12 Ways to Decompress after High Stress

Every Thursday is Happiness Day on Zen Habits.

The last couple of days were just crazy for me. My days were jam-packed with activity, meetings, people stopping in to see me, hundreds of emails, phone calls and messages, one project after another. I am usually able to maintain calm and focus in the midst of a workday, but the last two days put my abilities to a test. I stayed calm, but the stress levels were definitely higher than I care for.

After all that, I needed to decompress.

So today is a decompression day for me. I have a number of tried-and-true methods that work for me, and I have to say, in the last 24 hours, my stress levels have dropped dramatically.

Here’s what works for me:

Deep breathing. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Now let it out … slowly. Try counting to 10 as you let out your breath. Feel the tension and stress flowing out of you with your breath. Repeat 3-10 times, as necessary.
Self-massage. I like to massage my shoulders, neck, head, lower back. It helps a lot. Even better: get your honey to do it for you! Another great relaxation technique is to tense up and then relax each muscle in your body, one at a time, starting from your toes up to your head.
Take a walk. When I’m in the middle of stress, I like to take 5, and take a walk around the building. I also do the deep breathing and self-massage mentioned above as I do so. It’s a great way of letting go of tension and allowing yourself to re-focus.
Exercise. This morning, I went to the beach at 5:30 a.m. and went for a swim. It was beautiful at the beach at around sunrise, and the swim was invigorating. Yesterday I went for a bike ride, and the morning before it was a short but refreshing run. Tomorrow I think I’ll do another short run. It really gets the stress out of your system and gives you some quiet time to think when you exercise.
Get outdoors. Even if I didn’t do the swim, just being there at the beach, with my decaf coffee (I quit caffeine, remember?), was calming. It’s nice to connect with nature and take in the beauty around you. While you’re there, stretch, yawn, take some deep breaths, and enjoy.
Sex. One of the all-time greats. It works like a charm. Seriously. It’s probably the best on the list. (Sorry, mom.)
Take a day off. That’s what I’m doing today. Don’t tell my boss. I have lots of vacation and sick leave saved up, so it’s not a problem, actually. I’m just going to veg out and allow myself to calm down and center.
Meditate. You don’t need to be trained to have a short, relaxing meditation session. Just sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes, relax, and focus on your breathing. Try to concentrate on it coming into your body, and then going out. When other things pop into your head (they will, inevitably), just acknowledge them (don’t try to force them out) and allow them to leave, and then focus again on your breathing. Do this for as long as you can, and then take a couple of cleansing breaths, and get up a new person.
Read. I like to throw myself on the couch with a good book. Well, not necessarily a good book — a page-turner. Something that will engross me completely, take my mind off everything else. John Grisham works well for me, as does William Gibson. And Terry Pratchett. Or Ann Patchett, for that matter. And Stephen King. Just get lost in their world.
Love. I like to spend time with my kids or my wife. Just snuggle with them, focus on them, forget about the world. They are all that’s important, and sometimes I need that reminder.
Disconnect. Turn off the phones, turn off the computer, and shut off the outside world for a little while. These things just raise your stress level. Go offline and forget about the online world! You can do it! Except for Zen Habits. That’s the only blog you’re allowed to read when you decompress.
Take a nap. One of my favorites. Just take a 30-minute nap, and you’re re-set! A nap is like a restart button for life.

What are your favorite ways of decompressing after a stressful day? Let us know in the comments.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

See also:

12 Ways to Decompress after High Stress

Every Thursday is Happiness Day on Zen Habits.

After all that, I needed to decompress.

So today is a decompression day for me. I have a number of tried-and-true methods that work for me, and I have to say, in the last 24 hours, my stress levels have dropped dramatically.

Here’s what works for me:

Deep breathing. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Now let it out … slowly. Try counting to 10 as you let out your breath. Feel the tension and stress flowing out of you with your breath. Repeat 3-10 times, as necessary.
Self-massage. I like to massage my shoulders, neck, head, lower back. It helps a lot. Even better: get your honey to do it for you! Another great relaxation technique is to tense up and then relax each muscle in your body, one at a time, starting from your toes up to your head.
Take a walk. When I’m in the middle of stress, I like to take 5, and take a walk around the building. I also do the deep breathing and self-massage mentioned above as I do so. It’s a great way of letting go of tension and allowing yourself to re-focus.
Exercise. This morning, I went to the beach at 5:30 a.m. and went for a swim. It was beautiful at the beach at around sunrise, and the swim was invigorating. Yesterday I went for a bike ride, and the morning before it was a short but refreshing run. Tomorrow I think I’ll do another short run. It really gets the stress out of your system and gives you some quiet time to think when you exercise.
Get outdoors. Even if I didn’t do the swim, just being there at the beach, with my decaf coffee (I quit caffeine, remember?), was calming. It’s nice to connect with nature and take in the beauty around you. While you’re there, stretch, yawn, take some deep breaths, and enjoy.
Sex. One of the all-time greats. It works like a charm. Seriously. It’s probably the best on the list. (Sorry, mom.)
Take a day off. That’s what I’m doing today. Don’t tell my boss. I have lots of vacation and sick leave saved up, so it’s not a problem, actually. I’m just going to veg out and allow myself to calm down and center.
Meditate. You don’t need to be trained to have a short, relaxing meditation session. Just sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes, relax, and focus on your breathing. Try to concentrate on it coming into your body, and then going out. When other things pop into your head (they will, inevitably), just acknowledge them (don’t try to force them out) and allow them to leave, and then focus again on your breathing. Do this for as long as you can, and then take a couple of cleansing breaths, and get up a new person.
Read. I like to throw myself on the couch with a good book. Well, not necessarily a good book — a page-turner. Something that will engross me completely, take my mind off everything else. John Grisham works well for me, as does William Gibson. And Terry Pratchett. Or Ann Patchett, for that matter. And Stephen King. Just get lost in their world.
Love. I like to spend time with my kids or my wife. Just snuggle with them, focus on them, forget about the world. They are all that’s important, and sometimes I need that reminder.
Disconnect. Turn off the phones, turn off the computer, and shut off the outside world for a little while. These things just raise your stress level. Go offline and forget about the online world! You can do it! Except for Zen Habits. That’s the only blog you’re allowed to read when you decompress.
Take a nap. One of my favorites. Just take a 30-minute nap, and you’re re-set! A nap is like a restart button for life.

What are your favorite ways of decompressing after a stressful day? Let us know in the comments.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

See also:

Posted on 26 April 2007 in Happiness |
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Comments (24)

maccnl Says:

April 27th, 2007, 3:42 am

My first comment here, so I’ll start with congratulating you with your blog! Great stuff! Keep up the good work.

12. Take a nap.

Are you familiar with Pzizzing? It’s a great way of taking a nap and totally refreshing. You basically listen to an mp3-recording of some guy saying you have to relax. Sounds pretty lame, but for me it works like a charm. Check it out (no affiliation whatsoever):

pzizz

Leo Says:

April 27th, 2007, 4:21 am

Actually, I’d forgotten about that site. Thanks for the reminder and the comment!

Jose Says:

April 27th, 2007, 9:50 am

Exercising is a great way to release stress. I totally forgot about that until I played some soccer with some coworkers yesterday after work. I’m out of shape and I pulled a muscle really bad. I’m a great deal of physical pain, but all the stress I had was one in one simple hour. Today, I woke up feeling physically exhausted but highly motivated. Perhaps, this is the jump start to do more physical activity. Btw, the suggested above are great.

What I do to relax?
-Turn on the Jazz channel and play computer games. It’s similar to reading…it takes me away from “reality”…even if it’s for a while. :)

Maura McNulty Says:

April 27th, 2007, 9:51 am

Learn from the animals, looking at the otherness in nature is refreshing, what you see may be funny, beautiful, mystical, free.

Scott Randolph Says:

April 27th, 2007, 10:44 am

Perfect timing Leo - I needed this one today. I’ll add another - cooking. Maybe that’s just me though. I love to get in the kitchen and shut one side of my brain off, and turn the other side on :)

Chris Says:

April 27th, 2007, 11:09 am

Hi, I just bought an African violet and a small bo tree for my desk. This act of “self care” totally brought me to center. Another nice outcome is that everyone else who comes in to talk work relaxes and inevitably we ditch the work talk (or approach it much more relaxed). We also wind up relaxing together. The simplest things add so much. Peace out and enjoy your day off. Chris

Habben Says:

April 27th, 2007, 13:15 pm

Another great list - thanks!

Matt Ebersviller Says:

April 27th, 2007, 14:10 pm

Nothing like listening to music for me (well sex, then music). No TV, no video, not as background noise, but as the center of all attention. Critical listening of some great tunes melts the world away for me.

Light & Dark Says:

April 27th, 2007, 18:50 pm

I’m with Matt above on the music, but I find it even more effective to play it than to just listen to it. I play trombone, so I get a bit of physical activity, plus lots of deep breathing, and some real focus that drives the day’s stresses out of my mind.

Only works when I’m at home though, obviously, as I doubt my office-mates would have the same appreciation for my efforts!

Paul

impactednurse Says:

April 28th, 2007, 3:02 am

From the point of view of a nurse working in a busy emergency department, sex is one of the best *ahem* de-briefing and de-stressing strategies you can add to your decompression toolkit.
See how we do it : http://impactednurse.com/?p=177

Ann M. Says:

April 29th, 2007, 16:24 pm

I’m with Paul on the music thing. I don’t always do it, but breaking out a guitar (or harmonica sometimes, haha) is pretty relaxing.

I also semi-meditate. I’ll just lay on my bed and stare at the stucco ceiling and the designs and swirls.

And don’t forget pets!

Michelle Says:

April 29th, 2007, 17:00 pm

Play with your pets. Take a dog for a walk at an animal shelter. Brush a cat. It’s amazing how much stress this can immediately relieve.

kristen Says:

April 29th, 2007, 18:11 pm

these are great. what an awesome article topic. please e me if you’re interested in having it reprinted in my newsletter for http://www.creativelyselfemployed.com.

Leo Says:

April 29th, 2007, 20:44 pm

Thanks for all the great tips, guys! I appreciate it. You’ve made this list so much better. I should have thought of the pets one!

Buz Says:

April 30th, 2007, 12:00 pm

First thing - Great blog. I think that anything that gets me totally “in the now” is a great stress reliever. For me that can be martial arts, sports, or being totally consumed by a woodworking project. Anytime I can just be in the here and now and not have anything else intruding into my thoughts, I tend to de-stress.

Leo Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:29 pm

Thanks Buz! And I love your suggestion — it’s right on the mark.

Ryan Says:

May 4th, 2007, 23:51 pm

Smoke a big ol’ bowl.

alex t Says:

May 13th, 2007, 11:50 am

also watering my plants works great.
and the most great is to say a little prayer many times with a low voice voice.
like “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”

Matt Heinz Says:

June 12th, 2007, 9:51 am

After work, I like to take a long walk with my wife and dog. It’s a multiple positive (as PickYourBrain would say):

1. I get some exercise
2. I get my dog some exercise after being cooped up all day
3. I get to spend some quality time with my wife, without any distractions from email, phone, etc.
4. We both end up airing some of our stresses and frustrations from the day, which by itself makes it less stressful
5. The other ends up putting the particular stressor into perspective, making it far easier to deal with

Highly recommend the walk!

jgoqqluvpa Says:

June 18th, 2007, 22:47 pm

Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! lucqdabshf

Tessy Says:

June 22nd, 2007, 16:30 pm

What works for me the most
1>cooking ,trying a new recipe ,colourful and fresh ingredients …
2>listening to music and dancing alone infront of a mirror…keith jaret does wonders as well
3>a comedy or romantic movie … takes me to lala land
4>sunset with an ipod
5>yoga is my new discovery i cried during the first session showed how much my stress level was high…by regulating the respiration we regulate the mind ….hope this makes sense
6> SEX and ICE CREAM

wez Says:

September 9th, 2007, 15:01 pm

just discovered your site - fantastic…

i work in a recording studio which can be very stressful at times, sounds strange but if i’ve had a crazy day in the studio there’s nothing like going back in there and just making some music; without purpose or direction. Maybe i’ll sit at the piano for two hours messing with the same chords. What is more, i usually end up with some useful pieces! I think the wonder of musical harmony is as much a part of nature’s beauty as a sunrise - escapism at its best!

christine Says:

November 3rd, 2007, 15:04 pm

My new favorite way to destress is sitting with no sound at all-total quite wrapped up in my jammies and a blanket at my bedroom desk reading this website. Totally amazing:) Glad I found you - what a refreshing site:)

Noa Rose Choose the Present Says:

April 2nd, 2008, 1:25 am

Your twelve work for me, and I’ve enjoyed all of them at one time or another. Painting (and other artistic pursuits) is soothing and transports me to an almost meditative state. It quiets my mind and redirects my focus to one of creating instead of stressing.