10 tips for dealing with stress

Find out more about identifying what’s causing you stress and what you can do about it

Factsheet

Fact checked by experts and reviewed by young people.

Written by: spunout

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The life of the average young person can be stressful. The pressures of jobs, body image, relationships and finances are just some of the issues young people face on a daily basis, on top of work, school or college.

10 tips on how to reduce stress after a hard day

Deep breathing

Take a deep breath. Hold it. Now let it out… slowly. Try counting to 10 as you let out your breath. Feel the tension and stress flowing out of you with your breath. Repeat 3-10 times, as necessary.

Take a walk

Try walking outside for 20-30 minutes several times per week to alleviate stress and give your mind a boost. Walking boosts stress-busting endorphins. Brisk walking boosts endorphins, which can reduce stress hormones and alleviate mild depression.

Get outdoors

Linking with walking, getting some fresh air and spending time in nature has been linked to stress reduction and also improved memory and attention. Also leave the phone at home it’s good to disconnect from the outside world and clear your head.

Read

It can relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles. Reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. It also works better and faster than many other stress reducing techniques.

Meditate

Sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes, relax, and focus on your breathing. When things pop into your head, just acknowledge them and allow them to leave, and then focus again on your breathing. Do this for as long as you can, and then take a couple of cleansing breaths, and get up a new person.

Laugh

Watch a funny movie/TV program or hang out with friends and family and you’re guaranteed to have a laugh.

Nap

Taking only a 20-30 minute nap can reduce the amount of stress hormones in the body as well as improving your focus and emotional stability.

Exercise

As mentioned before getting outdoors and walking is a great stress reliever. Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits. It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.

Music

Chill out and listen to your favourite music, Playing calm music has a positive effect on the brain and body, can lower blood pressure, and reduce cortisol, a hormone linked to stress.

Good diet

When we are stressed we often forget to eat well and resort to using sugary, fatty snack foods as a pick me up. Swap the junk foods for fruits and vegetables, also fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce symptoms of stress.

Find out more about dealing with stress at work, tips on avoiding exam stress, and getting a stress-free night’s sleep.