15 November 2024

How to relieve stress quickly

Medically reviewed by Dr Kate Smith BSc, MBChB

Do you ever feel so stressed you just don't know what to do with yourself?
If you’ve sometimes felt like this, you're not alone. As many as 74% of adults in the UK have felt the same way in a 2018 study by the Mental Health Foundation.¹

Stress can be overwhelming and impact many areas of your health and wellness. ²,³

Fortunately, there are many techniques that may help you to relieve stress quickly and start feeling calmer and more relaxed again.

Breathing techniques for instant stress relief
Studies show that breathing exercises can alleviate symptoms of stress and calm your body and brain.⁴ The good news is that they are easy to do and don’t require any complicated equipment.

Deep breathing exercises

During periods of acute stress, diaphragmatic or deep breathing exercises may help to reduce your blood pressure and heart rate, slow your breathing and help you stay calm.⁵,⁶ Basic deep breathing can be done following these steps:⁵

Find a comfortable position to sit, lie or stand in.
Relax your shoulders and make sure there's no tight clothing across your waist.
Breathe in slowly and deeply into the lowest part of your lungs, letting your stomach expand as if it's a balloon that's being blown up.
Continue breathing in for a few seconds…
Then breathe out for a few seconds.
Make sure your tummy is moving more than your chest throughout the exercise.
Repeat the exercise for around 5 minutes until you begin to feel your stress levels dropping.
If you feel dizzy at any point, try to breathe more slowly and gently.

The 4-7-8 breathing method

This controlled breathing exercise helps relax the nervous system.⁷ To begin this exercise, find somewhere quiet and private and ideally lie down on your back (or sit down if you can’t) and follow these steps: ⁷

close your eyes and exhale fully with your mouth open, making a whooshing noise
close your lips and breathe in through your nose as you count to four
hold your breath for seven seconds
make a whooshing sound again as you exhale through your mouth for eight seconds
repeat the exercise six times and then breathe normally for 1 minute
you can then repeat two more cycles of the exercise if needed (6 times each cycle), with a minute of normal breathing after each cycle of six exercises

Quick physical activities to reduce stress

We all know that exercise is good for our physical health. However, physical activity can also be effective in improving stress, anxiety and depression.⁸ Walking, jogging, yoga, gardening and even just going up and down the stairs several times a day can be great forms of exercise. The NHS guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (such as brisk walking) or 75 minute vigorous exercise (such as running or swimming) a week.⁹

Short walks
Physical exercise can have a positive impact on mental health and walking is a minimal cost and low-impact way of keeping moving.¹⁰ Walking during your lunch break, getting off the bus one stop early or taking the children to the park are great ways to incorporate this exercise into your daily routine.

Yoga
A UK-wide survey reported that 82.6% of participants perceived reduced stress levels after practising yoga ¹¹ and a recent study showed that yoga may reduce work-related stress in healthcare workers.¹² You can try this NHS yoga video and once you know some of the poses you can do a 5 minute version when you need a stress reliever.¹³

Quick physical activities to reduce stress

Mindfulness and relaxation may reduce the impact of stress on both your mind and body and help you stay focused on the present moment rather than reflecting on the past or worrying about the future. ¹⁴,¹⁵

Guided meditation
Guided meditation typically involves following an app, guide or video that leads you through a mindful journey towards relaxation.

Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation focuses on gently tensing and then relaxing each muscle group.¹⁷ For example:¹⁷

Lie or sit down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as you follow the rest of the exercise.
Tense your toes for 10-15 seconds, relax them for 15-20 seconds, then move onto your calf muscles at the back of your legs - tensing your muscles then releasing.
Gradually work up your body to include your thighs, stomach, chest, arms, neck, shoulders and head.
During the process, pay close attention to how your muscles feel when they are tense and then relaxed.
Repeat the exercise 3 times or for as long as you find helpful.

Visualisation techniques
This involves forming images in your mind that help you feel calm.¹³ It can take practice and you can follow these visualisation prompts to start with. Begin by finding a quiet place where you can relax:¹³

Take some deep, slow breaths and close your eyes.
Picture a beautiful location in your mind. It could be somewhere you've been or how you would picture your perfect place to be.
Imagine yourself calm and relaxed, having a good time in this place.
Engage all your senses, so if you're picturing a beach, imagine the feeling of warm, soft sand under your toes, the sun on your skin, the smell of the sea, the sound of waves crashing and seagulls squawking.
Spend a few minutes fully immersed in the place you've imagined and if you do get distracted, that's OK, gently bring your mind back to where you are visualising.
While immersed in the visualisation, consciously reassure yourself that you can return there whenever you need to.

While stress is hard to avoid, it shouldn't take over your life.

By trying these techniques, you may be able to relieve stress quickly so you can feel calmer and happier

To find out more ways to help to reduce stress and improve your wellness, download our H&B&Me app and set personalised goals and receive expert advice.

FAQs

How do I get rid of stress ASAP?
If you can, start by taking yourself out of whatever situation is causing you stress and give yourself time and space to calm down. The key is finding something to distract yourself and bring down your stress levels, such as:

deep breathing ⁵,⁶
meditation ¹⁵
being physically active such as taking a short walk ¹⁸
visualisation ¹⁷
progressive muscle relaxation ¹⁶

How can I get instant relief from stress?
If you want immediate relief from stress, try taking slow, deep breaths.⁵,⁶ Taking a quick walk,¹⁸ doing yoga¹¹,¹² or listening to your favourite music¹⁹ may also help. You may have to try out a few stress-relieving techniques before you find what works best for you.

How to reduce stress levels quickly
You may reduce your stress levels quickly with strategies such as:

take five minutes to calm down
focus on breathing techniques as outlined above⁵,⁶
practice mindfulness such as guided meditation¹⁵

How to reduce emotional stress
You may help to reduce emotional stress by:

reading a book²⁰
taking a walk¹⁸
trying mindfulness¹⁶
doing yoga¹¹,¹²
exercising¹⁸
getting enough sleep²¹
writing down thoughts and feelings²²
talking to a trusted friend²³
doing a hobby²³

References:

Mental Health Foundation. Stressed nation: 74% of UK “overwhelmed or unable to cope” at some point in the past year [Internet]. www.mentalhealth.org.uk. 2018. Available from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/news/survey-stressed-nation-UK-overwhelmed-unable-to-cope
NHS. Get help with stress [Internet]. NHS. 2022. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/stress/
Nicolaides NC, Chrousos GP. Impact of Stress on Health in Childhood and Adolescence. Hormone Research in Paediatrics. 2022 Nov 14;96(1):5–7.
‌Fincham GW, Strauss C, Montero-Marin J, Cavanagh K. Effect of Breathwork on Stress and Mental health: a meta-analysis of randomised-controlled Trials. Scientific Reports [Internet]. 2023 Jan 9;13(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27247-y
‌NHS. Deep breathing exercise - Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust [Internet]. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. 2016. Available from: https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/pain-service/reconnect2life/creating-skills-for-the-future/learning-relaxation-skills/deep-breathing-exercise/
‌Yau KKY, Loke AY. Effects of diaphragmatic deep breathing exercises on prehypertensive or hypertensive adults: A literature review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2021 May;43:101315.
.Vierra J, Boonla O, Prasertsri P. Effects of sleep deprivation and 4‐7‐8 breathing control on heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose, and endothelial function in healthy young adults. Physiological Reports. 2022 Jul;10(13).
‌Tomlinson-Perez S, Machaczek KK, Firth J, Pollard N, Meda G, Keddie E, et al. Evaluation of the uptake, retention and effectiveness of exercise referral schemes for the management of mental health conditions in primary care: a systematic review. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2022 Feb 7 [cited 2022 Mar 31];22(1). Available from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/29655/53/Machaczek-EvaluationUptakeRentention%28VoR%29.pdf
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‌Bai X, Soh KG, Omar Dev RD, Talib O, Xiao W, Cai H. Effect of Brisk Walking on Health-Related Physical Fitness Balance and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Public Health [Internet]. 2022 Jan 31;9:829367. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8841590/
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‌.Zhang M, Murphy B, Cabanilla A, Yidi C. Physical relaxation for occupational stress in healthcare workers: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Occupational Health. 2021 Jan;63(1).
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‌Zollars I, Poirier TI, Pailden J. Effects of mindfulness meditation on mindfulness, mental well-being, and perceived stress. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 2019 Aug;11(10):1022–8.
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