of the most underutilized forms of natural stress relief. We are more prone to irritability, mental cloudiness and stress when under slept. Research suggests that following a similar sleep routine each night as well as getting enough quality sleep can help us to manage stress far better.

Try Progressive Relaxation

This method of natural stress relief involves tensing or squeezing one part of the body at a time, holding it, then releasing it. Moving through the body and systematically tensing and relaxing in this way helps to calm the body and mind. This is a great strategy to help you fall asleep too.

Anxiety or stress that is chronic or interferes with your ability to function day to day warrants treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider if stress is becoming too overwhelming to manage alone.