24 Apr Stress-Busting Tips

Stress can put a wrinkle in your productivity and your health. Try these science-backed cures to keep yourself feeling calm.

Take a lunchtime stroll in a park. Spending time in green spaces can lower the stress response. If you can’t take time off to go hiking, try a brief walk in a local park.

Read during your flight. A University of Sussex study found that six minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by 68 percent.

Sign up for after-work yoga. University of Utah researchers found that yoga practitioners had a higher pain tolerance because they had a more regulated response to stress.

Practice mindfulness. Participating in a mindfulness meditation program may lead to a moderate reduction of stress.

Indulge your sweet tooth. Nibbling on a piece of dark chocolate not only might reduce stress but could improve your memory and your mood, say researchers at Southern California’s Loma Linda University.

Sit up straight. There’s a reason you shouldn’t slouch. Researchers at New Zealand’s University of Auckland found that sitting upright keeps stress at bay.

Write down happy thoughts. Forget journaling about your fears. A study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that those who wrote daily about positive experiences reported lower stress and anxiety.

Let classical music soothe you. Nervous about about an upcoming event? Patients who listened to classical music before a medical procedure were less stressed than those who didn’t.