When danger subsides, your body goes back to normal operations. If you get stressed out frequently, however, the stress response can become constant and cause ongoing harm, including chronic inflammation — the persistent activation of the immune system, which sharply raises the risks for many diseases such as dementia, heart disease, and stroke.

The best way to cope with stress is by getting at least seven hours of sleep per day, eating a predominantly plant-based diet, exercising regularly, meditating, and staying socially connected. Shalu Ramchandani, an integrative medicine specialist at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Try any of these tips for on-the-spot relief. Do a relaxation exercise. The relaxation response — the opposite of the stress response — was defined by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson.

It slows your breathing, reduces your heart rate, and lowers your stress hormones. To elicit this state, Dr. Ramchandani recommends a basic breathing exercise, such as taking 10 very slow breaths in and out.

Or try an imagery exercise: "Imagine being in your favorite vacation place, maybe the beach or in nature," Dr. Ramchandani suggests. Hold this image for a few minutes and notice the relaxing effect. Stretch your muscles. Your muscles tense up under stress.

Relieve that tension by stretching. Repeat three times," Dr. Ramchandani says. Take a mindfulness break. Being mindful helps elicit the relaxation response by bringing you to the present moment; it can break a cycle of stressful thoughts.

Ramchandani says, "Or it could be taking a mindful shower or a leisurely and mindful walk through nature. Take a brisk walk. Getting minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, is important for all aspects of health, including stress management.

If arthritis or another condition make walking difficult, ask your doctor about other aerobic exercises you may be able to do. Use laughter. William Fry, and may provide a source of healing. It reduces stress hormones and becomes an expression of joy, optimism, and hope," Dr. Reduce loud noise in your environment.

Ramchandani notes. If loud noise is unavoidable — perhaps because it comes from neighbors, traffic, or someone in your home or office — try wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.

Play soothing music. Unlike loud noise, pleasing music can help elicit the relaxation response. Counter negative thoughts. Positive thoughts help boost positive emotions.

Use positive self-talk. If you give yourself praise and support, it helps reduce stress. Words to use: "You can do this. Reach out for help. Relieving a burden — either physical or mental — will help reduce stress.

Heidi Godman , Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

While some stress is inevitable, when your body repeatedly encounters a set of physiological changes dubbed the stress response, trouble can brew. Stress may contribute to or exacerbate various health problems. This Special Health Report, Stress Management: Enhance your well-being by reducing stress and building resilience , can help you identify your stress warning signs and learn how to better manage stressful situations.

Certain habits can promote resilience to stress and increase overall wellness. For example, those who exercise or meditate regularly tend to become less stressed in the face of a difficult challenge.

So it's important to create a lifestyle that will help you ward off stress and deal with challenges in a healthy way. A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress. Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress.

Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety. Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Foods like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance.

Some vitamins and supplements may have benefits for stress relief. What vitamins help with stress? A daily multivitamin may help address nutritional deficits and ensure you get the necessary vitamins and minerals to feel your best.

Other supplements that may help relieve stress include:. Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress. Yet, many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun. But building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best.

And when you feel better, you'll perform better, which means leisure time may make your work time more efficient. Whether you find joy in caring for a garden or you like making quilts, hobbies and leisure are key to living your best life.

The way you talk to yourself matters. Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and catastrophic predictions aren't helpful. If you're constantly thinking things like, "I don't have time for this," and "I can't stand this," you'll stress yourself out.

It's important to learn to talk to yourself in a more realistic, compassionate manner. When you call yourself names or doubt your ability to succeed, reply with a kinder inner dialogue. Positive self-talk can help you develop a healthier outlook.

And an optimistic and compassionate conversation can help you manage your emotions and take positive action. Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief. And while you're likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session, you're likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a consistent way.

Yoga offers a variety of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. To get started, you might take a class, enroll in an online program, or use an app to help you begin practicing. Gratitude helps you recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether you're grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about all the good things you have in life.

Gratitude also reminds you of all of the resources you have to cope with stress, which can be quite empowering. Studies also show grateful people enjoy better mental health, lower stress, and a better quality of life. So whether you decide to make it a habit to identify what you're grateful for as you sit around the dinner table or you decide to write down three things you're grateful for in a gratitude journal every day, make gratitude a regular habit.

Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health. And the best news is, there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your stress. Join a gym, take a class, or exercise outside.

Keep in mind that there are many different ways to get more physical activity in your day too. Walking, strength training, kayaking, hiking, and spin class are just a few different examples of ways you can get stress relief.

Most stress relievers focus on changing your emotions. But sometimes, you won't necessarily get relief until you change the environment. This is referred to as problem-focused coping as opposed to emotion-focused coping.

Problem-focused coping involves taking steps to remove the stressor from your life as opposed to changing how you feel about the stressor. If you're trying to squeeze 20 hours worth of work into 16 hours, you're going to feel stressed.

Reducing your workload could be key to helping you get through the day feeling better. Whether that means stepping away from a committee you joined or it involves hiring someone to complete some of your household chores for you,.

Honing your time management skills can allow you to minimize the stressors that you experience, and better manage the ones you can't avoid. When you are able to complete everything on your "to do" list without the stress of rushing or forgetting, your whole life feels easier.

Having supportive people in your life is the key to stress management. If you lack emotional support and friendship, it's important to get it. That may mean reaching out to your existing network.

Perhaps confiding in a family member or distant friend can help you become closer and it may give you the social support you need.

You may also need to expand your network. Join an organization, attend a support group, or get professional help if you lack supportive people in your life. Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life. Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more peace.

Watching the news, being constantly connected to your digital devices, drinking alcohol, and consuming too much caffeine are just a few of the things that may add more stress to your life. Making some changes to your daily habits could be instrumental in helping you feel better. Finding the best stress relief strategies may take some experimenting.

Some strategies may take practice too. But it's important to keep looking for the tools that will help you manage life's inevitable ups and downs in a healthy way. Keeping stress at a manageable level is important for your overall well-being. Jallo N, Ruiz RJ, Elswick RK, French E.

Guided imagery for stress and symptom management in pregnant African American women. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Burke A, Lam CN, Stussman B, Yang H. Prevalence and patterns of use of mantra, mindfulness and spiritual meditation among adults in the United States.

BMC Complement Altern Med. Novais PG, Batista Kde M, Grazziano Eda S, Amorim MH. The effects of progressive muscular relaxation as a nursing procedure used for those who suffer from stress due to multiple sclerosis.

Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. Russo MA, Santarelli DM, O'rourke D. The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe Sheff. Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, et al. The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress in healthy adults.

Front Psychol. Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty FD. Exercise for mental health. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. Uvnäs-moberg K, Handlin L, Petersson M. Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation.

Sowndhararajan K, Kim S. Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response. Sci Pharm. Nguyen-rodriguez ST, Unger JB, Spruijt-metz D. Psychological determinants of emotional eating in adolescence.

Eat Disord. Sanford LD, Suchecki D, Meerlo P. Stress, arousal, and sleep. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha Withania somnifera extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Medicine Baltimore. Baba Y, Inagaki S, Nakagawa S, Kaneko T, Kobayashi M, Takihara T. Effects of l-theanine on cognitive function in middle-aged and older subjects: A randomized placebo-controlled study. J Med Food. Young LM, Pipingas A, White DJ, Gauci S, Scholey A.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of B vitamin supplementation on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: Effects on healthy and 'at-risk' individuals. Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM. Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect?

An examination using eight-day diary data. J Leis Res. Francis AL, Beemer RC. How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system.

Complement Ther Med. Wunsch K, Wurst R, Von dawans B, Strahler J, Kasten N, Fuchs R. Habitual and acute exercise effects on salivary biomarkers in response to psychosocial stress.

Armstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE. Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization following massage and guided imagery. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. Lee M-K, Lim S, Song J-A, Kim M-E, Hur M-H. The effects of aromatherapy essential oil inhalation on stress, sleep quality and immunity in healthy adults: Randomized controlled trial.

European Journal of Integrative Medicine.

Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who have intrusive thoughts or find it hard to conjure up mental images.

Mindfulness meditation. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind's attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or the future. This form of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years.

Research suggests it may be helpful for people with anxiety , depression, and pain. Yoga, tai chi, and qigong. These three ancient arts combine rhythmic breathing with a series of postures or flowing movements. The physical aspects of these practices offer a mental focus that can help distract you from racing thoughts.

They can also enhance your flexibility and balance. But if you are not normally active, have health problems, or a painful or disabling condition, these relaxation techniques might be too challenging.

Check with your doctor before starting them. Repetitive prayer. For this technique, you silently repeat a short prayer or phrase from a prayer while practicing breath focus. This method may be especially appealing if religion or spirituality is meaningful to you.

Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime. If you can't change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.

Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Practice gratitude. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life , including your own positive qualities and gifts.

This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective. Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can't prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession.

In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it's easier than railing against a situation you can't change.

Don't try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control, particularly the behavior of other people.

Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems. Look for the upside. When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.

Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on. Share your feelings.

Expressing what you're going through can be very cathartic, even if there's nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. When you're stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is getting up and exercising.

But physical activity is a huge stress reliever—and you don't have to be an athlete or spend hours in a gym to experience the benefits.

Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel good, and it can also serve as a valuable distraction from your daily worries. While you'll get the most benefit from regularly exercising for 30 minutes or more, it's okay to build up your fitness level gradually.

Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day. The first step is to get yourself up and moving. Here are some easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule:. While just about any form of physical activity can help burn away tension and stress, rhythmic activities are especially effective.

Good choices include walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, tai chi, and aerobics. But whatever you choose, make sure it's something you enjoy so you're more likely to stick with it. While you're exercising, make a conscious effort to pay attention to your body and the physical and sometimes emotional sensations you experience as you're moving.

Focus on coordinating your breathing with your movements, for example, or notice how the air or sunlight feels on your skin. Adding this mindfulness element will help you break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that often accompanies overwhelming stress.

There is nothing more calming than spending quality time with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. It's nature's natural stress reliever as an added bonus, it also helps stave off depression and anxiety. So make it a point to connect regularly—and in person—with family and friends.

Keep in mind that the people you talk to don't have to be able to fix your stress. They simply need to be good listeners. And try not to let worries about looking weak or being a burden keep you from opening up.

The people who care about you will be flattered by your trust. It will only strengthen your bond. Of course, it's not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you feel overwhelmed by stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you can improve your resiliency to life's stressors.

Don't get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you'll be in a better place to handle life's stressors.

Set aside leisure time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries. Do something you enjoy every day.

Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike. Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Take up a relaxation practice. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body's relaxation response , a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the fight or flight or mobilization stress response. As you learn and practice these techniques, your stress levels will decrease and your mind and body will become calm and centered.

Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you're stretched too thin and running behind, it's hard to stay calm and focused.

Plus, you'll be tempted to avoid or cut back on all the healthy things you should be doing to keep stress in check, like socializing and getting enough sleep. Check in with yourself —take time to ask yourself how you are feeling. Think of someone who makes you laugh or the last time you laughed so hard you cried.

Find an inspiring song or quote and write it down or screenshot it so you have it nearby. Connect with Others to Reduce Stress Having meaningful relationships can create a sense of belonging.

Here are some ways to reduce stress by connecting with others: Reach out to your community, family members, or friends. Make time for cultural, spiritual, or religious activities. Volunteer with organizations that interest you. Giving back to others can help you too. Get outside with others, connect with nature, and explore green spaces.

Take Care of Your Body Staying physically healthy can improve you emotional well-being. Here are some suggestions to better improve your health: Get vaccinated for the flu each year. Stay up to date on your COVID vaccines and boosters.

Find a COVID vaccine location near you on Vaccines. gov Keep up with regular health appointments. Eat healthy. Have fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and low- or no-fat dairy. Limit foods with unhealthy fats, salt, and added sugars.

See Healthy Eating Tips. Get enough sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to help you sleep better. Adults need 7 or more hours per night. Move more and sit less. Every little bit of physical activity helps.

Write anything that comes to mind. No one else needs to read it. So don't aim for perfect grammar or spelling. Let your thoughts flow on paper, or on the computer screen.

Once you're done, you can toss out what you wrote or save it to think about later. Listening to or playing music is a good stress reliever. It can provide a mental distraction, lessen muscle tension and lower stress hormones. Turn up the volume and let your mind be absorbed by the music.

If music isn't one of your interests, turn your attention to another hobby you enjoy. For example, try gardening, sewing, reading or sketching.

Or try anything that makes you focus on what you're doing rather than what you think you should be doing. If new stressors are making it hard for you to cope or if self-care measures aren't relieving your stress, you may want to think about therapy or counseling.

Therapy also may be a good idea if you feel overwhelmed or trapped. You also may think about therapy if you worry a great deal, or if you have trouble carrying out daily routines or meeting duties at work, home or school.

Professional counselors or therapists can help you find the sources of your stress and learn new coping tools. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.

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National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know. Yoga: What you need to know. Stress and your health. I'm so stressed out! Fact sheet.

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Media Requests. News Network. Price Transparency. Medical Professionals. Clinical Trials. After a few minutes of deep breathing, you focus on one part of the body or group of muscles at a time and mentally releasing any physical tension you feel there.

A body scan can help boost your awareness of the mind-body connection. If you have had a recent surgery that affects your body image or other difficulties with body image, this technique may be less helpful for you. Guided imagery. For this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or experiences in your mind to help you relax and focus.

You can find free apps and online recordings of calming scenes—just make sure to choose imagery you find soothing and that has personal significance. Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who have intrusive thoughts or find it hard to conjure up mental images.

Mindfulness meditation. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind's attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or the future. This form of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years.

Research suggests it may be helpful for people with anxiety , depression, and pain. Yoga, tai chi, and qigong. These three ancient arts combine rhythmic breathing with a series of postures or flowing movements.

The physical aspects of these practices offer a mental focus that can help distract you from racing thoughts.

They can also enhance your flexibility and balance. But if you are not normally active, have health problems, or a painful or disabling condition, these relaxation techniques might be too challenging. Check with your doctor before starting them. Repetitive prayer. For this technique, you silently repeat a short prayer or phrase from a prayer while practicing breath focus.

This method may be especially appealing if religion or spirituality is meaningful to you. Rather than choosing just one technique, experts recommend sampling several to see which one works best for you.