I know that many people feel overwhelmed in their day-to-day lives. We all have necessities that need to be taken care of, like work, school, and family, but then we also have our wants, like our hobbies, traveling, and that expensive perfume. People put off the things they truly want to do so they can take care of the necessities. That’s fine, but it leaves you feeling exhausted and stressed in the long run. Additionally, having too much on your plate leads to stress and burnout sooner or later. If you’ve experienced this, you might’ve asked yourself, how do we balance it all? That is where stress management comes in.

Whether you’re working on your business while being stuck in a nine-to-five or a busy, hardworking parent who feels like they have no time on their hands for themselves, stress management is crucial for your well-being. We’ve all had those exasperated moments where we thought of all the tasks still waiting to be done, all the future plans we have, and the limited amount of time to do them. While that is a common experience, it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. 

In this article I want to share some ways you can feel calmer and more relaxed throughout your day. While I don’t know how hectic your life is, I promise just dedicating thirty minutes a day, depending on the practice you opt to pursue, will only be beneficial. 

Why Stress Management Is Important

This may or may not be common knowledge, but stress isn’t that great for our health. But let me get this straight: stress is not bad; it is allowed to exist within our minds and bodies. Stress is key for our survival. Imagine you are getting chased by a bear; you will be stressed out and start getting into fight-or-flight mode and start to run. If that stress response didn’t exist, you would probably be dead if the bear didn’t take pity on you. But when stress does become harmful is when we are constantly exposed to it. 

Cortisol is considered the stress hormone; it is produced as part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress. Excess or dysregulated cortisol can result in cardiovascular disease, immune system impairment, and mental health disorders. Not only that, but excess or dysregulated cortisol could also contribute to changes in cognition, judgment, motivation, and mood. Constant stress exposure paired with disturbance in mood and/or cognition can warp into diagnosable medical conditions such as burnout, anxiety, depression, and trauma.I hope you can see why stress management is important.

Now my ramble above isn’t to fearmonger; I just want to educate my readers on what the potential downsides of constant stress are. I want you to feel inspired to take the initiative of stress management today. Of course, if you don’t master stress management techniques, don’t worry; I doubt you will develop cardiovascular disease. 

Stress Management Techniques

Micro Nature Breaks

Micro breaks on their own are already beneficial; in an article by PMC, they say that micro breaks boost vigor, reduce fatigue, and support performance. But micro breaks don’t count if you use the time to just doom scroll. Using your micro breaks as time to go on social media will only stress you out even further.

That’s why I recommend going outside for five to ten minutes after a deep work session. If you pair microbreaks with nature, you get double the benefits, stress relief, and work performance. Being outside is amazing for us humans. But the sad thing is, most people don’t take advantage of the natural stress reliever we have right outside our door. Instead, they go binge-watch Netflix until two am or go on TikTok to escape. 

If the weather doesn’t allow, maybe just walk around your house, or open a window and smell the fresh air. Conduct micro-nature breaks in any way that feels great to you. 

Cold exposure therapy

Cold exposure therapy counts as activities like ice baths or cold showers. You don’t need to sign up for an exclusive membership-only club to start cold exposure therapy. Starting out with thirty seconds under a cold shower is a great way to get started with cold exposure therapy. 

The effects of cold-water immersion on health and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis—PubMed showed many remarkable findings. They found that thirty seconds to two hours spent in cold exposure therapy reduced inflammation, stress, and sickness absence by 29%, as well as improved quality of sleep and life. 

Progressive muscle laughter

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), on its own, is a practice that involves tensing and then relaxing muscles in the body. It helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals to the body that it’s time to relax. It’s very helpful when the fight-or-flight response is activated during stressful and anxious timeframes

Laughter therapy is a clinical practice where humor is used to combat stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Laughter therapy lowers cortisol, elevates mood, lowers negative emotions, and alleviates stress. 

You can combine these two therapies together by tensing your muscle and then releasing the tension with a full-hearted laugh. It sounds silly, but try it!

Cook something new

Cook anything you have been wanting to try. Don’t hold yourself back from trying a new recipe out of fear that you’ll mess it up. Just laugh off mistakes and make a mental note of all mishaps for next time. 

A systematic review of the psychosocial benefits of cooking interventions found that cooking classes led to lowered anxiety, agitation, and negative effects in diverse populations comprising patients recovering from injury, people with dementia, and cancer patients. Participating in cooking also provided a distraction from negative thoughts, busied people in flow states, and improved mood. The benefits were amplified when cooking was paired with socializing or mindful eating. 

Silent buddy hangouts

I think our minds like to overaggrandize problems. You probably know this already. But having another person around is grounding. I find that the worst exaggeration sessions happen when we are all alone. Nothing is wrong with being alone; I love being alone. But when you are stuck in your head, being in the company of another person helps you anchor yourself into the present moment and remember you’re not alone.

Lab studies show that having another person present, either online or in person, helps to reduce cardiovascular responses to stress (lower blood pressure, heart rate) compared to being alone. These effects are present with or without having a conversation with that person. 

Stress journaling swap

A stress journaling swap is when you write your stressors down on a piece of paper and tear it up afterwards. Writing what is stressing you out on a piece of paper helps you see what you can and can’t control. Tearing it up gives you a sense of control and satisfaction. See if any of your current stressors can be banished with a change in your daily routine. The overstimulation from social media may be stressing you out; set a goal to stop going on social media in the morning right after you wake up and at night before you go to sleep. 

Meta-analyses and large studies confirm that journaling results in significant decreases in stress, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. The benefits stem from releasing and organizing stressful thoughts and freeing up loads of mental space.

Digital declutter hours

I know many of our jobs, schoolwork, and just our lives in general are online. Many people work in front of a desk, many students do work on a computer, and it’s hard to ever find yourself not on a device, especially with addictive social platforms. Many people have time periods where devices are not needed but are still involved with them anyway.

Maybe before you go to bed you scroll. Is that needed? Try to make it a goal to stay away from your phone for the last two hours before bed. It sounds difficult, so maybe try putting your phone away at first ten minutes before you go to bed, then thirty, then an hour, and so on till you feel confident in your ability to stay off your device two hours before bed. 

A comprehensive meta-analysis in Frontiers in Human Dynamics (2025) showed that consistent digital detox practices resulted in significant cognitive and emotional benefits, including improved attention, self-reflection, and noticeable stress reduction. A break from constant dopamine hits and overstimulation helps with better emotional regulation. 

Anger Cardio

Anger surely develops within us if we are constantly stressed out. So using that anger or stress as fuel for a run or brisk walk is an amazing outlet. Instead of taking your stress out on your family, go exercise. Not only will you feel a weight lifted off your shoulders, but you’ll also feel a lot fitter as well. 

A peer-reviewed study showed that habitual and chronic aerobic exercise improves emotional regulation ability, showing that aerobics reduces physiological arousal and negative emotions (including anger) and helps stabilize stress hormone levels. The study also showed that those who engage in fitness constantly recover faster from negative emotions and prevent anger buildup through improved emotion regulation pathways. 

Everyone deserves to explore stress management in ways they enjoy. There are many other techniques to practice stress management. You don’t have to restrict yourself to the techniques listed here. Experiment with whatever feels right to you and stick with the one that works best. You may not be able to eliminate stress entirely, but at least you have techniques to cope with it and ease the symptoms. 

I mentioned this earlier in the article, but our minds exaggerate things. Our mind goes through every potential outcome, potential comment someone could make, and potential mishap. But remember, they are all potential, not fact or reality, so why are you stressing over a possibility that is real in nowhere but your head? I know it’s easier said than done, but with the techniques above, I believe managing your stress will become easier if you stay consistent with whatever practice you choose.