9 Ways Busy People Can Relieve Stress

Busy people are simply that – busy!

When you are constantly running from meeting to meeting, or following children to different after-school activities, or are just busy doing whatever it is you do, figuring out how to relieve stress is imperative – because chronic stress has significant negative health impacts.

Stress can cause the body pain, inflammation, headaches, fatigue, stomach issues, and others! It can cause the mind anxiety, irritability, anger, sadness, and restlessness.

In terms of behaviour, stress can cause you to have outbursts of anger, overeating, using substances, withdrawing from relationships and preferred activities.

All of these results of stress are painful and avoidable.

Here are some ways to relieve stress for busy people.

Exercise

Despite its countless health benefits, regular exercise is also incredible for mental health and decreasing anxiety. Exercise is proven to help with stress management.

Have you ever had a tough meeting at work and then taken off for a run and come back feeling great?

Or has lifting weights ever made you feel both physically and mentally strong?

Exercise releases endorphins into the body to decrease stress and help us sleep!

Sleep

Sleep hygiene is crucial to wellness and stress management, because stress is experienced at a much higher level for those who are struggling to sleep well.

So, if you start going to bed at the same time every day and for the same amount of time, you will likely not be as stressed!

Eat Well

Busy people may be tempted to choose meals that are quick but not generally very healthy.

Do fast food French fries sound good?

Maybe.

But did they feel good in your system afterwards?

Probably not as much as a balanced meal would have.

One way of reducing stress is to ensure that you are eating a well-rounded diet with fruits, vegetables, proteins, starches, carbohydrates, and plenty of water!

Eating well ensures that we are energized to accomplish all of our days tasks. Having energy also makes us feel less stressed.

Prepare Meals

Speaking of eating well, and perhaps to avoid the fast food, one way to be more prepared and less stressed is to have meals ready in advance.

Preparing meals for the week on Sunday night can be extremely helpful. Not only do you never have to worry about where you will be able to get your next meal when you are on the go, you can also ensure that the meals you consume are always balanced and healthy.

Schedule In Preferred Activities

When we are busy we tend to ignore some of the activities that we love to do.

For example, when was the last time you read for pleasure?

If it has been a while and reading was something that you loved to do, it may be worth scheduling in time to read again.

We tend to be less stressed when we know when we will soon have fun, so scheduling an hour or perhaps more a day to accomplish something you love to do will reduce stress greatly.

This also means being intentional about spending time with people you love. Call your family, go on a date night with your partner, or be present and enjoy time with your children.

Breathe Deeply

Emotional regulation skills will take us all very far.

When busy people are stressed, practising deep breathing techniques will help reduce stress quickly. Deep breathing allows us to take back control.

When we are stressed or anxious, our breathing may become shallow and rapid.

Focusing on the breath coming in and out of us will ground us.

Next time you feel extremely stressed, take five deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Notice the breath and how it feels. Notice how you feel after you take several deep breaths.

Ask For Help

Busy people sometimes need help to do all of the things on their plate.

Have you ever had a to-do list a mile long and felt there was no way to check off all the items?

If this is true, ask your partner, family, friends, or colleagues for help.

There is nothing wrong in accepting help. In fact, it shows that you are brave by being open to being vulnerable and asking for assistance.

Learn To Say No

Let’s take a second to talk about why busy people are so busy.

Is it necessary to be constantly doing things?

No, and it is not healthy.

One way to reduce stress is to simply start being less busy. Learning to say no and set boundaries with yourself and time is one of the easiest ways to decrease stress.

If you find yourself constantly saying “yes” when someone asks you if you can run an errand for them or take on another task for them, practise saying “no”.

Not only will it decrease your stress, but it will ensure that the energy you put into situations you say “yes” to is higher.

Being present in the things you are doing will help you do them better. And, doing things well makes us feel good!

Decrease Screen Time

Being constantly inundated with news, communications, and media via our televisions, computers, phones, and tablets is exhausting. It creates far more stress than we realize.

Additionally, watching so many blue screens keeps us up and disrupts our sleep, which creates its own stress. (Actually, research shows that any light while you sleep can be unhealthy.)

So, if you are busy and you reach for your phone to read the news or scroll through Facebook, reach for that book you haven’t picked up in a while (and yes, I mean an actual physical book printed on actual paper – not a Kindle device). Less screen time will help.

Conclusion

I hope that if you are a busy person reading this who experiences a lot of stress, you will attempt a few ways to decrease your stress.

Remember that “skill stacking” or the technique of doing multiple self-care tasks at once will help more than practising simply one skill.

So, if you are able to commit to a number of the strategies listed above, you may find that your stress decreases!

And if you are unable to commit to any strategies as of now, that is okay! You can always work towards a less stressful life in the future!

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty
2. Meal Prep
3. Slow Cookers