How to reduce stress: 12 techniques that actually work
By the MOJO team · Updated · 3 min read
The short answer
The fastest ways to reduce stress work on your body first: slow breathing with a longer out-breath, a short walk, or a few minutes away from the screen. The lasting ways work on your week: enough sleep, regular movement, clearer boundaries, people you can talk to, and knowing your own triggers so you can plan around them.
What stress is doing to you
Stress is your body's response to pressure. Heart rate rises, breathing gets shallow, muscles tense and your mind narrows onto the problem. In short bursts that helps you act. When it never switches off, it shows up as poor sleep, irritability, tension headaches, low mood and feeling constantly behind.
So stress relief has two jobs: calming the body in the moment, and lowering how often and how hard stress hits over a normal week.
In the moment: calm your body first
When stress spikes, it's hard to think your way out. Start with your body:
- 1. Breathe slowly with a longer out-breath: in for 4, out for 6, for two to three minutes.
- 2. Drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw and loosen your hands.
- 3. Walk for five to ten minutes, outside if you can.
- 4. Step away from screens and notifications for a short break.
- 5. Name it: say or write "I'm stressed about X". Labelling a feeling tends to take some of the heat out of it.
Over the week: lower the baseline
- 6. Protect seven or more hours of sleep. Short sleep makes everything feel more stressful.
- 7. Move most days. Regular activity is one of the most reliable ways to reduce stress.
- 8. Set a clear end to your day and a short shutdown routine.
- 9. Cut back on caffeine after midday and on alcohol, which both disturb sleep.
- 10. Spend time with people who make you feel better, even briefly.
Get it out of your head
11. Write or talk it out. A brain dump of everything on your mind, followed by one next step for each item, turns a vague cloud of worry into a list you can act on. Many people find speaking easier than writing at the end of a long day.
Find your own triggers
12. Track it. Stress follows patterns: certain days, meetings, people, short nights. A daily check-in of mood, sleep and what you did makes those patterns visible within a couple of weeks, so you can plan for them instead of being ambushed.
MOJO is built for this. Say how your day went in about 30 seconds and MOJO logs your mood, sleep and activity, keeps it as a journal entry, and shows you what tends to lift or drain your energy.
When stress needs more than self-help
If anxiety or low mood lasts for weeks, gets in the way of work, sleep or relationships, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, please talk to a doctor or mental health professional. If you're in crisis, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line such as 988 in the US or Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to reduce stress?
Slow breathing with a longer out-breath (in for 4, out for 6) for a couple of minutes, combined with relaxing your shoulders and jaw. A short walk is also very effective.
How can I reduce stress long term?
Consistent sleep, regular movement, clear boundaries around work, time with supportive people, and noticing your own triggers so you can plan around them.
Can journaling reduce stress?
Many people find it helps. Writing or talking through what's on your mind makes worries more concrete and easier to act on, and regular check-ins show patterns over time.
This guide is general wellbeing information, not medical advice. If you're worried about your mental health, talk to a doctor or mental health professional.