The secret to keeping your stress levels low could be as simple as blowing bubbles or eating chocolate.
These quick fixes may not solve all your problems, but mental health experts say there are multiple things you can incorporate into your day to feel better.
"There are short-term things, things that you can do at work that just take minutes, " said Dr. Sandra Mills, the Clinical Director of the Lee Health Behavioral Health Center.
Stress-related disorders are at an all-time high in the United States, with more than three-quarters of adults reporting symptoms, according to the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Mills warns that while stress is a natural response, chronic stress can have serious health consequences over time.
“Stress hormones do such bad things to our bodies and mind," she said. "People develop things like diabetes, heart problems, weight gain and then mental health problems associated with it too - depression, anxiety. It's something we want to take care of."
For many Americans, making time to manage stress can feel nearly impossible.
“Everyone says to take care of your stress,” Mills said. “And it’s like, okay, well — between which meeting and which meeting?”
Lauren Millen knows this challenge well. She's a mother of two little ones and also owns a cafe in Fort Myers called Rawfully Delicious.
"It's been hard to balance out. It's definitely been a long learning curve, and you just kind of figure it out as you go," said Millen.
Millen said it’s often 9 p.m. before she’s had a moment to herself.
Despite the time crunch, Dr. Mills emphasizes the importance of taking even small moments to reset. She shared 15 techniques to try:
- Organize/declutter your space. Our heads can match our surroundings. While you're at it, create your zen zone.
- Stretch your face : A few deep breaths can go a long way. “It’s like the body’s natural relaxant,” Mills said. One method, known as lion breathing, involves a long exhale with your tongue extended to help relieve tension.
- Breathwork: 1-2-3-4-5 breathing for 5 minutes - or use Bubbles. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system (our body's natural relaxant).
- Laugh! Studies have shown that laughter has pain reduction and healing properties.
- Turn it off: Unplug to reboot. Too much social media, television, etc. can overwhelm the system
- Get grounded: Engage in "earthing". Go outside and take your shoe off to connect to the ground. Literally grounding. Close your eyes, turn your face upwards toward the sun. Pay attention to the sensations for 5 minutes. Being outside lowers cortisol levels and heart rate.
- Stop eating lunch at your desk: You can take the time to NOT do that.
- Gratitude break : Write down three things you're grateful for - research shows practicing this consistently even helps depression and anxiety.
- Have a morning ritual: How you start the day sets the tone for everything that comes afterward. Take two extra minutes to set your intention for the day.
- Adult coloring books: Color! or even start an office mural where everyone can take a break to do a bit of coloring. Creativity breaks use the right side of the brain. While both brain hemispheres play a role in stress, the right side is often associated with negative emotions and the "fight or flight" response. Engaging the right side of the brain through various activities can help mitigate stress by calming the amygdala, the brain's emotional processing center.
- Hand massage : Use lotion to massage the muscle under the thumb. It relieves stress in the shoulders, neck and scalp. Add scents for an aromatherapy boost like clary-sage, lemon and lavender.
- Drip cold water on your wrist: There are major arteries right underneath the skin - cooling these can calm the whole body.
- Put worries on paper : It gets them out of your head. Later you can do one of two things - destroy the list or engage in prescribed worry time.
- Eat chocolate : 1.4 oz of dark chocolate regulates levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
- Seek help: If stress becomes too much, get support. Lee Health is here to help when it seems overwhelming.
First, take the time to create your zen zone.
"Have your environment match what you want your head to be. I have a fountain in the aromatherapy," Mills said.
When the stress creeps up, try breathwork.
"It's kind of like our body's natural relaxant. So, don't have to spend a whole lot of time doing it, but count to five in the breathing," said Mills.
Even if you can't fit in a long walk, go outside, kick off your shoes and put your feed in the grass. This practice, called earthing or grounding, has science-backed benefits.
"Close your eyes and if you want to, you can kind of feel the sun and you just pay attention to the sensations on the ground," said Mills.
Don't have time for a massage? Hit your pressure points yourself at your desk.
"That big muscle like right under your thumb...If you massage that muscle, it starts to relieve stress in the shoulders, neck and scalp," said Mills.
When it comes to relieving stress outside of work, Mills said you should take a look at what's on your plate and try to take some things off of it.
"We tend to over schedule our kids too, where there's extra expectations for them," she said.
Millen said she tries to incorporate her kids in her peaceful practices.
"We like to go outside, go for walks, eat clean," said Millen.
At Rawfully Delicious, she offers other opportunities for families to unwind.
"We do a lot of mommy meetups. So I'll set up free crafts for the kids and then the moms come hang out, relax, de-stress a little bit, let the kids play," she said.
She and Mills agree that making time to manage stress is both a short-term and long-term investment.
"So, if you can't find 5 or 10 minutes to take care of you, you need to look at your day and say, I'm worth it, right? I'm going to actually be more productive," said Mills.
When it comes to stress or any mental health concerns, Mills said it's also important to reach out for help if it feels overwhelming.
"Sometimes, as a matter of talking to your primary care doctor about it, sometimes, behavioral health. We have lots of resources to help out," she said.
For a look at mental health resources at Lee Health, click here .