Feel Better Instantly! 4 mind-body Hacks to feel Less Stressed

Ever feel awful to the point where you just want to curl up and disappear until it’s all over?

Maybe you’ve felt like this in the past week.

Oh wait, let me rephrase – how many times have you already felt like this in the past week?

But wait! Guess what?

You don’t have to stay stuck in these feelings.

You have the power to make yourself feel better in that very moment.

How?

Stress occurs in the mind.

That mental stress creates tension in the body.

You might have noticed this already.

Have you ever found yourself slouching your shoulders when you feel insecure? Wrinkling your forehead over bad news? Clenching your jaw when you’re mad?

Thanks to this mind-body connection, you can “hack” your way to feeling more relaxed in those moments that you are stressed.

By easing the tension in your body, you can ease the stress in your mind.

Here are four easy hacks to instantly help you feel less stressed.

Hack #1: Superhero Pose

If you feel nervous and want to feel more confident…

Try the SUPERHERO POSE.

(Also sometimes known as the superman pose. But let’s use the gender neutral term here.)

How to:

Stand with your feet spaced in a wide and powerful stance, hands on hips, head up and chest out. Like you’re a fearless superhero. Breathe in deeply, steadily. You’ll start to feel better as you hold this pose and breathe.

Hold this pose for about 2 minutes and notice what a difference you feel.

This shift in your posture coupled with deep breathing helps you feel more confident and capable of taking on whatever it is you have to face. Superhero magic!

How does it work?

This power pose stimulates testosterone production which is related to confidence and self-esteem – exactly what you need when you want to stop feeling nervous, insecure or unconfident.

For a great explanation of what’s going on physiologically in this power pose, check out Amy Cuddy’s viral TED talk.

Hack #2: Smile

If you’re feeling sad and down and want to feel a mood boost…

Try SMILING.

How to:

I think what makes this hack the most effective is to pull as close to a genuine smile as possible out of yourself. It’s a bit like muscle memory and even when you don’t feel any spark of joy to start with, your body knows that you’ve smiled for good things before. You might not feel instantly happier, but I’m willing you bet you’ll be able to find a little boost in your mood with a smile on your face.

How does it work?

First let me preface this one but saying I’ll be honest, the research on this is split. And it continues to be divided as time goes on and researchers demand more nuance from research methods to conduct their studies. Disclaimer aside, the prevailing wisdom for decades has been that smiling (even faking it) stimulates the production of neurotransmitters that elevate your mood by the facial feedback hypothesis.

This idea started from a 1980s study where participants held a pencil in their teeth without letting their lips touch it, which was how researchers got them to arrange their faces into a smile-like expression without actually telling them to smile. These participants rated Gary Larsen The Far Side cartoons funnier than those who didn’t have the pencils in their mouths. But subsequent researchers couldn’t consistently replicate these findings, casting doubt on whether the fake smile idea was something we could actually count on.

More recently there have been studies to better support the idea that smiling can improve your mood. These studies used the pencil technique, as well as asking participants to copy the smiles of actors and to move their cheeks up using their face muscles (which sounds like something I’d find on TikTok: “tell me to smile without telling me to smile” lol). Turns out the last two groups – those copying smiles from actors and those basically told to smile (without being told to smile) – reported higher feelings of happiness. So take it with a grain of salt, but there you have the research summed up for you!

Hack #3: Dancing

If you feel stuck or trapped, and you want to feel more free…

Try DANCING.

How to:

Put on some music that you can’t help but move to. Let your body move how it wants and don’t worry about doing any moves for any reason other than it feeling good to you. There’s no right way to dance! You’re not trying to look cool or dance any certain way. This is about moving freely and unrestrained. And getting deeper into the flow of your own natural movement the more you dance.

If you’re not in an environment conducive to dancing then stretching can also help. The point is that you want to create movement and space inside of your body to move stagnant energy around and embody the feeling that you are free and unlimited. When you feel stuck, chances are you’re tensed up and not moving around; you’re probably staying still in one location, too. Dancing gets you up, moving, and flowing with your body. This is exactly what you need to counter that trapped feeling.

How does it work?

The research points to many reasons dancing is a great mood booster. It’s a mix of active exercise, listening to music, connecting with other people, creative expression, and more. Documented results include lower stress levels (literally lower cortisol), self-acceptance, feelings of closeness to others, lowered depression ratings, and so much more.

All of that is great. But I particularly like to use dance as a tool to help me feel free and unstuck. And again, there are studies to suggest that dancing is indeed a powerful tool to help you feel free! Dancing connects you with many of the same markers for freedom: self-awareness, self-expression, confidence and more. By engaging in dance, you are activating and exercising these parts of yourself that also make you feel free. And feeling good while doing it, too!

As I see it, dancing allows you to get loose and moving. This creates space inside of your body to move stuck feelings around and embody the feeling that you are free and unconstrained, yet also in sync with yourself.

Hack #4: Hug Yourself

If you feel alone and you want to feel supported…

Try HUGGING YOURSELF.

How to:

Don’t make it weird and just give it a try.

How does it work?

Multiple studies provide evidence for the benefits of hugging yourself.

Your feelings of pain are lowered (due to oxytocin release). You feel more safe and secure, even without needing to wait around for someone else (you are your own first and most important support person). Hugging yourself is also an act of self-love that can help increase self-compassion. (Just a reminder: self-love is more than a mindset: it’s a practice.)

If you have a special someone or even a pet who you can hug, you’ll get these benefits and more. But remember that you can be there for yourself when you’re feeling lonely and take comfort in that.

So there you have it! Four hacks to instantly help you feel less stressed.

Save this graphic so you can remember to try these the next time you’re feeling nervous, sad, stuck or alone.

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