Reducing Stress: 7 Ways That Really Help in Everyday Life

The calendar is full, the phone keeps buzzing, and in the evening your thoughts keep circling. Stress is part of life, and a little of it even helps you tackle tasks. When it becomes a constant state, it is worth reducing it on purpose. The good news: the approaches that perform best in studies cost almost nothing and fit into an ordinary day.

1. Reducing stress: what stress is and when it becomes too much

The World Health Organization describes stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. It is a natural response that helps us address challenges. A little stress is useful; too much can strain body and mind.

Typical signs according to the WHO: you find it hard to relax, you feel irritable or anxious, you struggle to concentrate, you have headaches, an upset stomach or trouble sleeping. Knowing these signs helps you notice earlier when it is time to act.

The seven approaches in this article are self-care for everyday stress. They do not replace treatment when stress turns into burnout, an anxiety disorder or depression. How to recognise this and where to find help in Switzerland is covered in section 9.

2. Breathe out slowly

The fastest way to reduce stress is your breath. A systematic review found that breathing slowly on purpose, at fewer than ten breaths per minute, is linked to signs of relaxation in the nervous system, such as higher heart rate variability [3]. A meta-analysis of twelve controlled trials with 785 adults shows that breathing exercises lowered perceived stress, with a small to medium effect [1].

In a Stanford study, one exercise that emphasises the exhale did particularly well: the "cyclic sigh". 108 participants practised five minutes a day for a month. The cyclic-sighing group improved their mood more than the mindfulness-meditation group, and their resting breathing rate dropped [2]. For context: most participants were students, the study ran online, lasted four weeks and was registered only afterwards. One of the authors is neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, who also recommends the technique publicly.

How to do the cyclic sigh:

1. Breathe in twice through your nose: once deeply, then a short top-up until your lungs are completely full.
2. Breathe out long and slowly through your mouth until all the air is out.
3. Repeat, for a few breaths in a stressful moment or for five minutes in a row [2].

How Huberman builds breathing, morning light and sleep into his day is covered in our article Andrew Huberman: routines for more energy in everyday life.

3. Move, even in small doses

Exercise is one of the best-studied ways to counter stress. According to the WHO, regular exercise can help reduce stress, and walking already counts. In adults, physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.

A large overview of 97 reviews covering more than 1,000 trials found medium effects on depression, anxiety and psychological distress. More intense activity worked somewhat better [4]. To be honest: the quality of many included reviews was low, so the result is a good direction rather than an exact number.

As a guideline, the WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week for adults. That is, for example, five brisk 30-minute walks. If you are starting from zero, start smaller: the stairs instead of the lift, walking to the station, a stroll after lunch.

4. Sleep better

Stress and sleep are linked in both directions. Stress can disturb sleep, and according to the WHO, enough sleep helps the body cushion the effects of stress. The American sleep medicine societies recommend that adults regularly sleep seven hours or more per night [5].

The WHO sums up what helps you fall asleep like this:

• Fixed times: go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends.
• A calm bedroom: quiet, dark and at a comfortable temperature.
• Screens away earlier: limit TV, laptop and phone before sleep.
• Light evenings: no large meals, no caffeine and no alcohol shortly before bed.
• Move during the day: people who have been active often fall asleep more easily.

A calm evening ritual that is always the same can help you stick to these rules, because it gives the day a clear end. You will find an example in section 8.

5. Get out into nature

Just 20 to 30 minutes outdoors can be enough. In a US study, 36 city dwellers spent ten minutes or more at least three times a week for eight weeks in an outdoor place that felt like nature to them. They were free to choose where and when. The stress hormone cortisol in their saliva fell more than it does anyway over the course of the day. Per minute spent, 20 to 30 minutes brought the most benefit [6].

For context: the group was small, and the comparison was with the participants' own natural daily curve, not with a separate control group [6]. The advantage of this approach: it combines easily with exercise. And if you go out in the morning, you also get daylight, which helps set your internal clock. More on this in the Huberman article on morning light.

6. People who are good for you

Talking brings relief. The WHO advises staying in touch with family and friends and sharing worries with people you trust. This can lift your mood and help you feel less stressed.

How strong this buffer can be was shown in an experiment in Zurich: 37 healthy men had to give a speech and do mental arithmetic in front of an audience, a standard test for social stress. Those who could be supported by their best friend beforehand had less cortisol in their saliva [7]. The limitation: a small group, men only, a lab setting.

For everyday life, this means: a phone call, a walk together or an honest conversation in the evening are not a waste of time but part of reducing stress.

7. Short mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness means noticing what is happening right now, without judging it. The best-studied format is the eight-week MBSR programme (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction). A meta-analysis of 29 studies with 2,668 healthy adults found large effects on stress and medium effects on anxiety and low mood [8]. The studies did, however, differ a lot from each other.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) considers meditation and mindfulness low-risk, but stresses that there is little research on possible side effects. Some people experience unpleasant feelings such as anxiety while meditating. If you notice this, feel free to pause or choose a different exercise.

According to the WHO, a few minutes a day are enough to practise the self-help exercises in its stress guide. Three mindfulness exercises for everyday life:

1. Watch your breath for one minute. Close your eyes or lower your gaze. Simply count your exhales up to ten, then start again. When your thoughts wander, gently come back.
2. A three-minute body scan. Let your attention move slowly from your feet to your head. Where is there tension? Nothing needs to change, just notice.
3. Do one everyday action with full attention. Brushing your teeth, drinking coffee or brushing your hair, fully present with the smell, the sound, the touch.

8. Scalp massage as a calm ritual

A scalp massage can measurably lower stress, at least when done by hand. In a study from South Korea, 34 office workers, all women, received a 15- or 25-minute scalp massage twice a week for ten weeks. Compared with the control group, the stress hormones cortisol and noradrenaline as well as blood pressure changed measurably [9].

What we can say: slow, gentle touch is perceived as especially pleasant. In a lab experiment, people whose skin was stroked with a soft brush preferred a speed of about 1 to 10 centimetres per second, roughly a hand's width per second [10]. This was tested on the forearm and palm, not on the scalp.

How to turn it into a short evening ritual:

1. Start with your fingertips. Two to three minutes of slow, circular movements from the hairline over the crown to the nape of the neck. This comes closest to the hand massage that was studied.
2. Then brush through slowly. Calm strokes from the scalp to the ends, about a hand's width per second, with little pressure. Many people find this a pleasant way to finish.
3. Breathe out as you go. Pairing the brush strokes with a long exhale combines two approaches from this article.

How often and how gently brushing is good for your hair is covered in Is brushing your hair healthy? How often and with what.

9. When to get help

Most people cope well with stress. But if it becomes persistent and affects work, school or relationships, a mental health condition may be behind it, most commonly an anxiety disorder or depression. According to the WHO, this belongs in professional hands. Burnout cannot be breathed away either.

10. Self-care without buying anything: what this has to do with QUOALA

Look at the seven approaches again: breathing, walking, sleeping, being outdoors, talking, pausing, massaging your scalp. None of them needs a product. For us that is not a contradiction but the core of our standard Practice: you know what works, and you decide what fits into your day.

Knowledge alone does not reduce stress, though. The hard part is doing it every day. That is where we see our role: not as the solution, but as a small, tangible anchor for a routine you want anyway. A hairbrush that lies in the same place every evening can be the signal to end the day, put the phone away and breathe slowly for a few minutes. It does not lower stress, and we do not promise that it does.

11. Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading