About
My SD
Events
Wellness
Calendar Shop Log in / Sign up ☰

Different ways to de-stress

  1. Forms ›
  2. Coping Strategies ›
  3. Different ways to de-stress
Previous / Next

Coping Strategies
Part 6 - Different ways to de-stress

Below are some practical examples of ways in which we might de-stress, as chosen by the public at large. One thing you may notice about this list is that it doesn’t acknowledge some of the less healthy ways in which we cope – those will come later!

99 healthy ways to de-stress

  1. Meet a friend/friends
  2. Paint, draw, write or create something
  3. Find a hobby that occupies your mind, e.g. start collecting
    4. things
  4. Swim or attend the gym
  5. Read a book, a newspaper or a magazine
  6. Listen to music/sounds
  7. Create your own music/sounds
  8. Watch a film or a TV programme
  9. Listen to a radio programme/podcast/audiobook
  10. Immerse yourself in nature
  11. Take a walk
  12. Find something pleasant to stroke – or be stroked
  13. Soak in a bath
  14. Meditate, pray, consciously relax or zone out, repeat a
    15. mantra, breathe, perform a yoga movement
  15. Offload your frustrations on someone who can listen
    16. objectively
  16. Watch animals
  17. Walk a dog
  18. Get more/less sleep
  19. Plan, prepare and make a special meal
  20. Do something that will make you feel good about yourself
    21. (maybe doing something for someone else, for yoursociety or for humanity as a whole)
  21. Write a letter to someone (or yourself) which you may or
    22. may not wish to send or keep
  22. Write a list of things to do, then tick them off each time you
    23. get to achieve them
  23. Start a diary
  24. Share your thoughts and feelings
  25. Switch off your phone and computer for a spell
  26. Plan something you like/enjoy, either on your own or with
    27. friends/family
  27. Plan a holiday or something in the future to look forward to
  28. Dance or engage in movements around the room
  29. Change the environment you are in
  30. Go somewhere you have never been before
  31. Explore your neighbourhood in more detail
  32. Find ways to engage each of your senses
  33. Go to a day/evening class
  34. Learn something new
  35. Find people who energise you or avoid people who sap
    36. your energy
  36. Sit down
  37. Stop doing what you are doing for a moment
  38. Try to do nothing for a moment
  39. Find wisdom in others, young and old alike
  40. Experience different types of weather
  41. Drink something that your body will savour
  42. Eat something healthy or avoid something unhealthy
  43. Do not do something you usually do and enjoy the
    44. moment of not doing it
  44. Ask others what they do to de-stress
  45. Do something you have never done before, be it something
    46. small or large
  46. Focus on finding ways to put a smile on your face, either by
    47. yourself or reaching out to other people
  47. Organise an event
  48. Do the thing you have avoided for a long time, to get it off
    49. your shoulders
  49. Do something repetitive, like sewing, knitting or drumming
  50. Immerse yourself in the colours that you like
  51. Immerse yourself in the things that inspire you, such as art
    52. work, architecture, sculpture, etc.
  52. Get some fresh air
  53. Treat yourself to something, right now
  54. Do something silly and childish
  55. Do something that alters your appearance in some way
  56. Have something to look forward to at the end of each day
  57. Make up some characters to go into an ongoing story
  58. Cuddle someone/something and be cuddled in return
  59. Spend time with people who have a totally different take on
    60. life, such as children, young people, oldpeople, spiritual/non-spiritual people
  60. Break up your routine
  61. Do something that takes you out of your comfort zone
  62. Actively day-dream
  63. Engage more in your dreams (i.e. by remembering them
    64. and writing them down)
  64. Work out your family tree
  65. Engage more in your imaginative side
  66. Speak some words in a foreign language
  67. Make up your own language
  68. Sit in a café/park and watch the world go by
  69. Tidy up a part of your home/life
  70. Clean, slowly and deliberately
  71. De-clutter your home one piece at a time
  72. Alter the furniture in your house
  73. Play a game, either by yourself or with others
  74. Make a will
  75. Hop on a bicycle
  76. Go for a run
  77. Set yourself a realistic challenge
  78. Practice saying “no” or “yes” more often, if you are aware
    79. that you tilt one way more than the other
  79. Rehearse in your mind any future situation that may make
    80. you anxious
  80. Become part of a support group
  81. Volunteer your time to a meaningful cause
  82. Find affirmations that can work for you at any time of
    83. the day
  83. Slow down/speed up
  84. Experience what it is like to be bored – and what happens
    85. as a result of being bored
  85. Engage more/less in your spiritual side
  86. Work out what things you need to hand in order to de-stress
    87. when you are out and about
  87. Keep objects of comfort close by
  88. Learn a poem off by heart, so that you can recite it (in your
    89. head or aloud) at any moment in time
  89. Visualise something calming, pleasant
  90. Find somewhere that is quiet and peaceful
    91. to go to when you need to
  91. Design a plan of action for when stress comes your way
  92. Grow a plant/flower from seed
  93. Have sex/make love
  94. Massage yourself or receive a massage
  95. Look at the changing sky at different times of the day
  96. Wear something on your body to remind you to look after
    97. yourself (such as a badge or a brooch)
  97. Find something that will take your breath away
  98. Find a way to make another person smile
  99. Find a rescue remedy that you can turn to in an emergency

Less healthy ways to de-stress

Some ways of coping/surviving can create their own set of problems. The list below is not designed to make you feel guilty or ashamed if you use any of them. It is more about keeping things real and having an open and honest dialogue with yourself about the nature of your coping strategies.
  1. Drugs
  2. Alcohol
  3. Smoking
  4. Gambling
  5. Addictions/compulsions/obsessions/impulsive behaviour
  6. Over-eating/under-eating/eating disorders
  7. Self-harm
  8. Over-use of computer/internet
  9. Risky sex/pornography
  10. Power and control over others
  11. Anger/aggression/road rage/violence
  12. Attempting suicide

Coping diversions

Can you name some of the coping strategies you use that stop you moving forward in your life? It could be that they take you on a detour, or that they lead you astray, or round and round or, worse, that they bring you to a dead-end.

Continue reading

This interactive workbook and many more are avaliable free at My Self Detective:

Log in / Sign up / Go back

Previous / Next
  1. My SD ›
  2. Coping Strategies ›
  3. Different ways to de-stress