15 Stress Management Techniques That Work

Well … and Fast

By Deane Alban

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Effective stress management techniques can offset the negative effects
of stress in your life. Try these proven, fast and reliable stress
remedies.

What you’ll learn about stress management techniques in this article:

 How the way you breathe can increase your stress

 The best forms of meditation for managing stress
 Yoga poses and breathing techniques that increase your resilience to stress
 The stress management tools used by top athletes, NASA, and other peak
performers
 And many other quick and effective stress relievers
You can’t avoid all stress, nor would you want to. A little stress is actually a good
thing.

It temporarily boosts motivation and concentration, plus it helps keep your

mental and physical resilience high. (1)

But when stress becomes chronic, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious,
forgetful and exhausted.

And that can make you sick — 90% of all doctor visits are stress-related. (2)

Stress can make you unhappy, increasing your risk for anxiety and
depression. (3)
There are many stress reduction techniques, but some, like counseling or
biofeedback, require a long-term commitment and you might not feel the effects
for weeks.

This article is a summary of 15 top stress management techniques that not only
give immediate benefit, but also are so effective that making them a habit can
reduce your stress levels permanently.

We give you scripts to use right away as well as guidance for finding free digital
downloads to expand your commitment to reducing stress.

And, of course, follow up with the “related article” links to learn more about each
technique.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

Every day you take tens of thousands of breaths, so you might be surprised to
learn that you might not be doing it right!

If you’ve ever watched a baby or a pet sleeping, you’ll notice that their stomach
rises and falls more than their chest when they breathe.

Children naturally breathe from their abdomen until the constant stress of
modern life retrains them to breathe from their chest.

Diaphragmatic breathing — also called abdominal breathing or belly breathing —

is the way we are meant to breathe, but few of us do.

When you’re under stress, your chest tightens and your breathing becomes
shallow and rapid.

This rapid, shallow breathing (called chest or thoracic breathing) is a hardwired

response that helps you respond to danger.

Chest breathing elicits the “flight or fight response” which starts a cascade of
events.

Your heart rate and blood pressure increase, blood gets directed away from your
brain and to your muscles, and a flood of stress hormones is released.
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Ideally, after a perceived danger has passed, your breathing returns to normal.

The problem for most of us is that chest breathing is our normal way of
breathing!

But you can change that.

Breathing is the only bodily function that’s both autonomic and voluntary —
meaning it happens on its own and we can learn to control it.

Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the simplest yet most important stress

management techniques available.

Learn this and every breath you take can alleviate, rather than contribute to,
stress.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise

Sit comfortably or lie down.

Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.

Slowly exhale through your mouth.

Then slowly inhale through your nose, concentrating on keeping your chest still
while expanding your stomach.

You should notice a fall and rise of your stomach, and not your chest, if done
properly.
 Image courtesy of Amanda Soto, Washington Post
Do this foundational breathing exercise 20-30 minutes per day to reduce stress
and anxiety.

If you practice only one breathing exercise, this should be the one.

2. Meditation

Meditation is undoubtedly one of the best stress management techniques known.

Meditation makes you more resilient and less reactive to stress by decreasing the
number of neurons in your amygdala, the area of the brain associated with fear,
anxiety and stress. (4)
 It increases levels of the calming
neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).

GABA puts the brakes on brain activity, letting you relax. (5)

Meditation helps you quiet your mind and master negative

thought patterns which are often the root cause of stress. (6)

It keeps you focused in the present so you spend less time worrying about the
future and ruminating about the past.

Until you’re experienced at traditional meditation, I recommend listening to

guided meditations or audio files that incorporate binaural beats or brainwave
entrainment.

✓ Zen12 Meditation
Feel more relaxed, focused and creative in 12 minutes a day

These approaches will help induce a relaxed state very quickly.

You can download free meditation audio files at Zen12 or OmHarmonics or check
out the selection at Binaural Beats Meditation.

Related article —
Binaural Beats: A Meditation Shortcut
3. Mindfulness Meditation

There are many kinds of meditation, and one that stands out for stress relief is
mindfulness meditation. (7)

It’s the meditation of choice among those facing unusual levels of on-the-job
stress such as Wall Street brokers, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and US military
personnel. (8, 9, 10)

Mindfulness actually builds a bigger and better brain.

It increases the amount of gray matter, the volume of the hippocampus, and
the thickness of the cortex while it decreases the size of the amygdala, the fear
center of your brain. (11, 12)

It also improves connectivity between various regions of the brain. (13)

Briefly and simply, here’s how mindfulness meditation is done:

Sit quietly with your eyes closed.

Breathe normally and simply notice your breath.

Saying to yourself “breathing in, breathing out” can help keep other thoughts at
bay.

When you notice a random thought, simply label it as “a thought” and gently
bring your attention back to your breath.

Many people think that if they’ve had thoughts while meditating that they’ve
failed.

But the goal of meditation is NOT to have no thoughts.

Thinking thoughts is what your brain does incessantly.

The goal is to simply notice them when they come up and gently push them aside.

Related article —
Meditation for Anxiety: Proven Way to Calm Your Mind
4. Yoga

It’s estimated that more than 15 million Americans practice yoga regularly. (14)

One reason for the explosion in interest in this 5,000-year-old practice is

that people are looking for a way to de-stress. (15)

Any kind of physical exercise will reduce stress, but yoga excels at it.

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Yoga slows your breathing and heart rates, lowers blood pressure, and increases
heart rate variability. (16)

Just a single one-hour session of yoga can increase GABA by 27%. (17)

If you want to target feelings of stress or anxiety, you’ll find yoga poses
specifically for stress at Yoga Journal.

If you’re concerned you aren’t flexible enough, give the ancient martial arts tai chi
or qi gong a try instead.

They offer similar relaxation benefits but flexibility is not required.

Related article —
How to Do Yoga for Depression and Anxiety (and why)
Yoga Breathing Techniques
Besides yoga poses, there are many yoga-based breathing techniques.

One technique is Sudarshan Kriya yoga.

The breathing exercises in this type of yoga have been extensively studied and
proven beneficial for stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression,
substance abuse, insomnia, and stress-related illnesses. (18)

These breathing exercises have been proven in dozens of studies to enhance brain
function, increase resilience to stress, alter brainwave activity, and increase
brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that stimulates brain cell production.

✓ Dissolve Worry & Anxiety

Reframe your worries in a positive new light with self-hypnosis

These exercises even impact you down to the level of your DNA!

Alternate nostril breathing is a yoga

breathing technique that goes by the Sanskrit name of Nadi Shodhana
Pranayama which means “energy purification breathing technique.”

Did you know that during much of the day you breathe through just one nostril at
a time?

Every hour or so you change dominant nostrils.

Research shows that consciously controlling the breath through each nostril
reduces stress and anxiety, reduces high blood pressure, while improving
attention and other cognitive skills. (19, 20, 21)

This breathing exercise looks a little weird so you might want to skip doing it in
public!

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Push your thumb or one finger on the side of one nostril, closing it off.

Inhale slowly through the open nostril for a count of 5.

Now pinch the other nostril and breathe out slowly.

Repeat starting with the opposite nostril this time.

Do as many rounds as you’d like.

5. Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is a powerful technique that uses your innate power of

visualization to achieve goals and improve performance.

It’s most commonly used for stress reduction, healing, and changing
behaviors. (22)

It’s so beneficial, it’s even covered by some insurance plans! (23)

Over 200 studies have proven its many health benefits. (24)

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a renowned nonprofit academic medical

center, guided imagery is beneficial for:

 anxiety
 depression
 enhanced immunity
 high blood pressure
 pain management
 self-confidence
  sleep
 stress management
Another popular use for guided imagery is personal development and
performance enhancement.

Guided visualization can be used to release limiting thoughts and emotions,

increase self-esteem, gain mental clarity, and meet both personal and business
goals.

Some of the most successful people in the world use guided imagery.

It’s a particularly valuable training tool for many world-class athletes. (25)

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The most competitive Olympic teams now travel with an entourage of sports
psychologists who use guided visualization and related mind-body tools such
as meditation, self-hypnosis, and autogenic training to help athletes achieve peak
performance.

Legendary sports figures like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Michael Jordan, Larry
Bird, and Muhammad Ali have all used visualization. (26, 27)

If you want to reduce stress or increase your focus, there are many sources
for free guided imagery audio files.

Several university websites offer them as part of their stress management services
to their students.

Most of these are created under the guidance of mental health professionals.

You can download free guided imagery MP3s here:

 Dartmouth College: relaxation downloads

 McMaster University: guided relaxation videos and a guided imagery script
 University of Houston: guided imagery and visualizations
 University of Iowa: guided relaxation and mindfulness meditations
University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center recommends using
guided imagery along with conventional medical treatments to reduce stress,
improve sleep, boost immune function, and ease pain.

The Center has a guided imagery library for cancer patients that’s available free
to the public.

6. Self-Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a trance-like state characterized by extreme relaxation, increased

suggestibility, and heightened imagination.

Self-hypnosis occurs when you intentionally put yourself in this state without the
help of a hypnotherapist.

If you’ve ever found yourself entranced by a crackling fire or ocean waves, you’ve
experienced self-hypnosis.

✓ Eliminate Stress
Train your brain to relieve the tension with self-hypnosis

A huge volume of research confirms the benefits of hypnosis for anxiety and
other disorders with a stress-related component. (28)

There are self-hypnosis scripts that you can perform from memory or record and
follow along to your own voice.

You’ll find a simple self-hypnosis script here.

There are also prerecorded self-hypnosis MP3s and apps.

For maximum benefits, stick to audio files developed by a professional with

hypnosis training and accreditation like those found at HypnosisLive.com.

Related article —
The Power of Self-Hypnosis to Improve Your Mind
7. Autogenic Training

Autogenic training is a little known but

highly effective type of self-hypnosis that teaches you to regulate functions that
are normally under subconscious control, such as heart rate, breathing and blood
pressure.

It works by calming down your overactive stress response.

It puts you in a relaxed brainwave state similar to meditation.

✓ Complete Relaxation
Reprogram your brain to relax on demand with self-hypnosis

More than 60 studies have found autogenic training beneficial for stress-related
disorders including anxiety, insomnia and high blood pressure. (29)

It has been used by military personnel, pilots, and NASA astronauts to enhance
performance and minimize the extreme environmental and psychological stress
experienced in space. (30)

Give it a try with these free autogenic training MP3s from the University of
Wisconsin.

Related article —
Autogenic Training: A Deceptively Effective Relaxation Technique
8. Personal Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a powerful technique that teaches you how to manage your

breathing, heart rate and blood flow to stop the stress response.

It enables you to monitor what your body is doing in real time by measuring
functions like heart rate, blood pressure, brainwave state, skin temperature and
muscle tension.

Besides stress relief, biofeedback can be used to treat a wide variety of mental
health and brain-related disorders including anxiety, ADHD, memory loss and
depression. (31)

Traditional biofeedback is expensive and time-consuming, but now there are

effective personal biofeedback devices that work by measuring various
functions such as blood pressure (RESPeRATE), heart rate variablity (HeartMath
emWave2), or galvanic skin response (Mindplace ThoughtStream).

✓ Neurofeedback Devices
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Biofeedback devices that measure brainwave patterns are called neurofeedback

devices and require you to wear a headset.

These are exploding in popularity — some brand name products include

BrainLink, Muse, NeuroSky and Thync.

With the assistance of a personal biofeedback or neurofeedback device, you can

relax on command anytime, anywhere.

Related article —
Neurofeedback: Train Your Brain Waves to Treat Anxiety, ADHD & More

9. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

When you get stressed, your muscles get tight.

You may be feeling it in your back, neck or shoulders as you read this.
And these tight muscles are not only caused by stress, they contribute to stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple technique that involves tensing and

relaxing specific groups of muscles in a systematic way to break the vicious cycle
of stress and muscle tension. (32)

If you suffer from tight muscles, you’ll find a free progressive muscle
relaxation session along with many other kinds of relaxation recordings on
the Brigham Young University website.

Related article —
How to Relax Your Muscles to Ease Stress and Anxiety

10. Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), generally known as tapping, is a form of

acupressure that works by stimulating meridian points with your fingertips.

Tapping can be used for pretty much anything that ails you, physically or
emotionally, including stress issues.

One session of tapping can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by an
impressive 50%. (33)

Here’s a video that guides you through a 9-minute tapping session specifically for
stress relief.

Once you learn this simple routine, you no longer have to follow the video.

You can tap away stress anytime you want.

Related article —
11 Benefits of Tapping for Anxiety Relief

11. Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a healing and relaxation technique that makes use of the scent
of essential oils.
According to the US National Library of Medicine, more than 15,000 scientific
research studies have been done on essential oils. (34)

Dozens of essential oils deliver stress relief, but you can’t go wrong with lavender
(Lavandula angustifolia).

Lavender is the most studied and possibly the most versatile of all essential oils.
(35)

✓ Essential Oils
See Amazon.com for best selection and value

Put a few drops on your wrists, dab some under your nose, or diffuse it into the
air for instant stress relief.

Besides being generally relaxing, lavender also has anti-anxiety, antidepressant,

and mood stabilizing properties. (36)

Other essential oils that deliver stress relief include Roman chamomile
(Chamaemelum nobile), neroli (Citrus aurantium), and rosemary (Rosmarinus
officinalis). (37, 38)

Bergamot essential oil, which provides the unique flavoring in Earl Grey tea, has
the capacity to increase GABA, the neurotransmitter of relaxation. (39)

Related article —
All About Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief

12. Enjoyable Pastimes

You almost certainly already have your own favorite stress reduction strategy.

I’m not talking plopping down in front of the TV with a beer.

What is it you love to do in your spare time that gets you in the zone and makes
time fade away?

Creating art, listening to music, or getting absorbed in your favorite hobby are all
legitimate stress management techniques.
Hobbies as diverse as knitting, woodworking, gardening, or home repair reduce
stress and put you in a relaxed state. (40)

✓ Anti-Stress Coloring Books

See Amazon.com for best selection and value

Anti-stress coloring books — a recent trend — can significantly reduce stress and
depression. (41)

Engaging in these activities before going to bed can help you relax and fall asleep
faster than using your laptop or tablet which emit sleep-disruptive blue light. (42)

13. Nature

Go outside and spend some time in nature.

It will lower your cortisol, blood pressure, and pulse rate while increasing heart
rate variability. (43)

It doesn’t have to be a major outing — simply spending a few minutes at a park

on your lunch break can help.

And when you go, leave your smartphone behind or at least turned off.

Research has confirmed what most of us suspect anyway — that trying to do more
than one thing at once is stressful. (44)

Heart rate and cortisol levels go up when you constantly check your email. (45)

And if you can’t get outdoors, take a few minutes to just look at pictures of
nature.

Even that can help reduce your stress levels, anger, and fear and put you in a
better mood. (46)

14. Gratitude

Expressing gratitude creates a surge of feel-good brain chemicals that will make
you feel happier and more relaxed.
 A common way of expressing gratitude
is by journaling — writing about things you are grateful for — but I find sharing
grateful thoughts with others even better.

This benefits both you and the recipient.

You can thank a friend by phone, text, email, or (gasp!) putting pen to paper and
writing a genuine thank-you note for words of encouragement, act of kindness, or
any other “gift” you’ve received.

(Can you guess which kind of “thank you” your friend will appreciate the most?)

✓ Attitude of Gratitude
Shift your perspective on life with self-hypnosis

Feeling and expressing gratitude reduces stress and increases emotional

resilience. (47)

And it will help you relax and sleep better if you do it right before you go to bed.

15. Green Tea (Instead of Coffee)

This one is a little different that all the other stress reduction techniques listed
here.

But caffeine is such an integral part of our always-on-the-go society, its role
deserves special consideration.

Millions of people get through the day not on naturally generated energy but
on the artificial boost they get from caffeinated beverages.
While caffeine can be part of a healthy lifestyle, it also increases stress
hormones and reduces calming brain chemicals, while restricting blood flow to
the brain. (48)

Caffeine is even linked to four recognized psychiatric disorders. (49)

So if you are feeling stressed, grabbing a caffeine-laden cup of coffee, a soda or an

energy drink is the totally wrong thing to do!

Instead, make your next drink a cup of green tea.

✓ Green Tea
See Amazon.com for best selection and value

Green tea contains a little caffeine — about 25 mg per 8-ounce serving — which
should be enough to keep you from full-blown caffeine withdrawal.

But green tea provides focus and energy while it relaxes you, thanks to l-theanine
and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).

L-theanine is an amino acid that increases your resilience to stress. (50)

It causes an increase in alpha brainwave activity that’s similar to that experienced

during meditation. (51, 52)

EGCG is a polyphenol that normalizes activity of the calming

neurotransmitter GABA. (53)

Like theanine, EGCG also changes brainwave patterns to put you in a “relaxed
yet attentive state.” (54)

Stress Management Techniques: The Bottom Line

Stress is a necessary part of life, but chronic stress can make you sick and
unhappy.

Fortunately, there’s a wide variety of proven stress management techniques that

can bring relief quickly and, if practiced regularly, potentially even permanently.
They can usually be started immediately, be done anytime, and require little or
no investment on your part other than a little time each day.

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