Can’t Meditate? 9 Other Kick Ass Ways to Actually Manage Stress

By Julia Balto | February 6, 2018 |

All the beaming yogis, lifestyle bloggers and elite wellness gurus talk about it.

Meditation is THE secret sauce, the “be all, end all” for the health of your entire mind-body-spirit. It’s the absolute must-do that is the only path to beating stress, anxiety, overwhelm, depression, and the Sunday night blues.

Don't get me wrong; practicing meditation is an excellent approach to optimizing your mental and physical health.

It has been shown to reduce blood pressure, inflammation, PMS symptoms and chronic pain and fatigue. It’s also bomb at reducing anxiety, depression, ADHD and yes, stress.

But is it the only way to get there? Lord, I hope not.

The whole purpose of meditating is to calm the thoughts and emotions racing through our mind at 500 mph while simultaneously relaxing and connecting to our physical body.

We meditate so that we can get out of our heads, shut off autopilot, and tune back into the present moment.

But if you’re anything like me that still doesn’t mean that you want to do it….all the time…or ever. I do meditate, it’s a practice I’m building and working to make more consistent. Does that mean I do it all the time? Hell no.

Sometimes I’m tired and just can’t bring myself to concentrate. Other times I’m busy throughout the day and can’t find a quiet space. And other days I’m just lazy and really don’t wanna #netflixforthewin.

I am pleased to report that meditation is not your only option when it comes to managing stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, I can think of 9 other things you can do right now that don’t have anything to do with meditating and are guaranteed to calm you the f*ck down.

Journaling

Spending even 5-10 minutes every day writing out your thoughts is insanely helpful in relieving stress. You can use journaling to list the things you're grateful for aka gratitude journaling. You can use it as a "brain dump" to get all of your thoughts and ideas out of your head and calm your mind. You can use "ever since" journaling to describe your life after you reach your goals, e.g. “Ever since I stopped caring what people think of me I’ve…”

Reading

It’s one thing to read to learn something that you have to learn or to advance your knowledge. But when is the last time that you read for pure pleasure? Bust out your library card or Amazon cart and dive into a book that is JUST for fun. Get caught up in a story (extra points if it has a wizarding world or another dimension entirely) and just relax.

Coloring

Adult coloring books are all the rage! Not *that* kind of adult, but coloring pages with lots of detail and tiny areas to color in. Something that can take you hours. You can always opt for something simple, like kids coloring pages too. The idea is the same. Repeated movements and focusing on the art you’re creating can help to focus on just the present moment and clear your mind.

Knitting, crocheting, weaving (or other crafts)

Knitting, crocheting or other yarn activities are a great way to de-stress; this is a skill that comes in all levels from beginner to advanced. You can choose a quick little rectangular scarf to make or a detailed sweater. Once you get into the flow of these skills, they're great to do when you're feeling stressed. Having something simple to focus your thoughts and hands-on relaxes your mind and you create ugly (or terrific if you craft better than I do) gift options for all of your family and friends.

Exercise

Pay attention to what your body is really craving here. Both vigorous and gentle exercise is excellent for managing stress - and it’s not always your default. If you’re regularly cross training, spinning, or hitting the gym a gentle yoga session or walk might be just what you need physically and mentally. That being said if your routine is usually gentler, an intense kickboxing session or run can be a heart rate increasing, sweat inducing, and extremely effective stress channel.

Sleep in or take a nap

Not shockingly, a common cause of increased stress hormones is a lack of sleep. Too little sleep and too much stress go hand-in-hand. So, getting enough good quality sleep is important to help you break free from stress without having to meditate. When is the last time you took a hot bath, put on a clean pair of PJs and got into bed for an uninterrupted 10 hours of sleep?

Treat yo’self

Love massages or mani/pedi's? Does taking a long bath and lighting candles sound dreamy? Maybe cupcakes, a trip to the mall, or deprivation tanks are more your thing. Spending some time to pamper yourself regularly isn’t selfish. It’s a form of self-care and it’s great for your mind, body, and spirit.

Spend time in nature

You don’t have to head away for vacation to relax in nature. I mean, I’ll take a beautiful beach or cabin in the woods any day, but you don’t have to go that far. Take your shoes off and feel the grass on your feet at the local park, take a walk down the wooded trail in your neighborhood, or grab lunch outside at a café and soak up the sun. A little goes a long way.

Make time for people and pets you love

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your work and to-dos that you don’t make time for the people and animals that make it all worthwhile. Loneliness is a real crappy feeling and there’s a ton of research coming out highlighting its nasty effects. Don’t wait for other people to contact you. Make it a point to actively reach out and hang out with your bffs, walk your dog, and snuggle on the couch with your furbaby at least once a week.

Stress reduction is the goal. How you do it, be it meditation or otherwise, doesn’t really matter.

What’s important is that you find what works for you.

Try journaling, reading, coloring, knitting/crocheting, exercise, sleep, pampering yourself, spending time in nature, and making time for people and pets you love.

Have other great ideas? Let me know what helps you de-stress in the comments below!

Recipe (calming): Lavender Essential Oil

Instructions to inhale directly:

Add up to 6 drops of undiluted essential oil to a handkerchief/tissue and inhale occasionally. Use up to 3 times per day.

Instruction for steam inhalation:

Add 3 - 12 drops of undiluted essential oil to a bowl of steaming water. Inhale slowly and deeply for 5 - 10 minutes. Use up to 3 times per day.

Tip: Lavender isn't the only calming essential oil. You can also use cedarwood, chamomile, frankincense, grapefruit, jasmine, juniper, laurel, lemongrass, marjoram, nutmeg, patchouli, peppermint, rose, rosewood, sage, sandalwood, scotch pine, spearmint, star anise, sweet basil, sweet orange, thyme, or ylang ylang.

References:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/getting-control-stress

http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-power-and-prevalence-of-loneliness-2017011310977

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stress/relaxation.htm

https://www.dietvsdisease.org/do-essential-oils-work/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/

http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/atReq.do?atid=aromatherap&lang=eng