How to calm yourself down if you're stressed at work
Cortisol is the hormone responsibile for sending the body into stress - here's how to beat it
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Everyone experiences stress from time to time, but there are some small things that can be done to combat it.
Whether you take a five minute break to take a walk outside, or spend a few minutes concentrating on your breathing while at your desk, here are some tips for getting through the day.
1) Breathe slowly and deeply
When you get stressed, you tend to breathe quicker and may end up hyperventilating. If you take the time to concentrate on slowing down your breathing, taking even and deep breaths, you can trick your body into thinking you’re calmer than you actually are.
2) Tense your muscles
Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone”. A study showed that after some gentle movement such as Tai chi or a brisk walk, levels of cortisol in participants lowered.
Another study, this time from Stanford University published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that people who walked for 90 minutes in a rural environment as opposed to an urban setting showed decrease activity in the portion of the brain that is associated with depression.
A study at the medical school of the University of Malaysia looked at the effects of PMR among soccer players. They measured the levels of stress, depression, fatigue and tension a week before they undertook relaxation training, and post training tests revealed a measured reduction in those stress levels.
3) Listen to classical music
It’s proven that classical music promotes long-term heart health as well as reducing stress. A study by the University of Oxford found that music that matched the rhythm of the body could help bring down blood pressure.
Research undertaken in universities in France found that students who attended lectures that had classical music played in the background scored higher in quizzes where students who listened to no music during lectures. The researchers theorised that listening to the music heightened the students emotional state, leaving them more susceptible to taking in information.
4) Do some reading
Reading silently for six minutes can slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles. The University of Sussex and Mindlab International found that reading could reduce stress levels by up to 68 per cent, so keep a book or kindle in your desk and have a read during your lunch break for extra calm.
5) Take a break and go for a short walk
Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone”. A study showed after some gentle movement such as Tai chi or a brisk walk, levels of cortisone in participants lowered.
6) Think about your stress in a different way
Can you use your stress to help motivate you to complete difficult tasks? It’s been proven that if you realign how you think about your stress and use it to bolster you to complete tasks, you can reduce your actual stress levels.
One study asked one set of participants to think about physical stress during a stressful task as functional, whereas another set were given no instruction. The group that were told to think about their stress functionally reported increased cardiac efficiency – in other words lower stress levels.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments