The holiday season can be stressful for everyone. With that in mind, here’s a list of 11 weird tricks that actually work when it comes to relieving stress:
- Fake a Smile. Who knows, it might even influence the atmosphere of whatever else is going on around you.
- Put your thumb in your mouth and blow on it. Doing this will activate something called your vagus nerve, which in turn will decrease your heart rate and blood pressure.
- Blow on your thumb. This is because your thumb has its own pulse, and blowing on it will slow the pulse and therefore decrease your stress.
- Chew some gum. Chewing gum while you’re stressed has been shown to reduce your overall anxiety in any given situation.
- Find fractals. Fractals are patterns that you find organically in nature, such as the petals of a flower or the diametric shape of a spiderweb. Taking some time to find them can reduce your stress by up to 60 percent.
- Take a deep breath. This type of breathing will slow your heart rate.
- Stand near a plant. The presence of plants in an office space instantly reduces blood pressure, and even increases productivity.
- Apply pressure between your second and third knuckles. This will activate a nerve that will help to reduce that awful fluttery feeling you get when you’re feeling super stressed out.
- Try an easy yoga pose. A few simple yoga poses can easily be done at home in mere minutes, and the movements will help encourage deep breathing as well as bodily awareness.
- Drink some green tea. Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that has been found to counteract the effects of caffeine.
- Knock a few chores off your list. Between the walking and the act of the chore itself, you’ll be sure to calm down a little in no time.