19 Scientifically-Proven Stress Relief Activities for Adults

This post is about all things stress relief activities for adults. It includes 19 scientifically-proven activities to melt away your stress so you can access deep relaxation.

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Life these days…it’s stressful. In fact, 55% of Americans experience stress every single day. 

There is an untenable impact of modern living on our mental health and our stress and anxiety rates are growing year over year. 

My stress doesn’t end there, it’s linked to all kinds of chronic diseases.

So it’s time to make stress relief a priority.

That’s why we’re here to provide you with 19 stress relief activities for adults with ideas ranging from quick 5 minute activities that you can use any time of day to long-term solutions. 

With just a little bit of investment of your time and attention, you’ll be experiencing deep stress release and unlock blissful tranquility. 

Why Adults Face Unique Stress Challenges

Serious mental health issues are on the rise across the world. The World Health Organization estimates that there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions in the last decade. That means that 1 in 5 people are living with mental health disabilities. 

Why is this happening? 

There are several common sources that we tend to attribute to rising stress and anxiety levels. 

First, the modern workplace is changing and ever-increasing workloads are largely to blame for work-related stress. Employees are facing higher demands than ever before with tighter and tighter deadlines. Meaning more pressure and more hours spent working. 

Secondly, today’s digital age is putting undo strains on parents. Technology can negatively affect a child’s development of social skills, relationships, health, and ability to focus. This puts additional responsibility on parents and they can often feel like they are fighting a losing battle. 

Lastly, due to inflation and other long-term financial trends, it’s becoming harder and harder to maintain a high quality of life and many are finding it difficult to keep up with the “rat race.”

These factors, and many others, are leading to a stressed out, anxious, and depressed adult population. Which means there’s a huge need for stress relievers for adults. 

The Science Behind Stress

Back in the day, humans were programmed to fight or flight. 

Imagine a time when you might be chased by a bear, you really have just two options. You can fight it or you can run away. 

Although times have changed and it’s not often we’re chased by bears in our day-to-day lives, our stressed reaction has stayed the same. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, when we’re faced with a perceived threat, our body produces a surge of hormones, primarily adrenaline and cortisol. They each play a role in giving you more energy and making you more alert – more prepared to fight or flight. 

But in today’s world, we are faced with constant micro-stressors and this leads to an always-on stress response. With consistently higher levels of these stress hormones, it puts us at risk for all kinds of health problems like anxiety, depression, digestive problems, heart disease and so on. 

Stress relief activities can help you to turn off this stress response and allow the body to reset.

How To Incorporate Stress Relief Activities 

Stress relief is incredibly important to leading a balanced and enjoyable life. Although it can be hard to establish a practice, once you’ve found the right stress reliever for you, it’s simple to maintain and will leave you feeling much better. 

Everyone is different so try out several stress relief activities and see what works best for you. There are so many ways to relieve stress, this post could not possibly list all of them. Make sure you tune into your own body and notice how you react to different types of activities.

19 Scientifically-Proven Stress Relief Activities for Adults

1. Deep Breathing Exercises 

Breathing exercises use a variety of techniques to take slow, deep, and full breaths. These breaths activate the body’s relaxation response, disrupting your natural stress reactions. By slowing down your breath, you can communicate to your body that you are safe and out of harm’s way. 

How to do it:

There are so many different types of breathing techniques to explore, but we’ll start with a simple one called box breathing. Here’s how you do it:

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Slowly inhale through your nose on the count of four.
3. At the top of your inhale, hold your breath for a count of four.
4. Then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
5. Repeat several times.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

PMR is a stress relief activity where you tense and slowly release each muscle group. The tensing and relaxing helps to relieve built up tension. It allows you to get in touch with your bodily sensations and practice focused breathing. If it sounds weird to you and you’ve never tried it before, we highly suggest giving it a go. It’s actually quite surprising just how much stress relief you experience.

How to do it:

There are many ways to perform progressive muscle relaxation and it’s a technique that can be scaled up or down to many situations whether you’re laying down for a ten minute session or just need to release some stress while driving. In essence, here’s how it’s done.

1. Get into a comfortable position.
2. Start with your toes and work your way up to your head.
3. Tense each muscle group for five to ten seconds as hard as you can.
4. Then release and repeat two to three times.
5. Move to the next group and repeat until you’ve reached the top of your head.

3. Yoga

I’m guessing you’re probably already familiar with yoga. It’s a practice of mindful movement that consists of a series of poses and breathing exercises practiced in repetition to clear the mind and prepare the body for deep rest – called savasana in Sanskrit.  The combination of active practice and passive relaxation is a great way to melt away stress. 

How to do it:

From power yoga, to hatha, and yin, you have so many options when it comes to your yoga practice. If you’re a total beginner, try out a class at home and see if you like it. From there, join a local class or studio for more in depth training. 

Yoga with Adriene has a TON of videos and this 30-min yoga for stress relief is a great place to start.

4. Meditation

Meditation seems to have become the cure-all practice in the last couple of years. It’s risen in popularity so much that it’s hard to avoid at this point. There are so many forms of meditation (I’m seeing a trend here), but in essence, it’s the practice of focusing the mind and eliminating external distractions. It’s so powerful because it reduces activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that’s responsible for your stress response. 

How to do it:

The simplest form of meditation requires no fancy equipment, apps, or special recordings. All you need to do it:

1. Find a quiet space.
2. Sit comfortably (you don’t need to have your legs crossed.)
3. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath.
4. When thoughts and distractions arise, notice them but return to your focused breathing. 

There are tons of amazing tools to help you with your meditation practice. Our favorite is the Insight Timer App because it has tons of different types of stress relief activities available for free.

5. Movement

You’ve probably already been told that exercise is a great way to relieve stress but even the word “exercise” can trigger stress in some people. We decided to use the word movement instead, which is less about going to the gym and working up a sweat and more about moving your body in a way that feels good for you. Movement releases endorphins which are natural painkillers and mood elevators. No matter the activity, it’s very likely to leave you feeling better. 

If you don’t know where to start, check out this article with Fitness Routines for Busy Women in Their 20s. It’s full of inspiration for how to get started with incorporating daily movement into your life.

6. Nature Walks

Speaking of movement, walking is one of the best stress relievers for adults out there. Plus, when it’s combined with time in nature, it’s a double whammy for stress relief. Did you know that a 20-minute walk in nature is scientifically-proven to relieve stress? 

You probably don’t need any instructions for how to do this one 🙂

7. Journaling

Did you keep a diary as a kid? Can you think back to how helpful it was to just get your thoughts on paper? (Even if there was an ever-present chance that someone might read it.) Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences provides an emotional outlet and gives you a new perspective on the things that might be stressing you out. 

How to do it:

• Find a daily or weekly time to set aside for journaling.
• Write freely, trying not to censor yourself. 
• Express your positive and negative feelings without fear of judgment. 
• That’s it. It doesn’t have to be complicated!

8. Art Therapy

Art therapy is all about expressing oneself through art using whatever medium speaks to you like painting, drawing, or sculpting. It helps to facilitate your self-exploration and aids in processing emotions, often the ones that are buried deep down. Plus, it’s pretty fun! 

How to do it:

1. Choose a medium and collect the supplies you’ll need.
2. Let your creativity flow without focusing on perfection. 
3. Explore different colors and forms to depict your emotions and experiences. 

9. Music Therapy

Similar to art therapy, music therapy is all about self-expression. Music is a powerful tool to address physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. And, it stimulates the release of dopamine, which is a feel-good hormone. You don’t need to play an instrument to practice music therapy, you can also listen and enjoy.

10. Acupuncture

This stress relief activity for adults is an ancient Chinese practice that uses tiny needles to stimulate specific points on the body. It helps to regulate energy flow and can reduce the symptoms of stress. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven. There is evidence that acupuncture can decrease the stress response and even help with symptoms of depression. 

11. Massage

Even if we aren’t aware, many of us hold our stress in different parts of the body. Whether it’s in your shoulders, in-between your eyebrows, or in your stomach, massage can be a great way to relieve built up tension. If you needed a sign to go get a massage, let this be it. But in case, it’s not in your plan, why not try some self massage? 

12. Aromatherapy

Scents have a surprisingly big effect on the brain. Scents from essential oils send a signal to the brain when inhaled. In response, the brain releases different feel-good hormones like serotonin and endorphins. This release can provide a feeling of relief for you. Look for stress-relieving oils like lavender and chamomile and use them in the form of a roller applied directly to the skin or in a diffuser for a steady release.

13. Guided Imagery

Close your eyes and imagine your happy place. I’m sure you’ve heard this line before but guided imagery is a lesser known tool that can be really effective in releasing stress. Done correctly, it can help you to build a peaceful inner world that you can escape to at any time. Peaceful beach vacation any time of day? I’m in.

14. Reading

Speaking of escaping to other worlds…reading is one of the best ways to stimulate the imagination and provide the brain a mental break from the challenges of everyday life. And it doesn’t have to be a novel, magazines, poetry, short stories, and nonfiction are all great options too.

15. Dancing

Dance like nobody’s watching. No we’re serious, give it a try. Moving rhythmically to music can provide a huge rush of endorphins and be used as an emotional outlet. Whether you join a dance class or dance freely at home, the benefits are the same. Why not turn every time you brush your teeth into a little dance party?

16. Gardening

We already talked about the benefits of being out in nature, which is why gardening is a great activity for stress relief. You don’t need a bunch of outdoor space to do it. Start small with some indoor plants, or look into renting out a plot in a communal garden. There’s nothing quite like getting your hands dirty to melt the day’s stress away.

17. Laughter

We’ve all heard the phrase, “laughter is the best medicine” and it’s not a myth…well you may not be able to claim that it’s the “best” but it’s certainly healing in many ways. What you may not know is that your body can’t tell the difference between real spontaneous laughter and your fake laugh.

18. Animal Therapy

Did someone say puppies? I already feel less stressed. Interaction with animals reduces our feelings of loneliness and anxiety. If you don’t have a pet at home, head to a local animal shelter and share the love with animals that need it most.

19. Seek Out Professional Help

This is perhaps the most important stress relief activity for adults on the whole list. If you are struggling with stress and anxiety, you don’t need to do it alone. Seek out professional help in the form of therapy or counseling. It might seem like a big hurdle to cross but your future self will thank you. You only have one life to live so make sure you’re getting the most out of it. You deserve to be happy and healthy. 

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We hope this provided the info you needed to incorporate stress relief activities into your life. There are so many ways to relieve stress so make sure you find something that works for you.

These 19 stress relief activities for adults are just the start!

Tell us below what brings you the most stress release?

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Posted By: Victoria · In: mental health