9 Science-Backed Habits That Really Do Make Life So Much Less Stressful
Blue Bird | Canva Stress is something almost everyone experiences from time to time. When it happens, your body responds by releasing a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is often called the "stress hormone," and while it helps you get through short-term challenges, problems arise when your stress response kicks into overdrive. When cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, it can lead to weight gain, sleep problems, and an increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Over time, chronically high cortisol can even shrink parts of your brain responsible for memory and learning.
You can lower your cortisol levels by learning how to cope with stress more effectively. Research shows we can change and improve our brain health if we start early and keep working at it over time, so it's worth taking steps to change our stress patterns now.
Here are 9 science-backed daily habits that really do make life less stressful:
1. Maintaining healthy relationships
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This includes, and should even start with, the relationship you have with yourself. Are there issues you’ve hidden away or keep stepping over? Find a coach or therapist who can hear your feelings and give you strategies for change you’ll actually use. Your relationships with family, friends, co-workers, and romantic interests all need to be viewed with open eyes and a willingness to say goodbyes where doing so is best for your well-being.
Researchers behind the longest-running study on the impacts of emotional health on physical well-being, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, have found that stress has significant biological, biochemical, mental, and emotional effects on all of us, regardless of age.
According to Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School: “When we gathered together everything we knew about them at age 50, it wasn’t their middle-aged cholesterol levels that predicted how they were going to grow old, it was how satisfied they were in their relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.”
2. Getting an accurate picture of your current health
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Bodies in stressed-out condition scream for more Vitamins B, C, and magnesium. Get a complete physical and discuss the results, your daily routine, and a stress reduction plan with your doctor, including their recommendations for an optimal exercise plan. Stay attuned to any unusual or not easily explained changes that could be symptoms of high cortisol levels, such as sleep disruption, unusual weight gain or loss, or sudden mood changes.
3. Meditating and trying relaxing breathing and mindfulness exercises
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Start each day with as little as 10 to 15 minutes of guided or self-guided meditation. Consider going outside somewhere, as close as your yard or as far as a peaceful mountain trail. If you check in with your breathing throughout the day, you're likely to find it centered in your chest or throat. Work on moving it down slowly.
A study on women with Type 2 diabetes discovered that when they combined slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation with exercise, their cortisol dropped by over 30% in just six weeks. You don't need to dedicate hours, either, because even 10 to 15 minutes of daily practice can start bringing those stress hormones down.
4. Scheduling a massage
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Physical touch can be a welcoming, soothing, and muscle-relaxing break in a busy week that is none of those things. When researchers reviewed studies on massage therapy's stress-reducing effects, they found that a single session consistently lowers both your heart rate and cortisol levels right after treatment. That immediate calming effect you feel when you get off the table isn't just in your head.
5. Getting adequate rest
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Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night is essential. Unfortunately, an already high cortisol level can make this difficult. Ask your doctor about natural ways to induce or regulate sleep until your levels get back to a place where your body will go to sleep naturally. Some forms of healthy melatonin or “sleepy” herbal teas are available without a prescription.
6. Having fun
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Use your humor. Watch your favorite stand-up comedian live or on Netflix. Search for silly videos on YouTube. Get up and dance to your favorite music. Researchers who analyzed eight different studies discovered that anything that triggered genuine laughter dropped cortisol levels by about 32%, whether people were watching comedy videos or doing laughter therapy sessions. One good belly laugh session can cut your stress hormone by around 37%, so yeah, go ahead and queue up that comedy special.
7. Eliminating your sugar habit
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That same advice to eat a healthy, balanced diet applies here as it does everywhere else. Remember that alcohol is also sugar, so bring your consumption way, way down. While we’re at it, do the same with coffee or anything else with caffeine. Where there’s chocolate (sugar), there’s caffeine, except the dark, no-sugar-added variety.
Research found that diets loaded with sugar cause blood sugar to spike and crash, and those fluctuations actually activate your stress response and pump out more cortisol. Sugar might feel like it calms you down in the moment, but over time, it's just keeping your stress system fired up instead of letting it settle.
8. Petting an animal
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Our well-being is quickly enhanced when we stroke our furry friends. Our brain releases those feel-good chemicals, including dopamine, oxytocin, and norepinephrine. Research on kids going through stressful tasks found that the more they petted their dogs, the lower their cortisol levels dropped. Turns out stroking your furry friend releases oxytocin and dopamine in your brain while dialing down those stress hormones.
9. Finding something that gives you a sense of purpose
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People who feel some sense of our role in the world — be it for the next month, year, or lifetime — have access to daily happiness. This can be in the form of thoughts or actions each day. Acts of kindness, whether we offer them through humanity, Mother Nature, religion, or another spiritual focus, maintain lower cortisol levels and reduce anxiety and depression.
Paula-Jo Husack is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Life & Performance Enhancement Coach, EMDR-certified Trauma Therapist, and Founder of LeadLifeNow workshops.
