How to Relieve Stress When Your Body Can't Relax and Your Mind is Racing
Stress acts like an invisible roommate that quietly moves into everyday life. At first, it only occasionally reminds you of its presence with a racing heart before a meeting, a tight stomach, or restless sleep. But when long-term pressure at work, caring for family, financial uncertainty, or endless news on the screen add up, stress starts to be everywhere. Then come the questions people ask more and more often: how to get rid of stress, how to reduce stress levels, or even how to get rid of stress and anxiety, when it's no longer just a "bad day" but a prolonged state. The good news is that stress is not a personal failure or proof of weakness. It's a biological reaction that made sense when it was about survival. The bad news is that today's stressors often don't go away on their own – which is precisely why it's worth learning to handle them smartly, humanely, and sustainably.
Stress itself is not pure evil. In the short term, it can provide energy, focus, and performance. The problem arises when the body and mind behave as if the threat is constant. Long-term stress can manifest as irritability, fatigue, mood swings, headaches, poor digestion, cravings for sweets, but also as losing joy in things that used to work. Sometimes anxiety comes along – vague tension, worries, black scenarios. In such moments, it's not just about how to get rid of stress, but also how to fight fear and nervousness, which often "stick" to stress and reinforce it.
Why stress increases and why it's not enough to just "switch off"
Modern life is full of micro-triggers: notifications, pressure to perform, social media comparisons, multitasking, noise, lack of greenery, irregular schedules. However, the body does not distinguish whether the threat is a saber-toothed tiger or an email with the subject "URGENT". It reacts similarly: the stress axis is activated, stress hormones are released, breathing and heart rate speed up. When this happens day after day, the nervous system struggles to return to a resting state. And that's when people often feel like they "can no longer relax."
It's important to understand that stress management is not about one miraculous method. It's more a collection of small habits that gradually reduce the load and increase resilience. Some start with sleep, others with movement, and others need to straighten boundaries at work. A combination often helps, because stress is like water – it finds its way where the crack is largest.
There's also a very practical reason why "switching off" can't be done on command: when the nervous system is on alert, the brain focuses on risks. Attention narrows, internal tension increases, and there's a tendency to react impulsively. This is not laziness or lack of willpower. It's biology. And that's why techniques to reduce stress that work directly with the body make sense – because the body often calms the mind before the mind can do it on its own.
Stress-reduction techniques that can be used immediately
Sometimes stress flares up in the middle of the day: before a presentation, in a traffic jam, during an unpleasant phone call. In such moments, it's useful to have short procedures at hand that reduce tension within minutes. They don't require special tools or "spiritual performance," just a bit of attention.
Let's start with the most accessible: breathing. When a person is stressed, they often breathe shallowly and quickly, confirming to the body that there is "danger." Conversely, a slow exhale is a signal that the situation is manageable. A simple method is a prolonged exhale: inhale through the nose for four counts and exhale for six to eight counts. A few cycles can significantly reduce tension in the chest and abdomen. It's not magic; it's physiology: a longer exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with calm and regeneration.
Adding a short "reset" of attention often multiplies the effect. The technique 5–4–3–2–1 helps: find five things that are visible, four that are audible, three that can be touched, two that can be smelled, and one that can be tasted. It sounds simple, but in practice, it takes the brain out of the whirlpool of thoughts and brings it back to the present. And the present is often less frightening than the scenarios in the head.
Similarly effective is a short muscle relaxation. Stress likes to settle in the jaws, shoulders, and neck. Just lift the shoulders to the ears for a few seconds, tense them, and then let them drop with an exhale. Some people are helped by gentle stretching, others by a few squats or brisk walking up stairs. Movement is a natural "vent" for the stress energy the body prepared for flight or fight.
And what if fear and nervousness come along? Typically before a performance, exam, or important conversation. In such situations, it is useful to stop fighting the feeling itself and instead name it. A short sentence in mind like "I feel nervous now" often helps because the brain stops perceiving the emotion as an unclear threat. As Viktor Frankl said: "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response." This space can be trained with small steps.
A single list in the article can be useful as a quick "pocket kit" for challenging moments:
- Prolonged exhale (4 counts inhale, 6–8 counts exhale) for 2–3 minutes
- Grounding 5–4–3–2–1 to return to the present
- Shoulder and jaw relaxation (tense–release) several times in a row
- Short movement (brisk walk, stairs, a few squats) to release tension
- Naming the emotion ("I feel fear/nervousness") instead of fighting it
These small things won't rewrite an entire lifestyle, but they often decide whether stress "gets stuck" in the body for hours or dissipates within minutes. And that's precisely their power.
Long-term stress management: habits that reduce stress levels
Short techniques are first aid. But if stress returns every day, it's worth asking the unpleasantly practical question: what actually feeds it? Long-term stress reduction is based on three pillars: routine, environment, and relationships (including the relationship with oneself). It's not about perfectionism – that often paradoxically becomes a source of stress. It's about small corrections that can be maintained.
Sleep plays a big role. When there's not enough of it, the brain is more sensitive to threats, concentrates less well, and emotions easily flare up. It's not necessary to have a perfect evening routine, but regularity helps: a similar time for going to sleep and waking up, less bright light in the evening, and if possible, a calmer last hour before bed. Sources like the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long highlighted that lack of sleep is associated with impaired stress management and various health risks (see sleep information on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/).
The second pillar is movement, which doesn't have to appear as a sporting performance. Regular walking, cycling, swimming, or calm yoga can help reduce tension and improve mood. Natural movement outside also has a bonus: daylight supports the circadian rhythm, and nature tends to be calming for the nervous system. Those looking for clear recommendations can look at the World Health Organization (WHO) and its general recommendations on physical activity (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity).
The third pillar is daily "information hygiene." The brain is not built for constant attention-switching. If the day consists of fragments, internal restlessness increases, and stress has more room. A simple rule helps: allocate a few windows for emails and messages, turn off some notifications, and allow at least short stretches of focus. Sometimes even a small change helps: moving the phone from the bedroom to the hallway, so the morning doesn't start with a "world alarm."
Long-term stress management also includes boundaries. People often look for how to reduce stress levels, but at the same time, automatically say "yes" to everything that comes. Boundaries are not rudeness; they are the guidelines that allow functioning without constant overload. Sometimes it means not taking work calls in the evenings, other times refusing another task because there's no room for it. It sounds simple, but in practice, it's a skill that is learned gradually – and often brings faster relief than another meditation app.
And what about food? On its own, it won't eliminate stress, but it can worsen or, conversely, soothe it. Too much caffeine, irregular eating, and sharp blood sugar spikes can increase nervousness, palpitations, and irritability. Conversely, regular meals, enough fluids, and simple, quality food tend to be surprisingly stabilizing for the psyche. A sustainable approach also means not punishing oneself with "perfection," but finding realistic steps: having a snack on hand that satisfies, choosing water over a third coffee, adding more real foods to the day instead of random calories "on the go."
A real-life example: stress that appeared as "just a demanding period"
Let's imagine a situation familiar to many: a work project drags on, regular home logistics are running, and there's no energy left in the evening. A person starts to notice that they fall asleep with their phone in hand, wake up tired, and run on coffee during the day. In meetings, they're more irritable, and at home, they easily get angry over small things. Meanwhile, they tell themselves they will "somehow manage" because it's not anything dramatic.
Then a moment comes when anxiety adds in: on the tram, the heart rate speeds up, hands sweat, and a thought flashes, "what if something happens to me." Suddenly, the topic of how to get rid of stress and anxiety is on the table – not theoretically, but practically, because it limits everyday life.
In such a situation, a combination of small interventions often helps: reducing caffeine in the afternoon, adding two shorter walks back into the week, setting an evening "offline" half-hour without news, and adding a simple breathing technique at the first signs of tension. Not to be "zen," but for the body to start learning again that calm is accessible. Moreover, if it's possible to ask for a more realistic deadline at work or divide tasks, stress often significantly decreases – because part of the problem wasn't in the psyche, but in the overloaded capacity. This shift is often surprising for many people: relief doesn't come from "trying harder," but from starting to function more sustainably.
When to seek help? If stress and anxiety persist for a long time, worsen sleep, relationships, or the ability to work, or if panic attacks or feelings of hopelessness appear, it's appropriate to turn to a professional. A psychologist or psychotherapist can offer structure and tools tailored to the individual. Reliable information and resources on mental health are provided by organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) (https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health). Seeking help is not a failure; it is a form of prevention, just like visiting a doctor for long-term pain.
Stress cannot be erased from life, but it can be negotiated with. Sometimes a few minutes of breathing work helps, other times a change in routine, sometimes an honest conversation, and occasionally a decision to slow down. When it's possible to find ways to fight fear and nervousness, without fighting oneself, stress gradually loses part of its power. And perhaps that's ultimately the most practical definition of what well-managed stress management means: not a life without pressure, but a life where calm is once again attainable even in the midst of a busy day.
