5 Activities You Can Do at Home to Reduce Stress and Relieve Anxiety

Navigating through life can be a lot. Individuals can feel a lot of different emotions during their lifetime. 

From happy moments, positive thoughts, feelings of joy, motivation and gratefulness to feeling anxiety, stress, a lot of worries and feelings of overwhelming, with life in general, all these feelings are utterly normal. It shows you live a life full of experiences, good and less good, and are doing your best when difficult times arrive. It is entirely understandable when these times come in a person’s life, they feel overwhelmed. Stress and anxiety are natural reactions when you have to deal with a lot, whether in your professional or personal life.

Nowadays, more and more people come forward and are less afraid to express they are dealing with anxiety symptoms, and the stress can sometimes feel too much. At the same time, the stigma around mental health has been considerably combated in the last few years, with a significant decrease from 2017 to 2019. More and more people reported symptoms of anxiety and other mental health disorders in 2020 and continue to do so today. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major role in this, given that an increasing number of people have started developing more negative feelings and thoughts as a result of lockdowns and the uncertainty that surrounded this new virus at the beginning of 2020. Indeed, more work needs to be done to destigmatize mental health problems and raise awareness. But it is crucial to point out any improvements made – this is one way of raising mental health awareness.

With more and more people acknowledging such symptoms and feeling less discriminated against and more understood, they have also started looking for ways to manage anxiety better, reduce stress, and practice good habits in general. Having a healthy routine can help you a great deal. 

Apart from all the good habits you have managed to or plan on incorporating into your routine that include being outdoors or going to therapy sessions, it is good to hear that there are many activities you can do from the comfort of your home. These can help you reduce the everyday stress you may feel and recharge your batteries. They are as follows:

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   Have a quick at-home exercise session.

Exercising can help you reduce stress considerably. And you can do this from the comfort of your own home if going to the gym is not really your cup of tea. But whether you go jogging, go to the gym from time to time or practice a sport, having a quick exercise session at home is still a great way of relieving any anxiety symptoms you may have. 

When you feel this way, you may not want to go out, so pulling your yoga mat and laptop, and starting to exercise a bit, or stretch for a while, can do wonders to your wellbeing and mental health. 

1. Get comfortable and do something you love.

Another great way of reducing some of the stress you accumulate during the day is to get comfortable, quite literally. This means that after a day full of work or during the weekend, you simply slip into your comfy and soft loungewear sets, grab a book, put on your favorite album or press play to your favorite TV show, and just take a break from anything less and focus on yourself and doing something you love. 

Regardless of this activity, the important thing is to feel comfortable, rested and at peace. Doing this can help you recharge your batteries and be ready to start a new day. 

1. Spa days can be created at home too.

You don’t have to go to an expensive resort and spa retreat to take care of and pamper yourself. You can create an excellent spa day at home as well. And you probably have all the “tools” needed to accomplish this. Chances are you practice skincare – if not, you should definitely change this, and your skin will thank you deeply. 

So, after you take a bubble bath with scented candles and bath bombs, you can use a moisturizing body lotion and hydrate your skin. Depending on your preferences, you can do a facial mask, put aromatherapy relaxation in the bath, or use a body scrub in the shower. There are no rules when it comes to pampering yourself, and spa days are much deserved.

1. Put on some music and dance around.

Don’t dismiss it just yet! Dancing can be highly therapeutic, so it may not be a lot, but it can help you a great deal. If you are not the type of person who loves dancing too much or feels uneasy doing this in public, don’t worry. It is essential to take it step by step. So, whenever you are alone, start by putting on your favorite artist or band, and it is highly likely you will feel like dancing. When that happens, let the music go through your body.

Apart from the fact that it is an excellent way to exercise, burn some calories, increase aerobic fitness, muscular strength and the condition of your heart and lungs, it is also incredibly fun.

1. Start or resume a hobby.

Hobbies are an excellent way of distracting your mind from wandering off and having negative thoughts. In addition to this, they can help you hone various skills and develop your creative mind further. Whether you cook, bake, paint, learn to play an instrument or any other activity that only brings you joy and positive feelings, the important aspect is never seeing it as a task. Hobbies are meant to be done as a way to relax and make you feel good. Gardening can also be a great hobby.

For this reason, it is crucial not to feel discouraged if you don’t excel at this specific hobby. You can always improve something if you keep practicing. However, it is more important to do it if it makes you happy, not because you want to make another task out of it – you probably have enough of those at work or school. Instead, hobbies can help you destress yourself.