Hold an ice cube, shake like a dog: Surprising ways therapists advise to beat stress now
Music serves as a powerful tool to reduce stress by evoking emotion and soothing the nervous system
Most individuals grapple with stress in some facet of their lives, yet sometimes established coping mechanisms fail when feeling overwhelmed. Psychotherapists are now sharing simple, surprising techniques to manage immediate stress, seek help, and minimise daily emotional load, focusing on discharging the physiological stress response.
Recognising the alarm signs
When under stress, the body initiates the fight or flight response, explains Hannah Stebbings, an integrative therapist at Priory Hospital Barnt Green in Birmingham, UK.
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This involves physiological changes, including an increased heart rate and the flooding of the body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, reports The Guardian.
This hormonal surge leads to physical symptoms such as headaches or digestive issues, alongside emotional signs like irritability, anxiety, low mood, and lack of motivation.
These are key indicators of high stress levels, often leading to people withdrawing socially or becoming "snappy with friends, partners, children, or colleagues."
"Everyone experiences stress," says Lauren Baird, a psychotherapist from Glasgow. She emphasises the distinction between addressing the problem itself (the stressor) and dealing with the physiological response (the stress).
Even after eliminating a stressor, the hormones remain and need to be discharged. Baird uses nervous system regulation as a core focus, noting that stress that isn't dealt with will "live on in your body."
Knowing when to get help
If stress becomes overwhelming, seeking professional help is crucial.
Stebbings advises accessing NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression, usually initiated via a GP. She also highlights the Hub of Hope online directory in UK by the charity Chasing the Stigma as a valuable tool for finding local mental health services. In case of a mental health crisis or feeling unsafe, immediately calling 999 is paramount.
Have a talk
If formal therapy is inaccessible, Niro Feliciano, a psychotherapist in Wilton, Connecticut, USA suggests speaking to a trusted friend, relative, or colleague. Just having someone "willing to sit and have a coffee and a conversation" can do wonders for mental health. Baird adds that social connections are vital to de-stressing, as isolation itself is a significant stress contributor.
Simple, immediate techniques for stress reduction
1. Focus on your breath
In moments of intense stress, breathwork is important. Feliciano highlights the power of a longer exhalation for emotional regulation, as this stimulates the vagus nerve, a key part of the parasympathetic system (the body's "soothe system").
This process frees up the amygdala (the centre of fear) and brings focus back to the prefrontal cortex, where logical thought and executive functioning reside.
Stebbings recommends the 4/7/8 breathing technique as a quick way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system: inhale deeply for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale slowly for eight, as if blowing out candles.
2. Tell yourself you are having a feeling
The stressed brain tends to jump to worst-case scenarios. Stebbings uses cognitive restructuring with clients, advising them to challenge negative thoughts by asking, "What is the evidence for and against this thought?" and reframing it.
Another technique is to use the phrase, "I'm having a thought that...". If you feel overwhelmed, saying, "I'm having a thought that... I can't cope," creates distance between yourself and the thought, allowing you to step back.
3. Make a list
Feliciano suggests making a list of tasks, arguing that remembering everything wastes "neuro energy." Prioritising and seeing tasks on paper makes them less overwhelming, and crossing items off provides a dopamine hit, boosting motivation and productivity.
4. Listen to music
Music serves as a powerful tool to reduce stress by evoking emotion and soothing the nervous system. Stebbings notes that music can rapidly reduce stress by triggering happy memories or by listening to meditation music or a guided visualisation.
5. Splash your face – or have a cold shower
Cold water exposure is effective for panic, as it shocks the body into a different state. Stebbings explains that it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. After the initial shock, the body naturally shifts into a calming mode, slowing the heart rate and grounding you.
Holding an ice cube in your hand or splashing your face achieves the same effect. Building up slowly to a cold shower teaches your nervous system to cope with discomfort, reducing stress sensitivity over time.
6. Think about your gut
Feliciano suggests reducing processed foods and sugar and eating the "rainbow" of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Stebbings points out that about 95% of your serotonin is held in your gut, and the vagus nerve is the axis between mental and gut health. Eating balanced meals stabilises blood sugars and mood.
7. Prioritise sleep hygiene
Sleep acts as the body's "reset button." Stebbings stresses the need for seven to nine hours of sleep a night and recommends implementing a regular sleep routine, going to bed around the same time daily, as poor sleep amplifies stress hormones.
8. Move or shake your body
To release pent-up fight or flight energy, Baird advises meeting the survival energy where it is and giving yourself a "right good shake like a dog shaking off water." Stebbings notes that movement releases endorphins. Even a quick five minutes of star jumps or simply shaking your body can reduce stress and promote healthy emotions.
9. Consider your phone use
Screens and social media contribute to burnout by giving high hits of dopamine. When the body tries to compensate by lowering dopamine to healthy levels, anxiety and depression symptoms increase, says Feliciano. She suggests putting your phone on grayscale mode to make the screen less rewarding. Baird recommends using the Opal screentime app and creating digital boundaries, such as no screen time half an hour before bed.
10. Be mindful
Stebbings suggests focusing on being mindful and present in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or future. Feliciano advises asking yourself if you are making time for things you enjoy and if you have the motivation to do those things, which can be a key indicator of clinical depression if the desire is absent.
11. Get creative
Taking up a creative hobby like art, music, writing, or dancing is a brilliant stress reliever, says Baird. Crucially, the activity should be focused on the process itself, not on achieving something to be presented to the world.
12. Have a laugh
Baird suggests seeking out comedy or spending time with people who make you laugh uncontrollably. A deep, genuine belly laugh increases connection and creates a physiological release that completes the stress cycle.
13. Set boundaries
To avoid burnout during stressful periods like the holidays, Feliciano advises setting boundaries based on your priorities. Ask yourself what you truly want to guard and be present for. It is essential to learn to say no to things that will leave you depleted or resentful. Feliciano notes that doing less can actually lead to feeling more joyful.
Note to readers: This report is based on content from The Guardian and other media platforms. The Business Standard has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them. This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.
