Welcome to the third health sub-chapter in the Supermorning series: Mental health. 

We’ll kick off with a week of short-term techniques for reducing the impact of existing stress. Then, we’ll look at longer-term strategies to permanently reduce the amount of stress in our lives. And finally, we’ll tackle the complicated topic of happiness. 

So, let’s start simple with some well-known stress management techniques.

Move

We’ve just finished the sub-chapter on fitness, which also happens to be the best way for reducing excessive stress.

If you’re stressed, your body is filled with fight or flight hormones in preparation for physical action. But if you just sit there, these hormones keep accumulating and making you even more anxious. 

Movement is an excellent way to release this built-up tension in a natural way. Ideally, you would move around outside in some green spaces to experience the added anti-stress benefits of nature. 

Talk

An open chat with a trustworthy person who has mastered the art of listening is another excellent stress-release mechanism. Stress and isolation is a combination we should particularly wary of. 

If you don’t have someone like this in your life, maybe a psychologist can be a good option. Getting stressful things off your chest in a safe environment is arguably the main benefit of psychotherapy. 

Relax

If exercise and talking don’t quite cut it, dedicated relaxation practice is the next step. Deep relaxation will flush stress hormones from your body, helping you unwind.

This can be particularly useful right before bedtime to help you get a good night’s sleep. Good options include yoga, meditation, massage, burning certain fragrances or just taking a nice hot bath. 

Breathe

If you’re in a very stressful situation you cannot escape, focusing on your breath may be the best way to control anxiety. The 4-7-8 technique is a good option. 

Build a game plan

I’m sure you’ve heard all these tips before. But it’s often useful to see them all together like this. 

To get the most use out of these ideas, it’s important to develop a game plan of how you will apply them in a stressful situation. 

So, decide beforehand on the type of exercise you can do, who you can talk to, and what relaxation technique you can practice. Make sure that all the elements required by these techniques are at your disposal. 

I really hope this helps! Tomorrow, we’ll cover something a bit less obvious: the subtle art of letting go.