15 Stress Reduction Activities for Adults

Stress is something we all have to face – and something that is not limited to a specific age group only. The difference is what causes stress for your age group. Here in this article, we will talk about various stress reduction activities for adults, which will help reduce stress for our elderly loved ones. Knowing stress management techniques for older adults will help ensure our older parents or loved ones will have a better quality of living.

We will also talk about stress group activities for adults and the importance of teaching stress management to adults.

If you want to learn more, then please keep on reading.

Stress is a part of everyone’s life

A study made by the American Psychological Association showed that stress is a part of everyone’s life. However, Matures (ages 67 years and older) are closer to managing their stress to what they consider as a healthy level.

Stress happens to everyone, and knowing this will help ensure that feeling stressed is something not to be ashamed of.

5 Stress Reduction Activities for Adults

Now that we know that stress happens to everyone, here are some stress buster activities for adults to help address stress-related concerns.

The first five tips that I will feature will be addressed to the older adult first, while the others will focus on the caregiver.

1. Pinpoint what causes you stress

One way to help address stress is to know what causes them in the first place. You can do this by writing down the things which trigger anxiety or other negative emotions from you.

2. Self-Reflection

Afterwards, you can write down all the negative things in your life. The first column will focus on the things that cause you stress. The middle column will focus on how to address these stressors. While the third column will focus on the things, you are grateful for. Below is a simple table that you can utilize when reflecting on your life to help better understand your problems.

Things that cause me stress	How to Address Things that cause me stress	Things that I’m Grateful For

3. Exercise 

Exercising will help you feel great and also help you deal with stress. The science behind this is that your body releases dopamine and serotonin when you exercise. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter that helps our body feel hope and helps you feel good. While serotonin helps stabilize our moods.

Exercises for you to try out

Walking 

An easy way to insert exercise into your daily routine is walking every day. Walking involves little to no cost and will help keep your body moving. 

Swimming

Aside from being a fantastic mood booster, swimming helps increase heart health and is a low-impact exercise that you can do without damaging any vital part of your body.

4. Eat Healthier

According to Matthew J. Kuchan, Ph. D., a senior research scientist at Abbott, eating a healthy diet can help to reduce the adverse effects of stress on the body.

Eating healthier options will help your body feel more energized during the day and will help you perform activities more.

There are various foods you can try to help boost overall health, and a website that features healthy food that I would recommend would be Vegan Globetrotter.

5. Never Ignore Signs of Stress

Stress can manifest not only emotionally but also physically. Listed below are some of the signs you should never ignore.

• Becoming more emotional
• More frequent headaches
• Lack of drive to do things
• Indigestion
• Sleeping more often or lesser than normal
• Lack of emotion
• Increased heart rate
• Emotional eating
• Becoming more aloof
• Panic attacks
• Exasperation

These are just some things to look out for when addressing stress-related concerns. If you want to know for sure the cause of your stress, consulting a professional might be the step in the right direction for you.

5 Ways to Help Aging Parents Handle Stress

Help taking care of elderly parents shouldn’t always be difficult. Here are some stress management techniques for older adults that you can do with your elderly loved ones.

1. Consult a Professional 

 Teaching stress management to adults can be done exceptionally well by a professional. Taking care of aging parents stress not only involves being there for them but also helping them consult a professional when needed.

Some people would not feel comfortable talking about their feelings with someone they know personally. Hence, helping them realize the importance of talking to and addressing their feelings will help reduce stress.  

2. Help them know the cause of their stress

Knowing the exact reason for your stress might be harder to do when you are stuck in a situation for a more extended period. 

One way to do this is by telling your loved one that you have noticed specific changes in their behavior or mood. Follow up by telling them that you are willing to help and reassure them that you will be there whenever they need you. 

3. Be there for them

Sometimes, all you have to do is be there for your loved one, which will be enough. Having someone there for you, whether to listen to your rants or be there with you in silence, is something that people tend to ignore as a form of help.

Tip: Try scheduling a day with your elderly loved one regularly for bonding time.

4. Exercise together

As mentioned above, exercising helps greatly with managing stress. If your elderly parent does not want to exercise alone, try exercising together. Exercising together will help reduce stress in your elderly loved one and help keep you fit and energized. Another benefit of exercising together is having bonding moments that will last you for a lifetime.

5. Eat Together

Experts say that the benefits of a sit-down meal show when families can converse, laugh, and share their problems together. When people feel like they belong, they have more self-esteem and confidence.
Another benefit of eating together with your elderly loved one is that it will help them avoid stress eating. Stress eating is where a person eats more to become happier. By eating together, your elderly loved one will not feel lonely while eating. They will also be able to have the opportunity to discuss their problems in a safe and caring environment.

If your parent loves being around people, here are some stress relief group activities for adults to try out.

5 Stress Relief Group Activities for Adults

1. Attend a group meditation class

A group meditation class has several benefits, making it a worthwhile experience to try out. Meditating with a group helps create a habit. It is easier to avoid meditating when alone because you can come up with several reasons to avoid doing so. By attending classes, like-minded people will help ensure that you stay motivated. 

Meditating with a group can also help you learn from each other’s experiences. Finally, being surrounded by people who will support you and have the same ideas will help you deal with stress. 

2. Attend a Group Therapy for Elderly Adults

Sometimes facing your problems alone might seem like a daunting task. Even talking to your family might seem complicated since you don’t want to become a burden to them. Now you’re stuck with wanting to talk to someone but not wanting to talk to your family. If this scenario is something, you are going through, attending your local group therapy might be for you. 

Various research has shown that group therapy is an effective way of dealing with stress. Group therapy for elderly adults helps one address their feelings in a safe environment and build trust and camaraderie with like-minded individuals. 

3. Try out volunteering

One way to relieve stress is by helping out others. Join your local volunteer group to help out others in your area. Sometimes stress and anxiety stem from having a lack of purpose in life, which volunteering can help reduce. 

4. Participate in your Church’s Bible Study Group

If you are religious, joining a bible study group can help reduce stress by making you more connected with God. When we let God handle everything, most of our problems can become lighter to bear. 

However, when we are sad, we tend to lose sight of the fact that God is always with us and tend to focus more on our problems. Attending a group Bible study will help you become closer to God and surround yourself with individuals who will help you understand that problems are normal, and giving it up to the Lord is what’s important. 

Finally, attending a group Bible study class will help you learn from others dealing with similar situations in life. 

5. Spend more time with your loved ones 

Spending time with your loved ones will help you reduce stress by surrounding yourself with people who love and care for you. Although opening up yourself to others might seem complicated, being surrounded by your family and friends will help you a lot. 

Spending time with your family or friends doesn’t necessarily have to focus on addressing your concerns or problems in life. Sharing wonderful experiences will help you forget about your problems in life. Opening up will be more natural when you surround yourself with people you love and care about. 

Always remember that your problems are not your problems alone. Many people are willing to help you if you Reach out. 

Conclusion 

Hopefully, this article has helped you know several stress reductions activities for adults you can try out for yourself. Teaching stress management in adults is essential to ensure that our elderly loved ones live their lives comfortably.

In conclusion, stress is common in everyone. Knowing this will help us understand that being stressed and feeling the effects of stress is not something to be ashamed about. This article also features several activities you can do on your own, or if you are a caregiver, activities you can do with your elderly loved ones, or other group activities you can do.