How to lower stress without effort

When you are under stress, the last thing you want is a to-do list to reduce it. That is why this guide brings together only strategies that take little time and little effort, and that have scientific evidence: breathing more slowly for a few minutes, walking, spending time outdoors, protecting your sleep, talking to someone.

None of them makes problems disappear. But, added together, they help the body come out of "alert mode" and reduce the impact of chronic stress on health, including on the skin and hair. In meta-analyses, the effects are moderate and consistent, and the best result comes from repeating them every day.

At the end, we also explain when stress stops being something to deal with on your own and needs professional help.

Acute and chronic stress

Stress is a normal, useful response. When faced with a challenge, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol: the heart speeds up, the muscles get ready, attention increases. When the challenge passes, everything returns to normal.

The problem arises when the alert does not switch off:

Why it matters

Chronic stress is associated with poorer sleep, more anxiety and depression, higher blood pressure and poorer eating habits. On the skin and hair:

• intense events can trigger diffuse hair loss 2 to 4 months later (telogen effluvium);
• stress is cited as a trigger of alopecia areata and of flare-ups of skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis or atopic dermatitis;
• in mice, the stress hormone put hair follicles into a "pause" (Choi et al., 2021).

We explain this link in Stress and hair loss: what is known.

Seven low-effort, evidence-based strategies

1. Slow down your breathing

It is the quickest and is always available. A meta-analysis of randomised trials found small to moderate reductions in stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms with breathing exercises, compared with control groups (Fincham et al., 2023). The studies have limitations, but the risk is minimal.

How to do it:

• breathe in through your nose for about 4 seconds;
• breathe out slowly, through your mouth or nose, for about 6 seconds;
• repeat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Breathing out for longer than breathing in helps activate the part of the nervous system that calms the body. If you feel dizzy, slow down and breathe normally.

2. Walking

A review of 97 systematic reviews, with more than 1,000 trials and 128,000 participants, concluded that physical activity reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress. All types helped, including walking, and programmes of up to 12 weeks were the most effective (Singh et al., 2023).

Low effort: a 10-minute walk after lunch, getting off the bus one stop earlier, making calls while walking, taking the stairs.

3. Spending time outdoors

In a study of almost 20,000 people in England, those who spent at least 120 minutes a week in natural spaces, such as parks, gardens, beaches or woods, reported better health and wellbeing. It did not matter whether it was two hours in one go or several short outings (White et al., 2019). It is an association, not proof of cause, but it is easy to try.

Low effort: about 20 minutes a day, or two outings at the weekend. Combining walking with nature adds two benefits together.

4. Meditation and mindfulness

A meta-analysis of 47 trials, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programmes reduce anxiety, depression and pain, with effects similar to those of other behavioural interventions (Goyal et al., 2014).

Low effort: 5 to 10 minutes a day, with an app or a guided audio. Or an informal version: paying full attention to a simple activity, such as having a coffee, washing the dishes or walking.

5. Protecting your sleep

Sleep and stress feed each other. Regular schedules, natural light in the morning, less caffeine in the afternoon and fewer screens before bed are the simplest steps. For people with persistent insomnia, the recommended treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (Riemann et al., 2023). See Sleep and hair: what rest changes.

6. Talking to someone

Social support is one of the most consistent protective factors against the effects of stress. A long conversation is not needed: a 5-minute call to someone you trust, a coffee with a colleague, a message to a friend.

7. Short breaks through the day

Stress builds up when there are no moments of recovery. Breaks of 2 to 5 minutes, away from the screen, every hour or hour and a half of work help break the cycle: stand up, stretch, drink water, look out of the window.

What about music?

Listening to calm music is a popular, risk-free strategy. Studies suggest some benefit in reducing anxiety in specific situations, but the evidence for everyday stress is less robust. If it helps, use it.

A lower-stress day, in micro-habits

You do not need to do everything. Choose two or three and repeat them for a few weeks.

At the weekend: a longer walk in a garden, on the beach or in the countryside, ideally with company.

What seems to help but doesn't

When stress needs professional help

The strategies in this guide help with everyday stress, but they do not replace specialist help. Seek support from your family doctor or a psychologist if:

• stress, anxiety or sadness have lasted more than two weeks and affect your work, relationships or sleep;
• you have panic attacks, constant worry or difficulty controlling your thoughts;
• you have lost interest in things you used to enjoy;
• you use alcohol, medication or other substances to cope;
• you have persistent physical symptoms with no explanation.

In Portugal, the SNS 24 line (808 24 24 24) offers psychological counselling. Psychotherapy, in particular cognitive behavioural therapy, has good evidence in anxiety and chronic stress.

If you have thoughts of harming yourself, seek help immediately: call 112 or go to the emergency department.

Stress, skin and hair

Skin and hair are often where stress becomes visible. If you came to this article because of that, these guides may help:

• Stress and hair loss: what is known: what the studies show and why the loss appears months later;
• Sleep and hair: what rest changes: sleep, melatonin and night-time care;
• Hair loss: why it happens and what to do: the main causes and treatments;
• Rosacea: what it is, causes and treatments: emotional stress is one of the most commonly reported triggers;
• Diet and hair loss: what the hair needs when you eat irregularly.

Reducing stress does not immediately stop hair loss that has already begun, because the hairs that will fall entered a resting phase months earlier. But it reduces new episodes and helps recovery.

When to seek an assessment at Luxmed

At Luxmed, the Hair Medicine consultation assesses the cause of the hair loss with trichoscopy and, when indicated, blood tests, and sets out a plan that takes stress, sleep and diet into account.

This article is for information only and does not replace a medical or psychological consultation.

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