It’s undeniable—we live in very stressful times. Stress and anxiety run rampant through most of us, tiring us out and generally making everything more difficult. What can we do to take a little more control of our lives and eliminate some of those negative feelings? There are the good old standbys, like meditation or exercising, but what if those aren’t enough? We have a few unexpected ways to reduce stress and anxiety that should help you out when those negative feelings rear their ugly heads.

Declutter Your Space

The idea of decluttering to reduce stress can seem odd to some people. Aren’t you just adding one more thing to your to-do list? However, the act of clearing and cleaning your space can be a powerful way to take back some control and get rid of anxiety once you know it’s time to start decluttering. This process doesn’t have to be stressful. Don’t do it all in one day, and focus on donating as much as you can. Once your space is clear, you’ll find you have a lot less visual stress to deal with.

Mindfully Do Your Chores

This trick is another idea that seems counterintuitive since doing chores might be one of those things you’re avoiding. The key here is to do them mindfully. Try to put all your focus onto each task as you doit. Not only does this keep you in the moment and reduce anxiety about future events, but it also gives you that sweet feeling of satisfaction once you finish.

Give To Others

Did you know that helping others is a great way to reduce your own stress levels? If you’re like most people, giving back when you can feels good. Donating your time to helping other people releases stress-reducing hormones in your body—this is often called a “helper’s high.” You can do some good for yourself and others by getting out there and volunteering your time!

Embrace Support From Others

Giving to others is a wonderful way of reducing stress and anxiety. But sometimes we need to embrace support from others as well. After all, there is nothing more stressful and anxiety-inducing than feeling alone in our problems. 

The good news is there are many options when it comes to welcoming support from others in our life from sitting down over a cup of coffee with a friend or loved one, to attend a peer support group. You may even wish to get some more structured help from one of the many excellent mental health facilities that are now available. Remember, you really don’t need to suffer alone or in silence, help is out there and you deserve to access it!

Spend Time in Nature

Getting out into nature is another unexpected way to reduce anxiety and stress since it has many benefits that people tend to overlook. It’s not just that the sun gives you vitamin D—although that is a factor. Being among greenery can also help your brain relax and settle itself down. Plus, it helps lower blood pressure, further reducing the amount of stress you feel.

Curate Your Social Media

We understand that asking you to give up social media entirely is a lot these days, so we won’t do that. Instead, you should curate the things you see on social media, especially if you often take what you see there to heart. If you start to notice that your phone or computer is stressing you out, it may be time to mute and unfollow some sources of that stress that bombard you on social media.