16 Tiny Habits to Reduce Stress
Simple changes in your daily life that can make a WORLD of difference in your stress levels.
Let’s be real…life is CRAZY! It seems to only be getting crazier. With school, work, friends, and family, we are basically guaranteed to be in a constant state of stress. And we are supposed to find time to relax too? While we cannot always control the stressful parts of our lives, we can control our response to them!
What is stress? (silly question maybe, but we figured we’d start by defining the issue)
Everyone experiences stress at some level, the way we choose to respond to that stress is what makes a big difference in our overall well-being. The World Health Organization defines stress as, “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.” It's a natural human response to the challenges and threats we face in our daily lives.
Daily stresses, like the grocery store not having the avocados you need for tonight’s dinner recipe, or a random stretch of traffic making you late on the way to work, don’t typically have long-term effects on the human body. Stress is a medical issue when it becomes chronic. Chronic stress harms more than just your mental health and can lead to a multitude of physical health problems like heart disease, weight gain, and digestive and sleep problems.
It's SO IMPORTANT to learn how to manage stress and anxiety. A lack of stress management can lead you down a slippery slope of mental and physical health issues.
General Ways to Reduce Stress
There is no right or wrong way to go about reducing your stress, and it may take some trial and error before you figure out what works. Determining the cause of your stress is the first step. Then you can brainstorm ways to make it less stressful for you. If your stress stems from something you can’t control, you may need to look for other ways to generally reduce your stress.
At the end of the day learning to properly manage your stress will improve all aspects of your life. Consider using some of these stress management strategies:
Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise
Keeping a journal to write down your thoughts (both good and bad)
Taking set time to practice your hobbies (reading, knitting, listening to music)
Prioritize the important things (and remove anything that isn’t necessary)
Set aside time to practice mindfulness
Foster healthy friendships and stay in touch with people who fill your cup
Practice self-care (read a book in the bath after a long stressful day)
Work on getting more sleep
What are tiny habits?
At Shelpful, we have found the best way to incorporate new habits into your routine is by taking your habit and shrinking it down to the tiniest version and then working your way up! My co-founder and I are habit coaches trained by the legendary behavioral scientist, Dr .BJ Fogg, the mastermind behind Tiny Habits.
The Tiny Habits method uses the idea that habits are formed through repetition and reinforcement. Establishing new habits can be extremely difficult and looking at them as a whole can be daunting, to say the least. That’s why we like to start with small, manageable habits that can be built on over time to create lasting changes and reach your end goal!
When forming new habits, we like to use this simple tiny habit equation:
Anchor (existing habit) + Tiny Habit (a miniature version of your new habit)
We tie your NEW behavior to an EXISTING behavior to make it easier for your brain to make this an automatic thing. When we put it in an existing cluster of automatic behaviors, your brain doesn’t have to spin up a whole new neural network to do the new habit.
Interested in reducing your stress little by little, with tiny habits? Check out the habit ideas we thought of down below and see how they can fit in your life, or use them for inspiration in your own habit-building!
16 Tiny Habits to Reduce Stress
After I turn off my alarm, I will pick up my journal.
After I open my curtains, I will sit down on my yoga mat (if you feel like doing yoga, great, but if not, you are still making habit progress).
After pressing start on the coffee maker, I will take my vitamins.
After finishing one cup of coffee, I will make herbal tea instead of making a second coffee (consuming too much caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety).
After I sit down for breakfast, I will write a to-do list for the day.
After I put my dishes in the dishwasher, I will open my window for fresh air.
After I greet a family member or friend, I will give them a hug (human touch has a calming effect).
After I sit at my desk, I will turn on my essential oil diffuser (lavender has relaxing effects).
After I commit to plans or an appointment, I will write it in my calendar (a quick way to stay organized and minimize feeling overwhelmed).
After I send an email, I will take 3 deep breaths.
After I close my laptop for the day, I will make a cup of tea (chamomile or mint tea is great for winding down).
After I step out of the shower, I will massage my temples.
After I lock my front door to go on a walk, I will call a family member.
After I walk into my bedroom for the night, I will set out my outfit for the next day.
After I pull down my bed covers, I will stretch down and touch my toes.
After I sit down in bed, I will pick up my book.
Remember, everyone’s stress manifests differently. Don’t feel bad if one technique doesn’t work for you, just learning to become mindful of your stressors is a HUGE accomplishment!
Building habits is HARD but it can be much easier when you have the right resources to succeed! We recommend reading Tiny Habits or exploring our habit-coaching options. Having someone to help encourage forming healthy habits can make the transition much smoother — like an accountability buddy for waking up earlier. We have BOTH AI and real-human buddies at Shelpful to help our members with sticking to their daily goals with reminders and celebrating even the smallest wins!
Let us know how you incorporate these habits into your routine! Message or tag us on Instagram / Tik Tok.
