These Are The Best (& We Mean Best) Tips To Reduce Anxiety, From mbg's CEO

Everyone favors different techniques and practices to manage their stress. For example, some may swear by a regular gratitude practice, while others find success with a daily afternoon stroll. Not every tip—no matter how absolutely life-changing it may seem on social media—will work for you. And that's OK! 

That being said, if someone has access to the best doctors and mental health experts in the game, it would be a mistake not to at least consider their tried-and-true habits. Our co-founder and CEO, Jason Wachob, has chatted with countless neuroscientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists on the mindbodygreen podcast about the best stress-reducing tips. As a result, he has picked up quite the restorative routine over the years. 

Breathwork, on the other hand, is much easier to make an everyday habit. You can do it anywhere and any time, and it can be as short or as long as you need. "I subscribe to the simple, inhale for two, hold, exhale for four [practice]," Wachob says. 

The link between exercise and mental health is well documented. For instance, when you increase your heart rate, your body pumps more oxygen to your brain—and multiple studies1 have found that a well-oxygenated brain helps manage anxiety and depression2. Other studies have found that exercise may help alleviate depression and anxiety overall3. 

Wachob's general exercise philosophy? "Always try to be moving," he says. He does try to schedule some resistance training a couple of times a week for 25 to 30 minutes, and he loves practicing yoga on the weekends—but it can be difficult for him to pencil in frequent trips to the gym.

"Being outside…There's so much great science there," says Wachob. Specifically, one study out of Japan4 found that taking a walk in the woods as opposed to the city delivered a 12% decrease in cortisol levels, a 7% decrease in sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nerve activity, and a 6% decrease in heart rate, plus a better mood overall. 

At the end of the day, it's impossible to evade stress forever. And you shouldn't want to! Some stress is actually beneficial to your health! "Most people can't eliminate stress, and doing so would be a fool's errand," Wachob says. "It's more about managing stress, accepting stress, and changing your relationship with stress." 

These habits sound pretty simple—and that's the point! After all, managing stress shouldn't feel like a giant undertaking (that will only add more of a mental burden to your day, don't you think?). "It's about these micro-moments, if you will," Wachob adds. "The big change post-kids is just finding the time."