With major changes in governments, economies, and environments worldwide in recent months, it is no surprise that people worldwide are feeling more stressed, worried, and unsure of the future.
This has resulted in more people looking for affordable ways to relax, take a break, and disconnect from screen time. Below are five top trending ways people are using to reduce their stress and anxiety.
Coloring therapy
While adult coloring pages have been popular in the past, they are seeing a resurgence with the rise of AI image generation. This has expanded interest with more alternative coloring pages, with the most popular categories being flower coloring pages for adults, animals coloring pages for adults and traditional mandala designs. Coloring therapy continues to be a popular way to cope with stress and anxiety, as coloring intricate designs or patterns allows you to focus on the present moment and quiet the mind. This is a similar positive experience to mindfulness meditation. By doing this, it helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging relaxation and reducing anxiety.
Curated soundscapes
In recent years, therapeutic sound and music has become more popular with the rise of apps like Calm which offer curated soundscapes for relaxation, sleep and stress management. This transforms your phone from being something to avoid before sleeping to something that can help improve your sleep. Therapeutic sounds, like binaural beats and brainwave entrainment, use specific frequencies to influence brain activity, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. Binaural beats create calming effects by playing different frequencies in each ear, helping the brain sync to a desired state. Music therapy with slow-tempo tunes or natural sounds (rain, ocean waves) reduces anxiety, lowers heart rate, and can enhance mood.
Prompt-based journaling
Journaling continues to be an effective way to manage stress by expressing emotions, organizing thoughts and processing events. Techniques such as gratitude journaling can also shift focus to positive aspects of life, boosting mood and reducing anxiety. Prompt-based journaling guides in particular have become popular in recent years as they provide those that need more guidance on what to write with deeper reflection on experiences and challenges. Writing regularly can improve mental clarity, create emotional release, and allow individuals to gain perspective on stressful situations.
Breathing Techniques
While mindful meditation is a well-known way to also reduce stress and anxiety, this is not for everyone. Some people may struggle without guided meditation and become more frustrated by the challenge of staying still. One alternative to this are breathing techniques that work in a similar way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and improving emotional well-being. A popular technique is the 4-7-8 breathing which requires you to inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. For those that struggle with meditation, this is a great alternative as it allows your conscious mind to focus on counting while still slowly lowering your heart rate and reducing your stress.
Gamified Fitness
With the rise of online gaming and more virtual technology, gamified fitness combines exercise with game-like elements to make working out more engaging and motivating. By incorporating rewards, challenges, and progress tracking, it turns fitness routines into interactive experiences. Popular apps like Zwift and Nike Training Club use virtual rewards to encourage users to stay active and make fitness more enjoyable. While it is best to disconnect from screen time, finding ways to make exercise fun can be a great way to reduce your overall stress. Just remember to also consider these other trending ways that can also help you by not relying on screen time!