The Best Ways to Find Zen During Even the Most Stressful Days

Stress builds up slowly when you don’t do anything to combat it. A few days of being stressed out turns to weeks, then months. And before you know it, you’re feeling the aftermath, whether that chronic stress brings about headaches, causes you to feel fatigued, or worse.

While it can be hard to get back to feeling like yourself again after months of build-up tension, doing small things every single day to combat it in the moment will help. These are the best ways to find more Zen, during even the most stressful days.

1. Meditate

Meditating—even for 10 minutes—takes your mind away from any stress or anxiety you’re experiencing. And the best part? It doesn’t require you to do anything but breathe and close your eyes. Intuition has both live and on-demand guided meditation classes that can help you become a pro.

2. Drink Some Matcha

Matcha isn’t just soothing to drink. Even the act of making it can relax you as you whisk the green powder until it’s nice and smooth. You get plenty of benefits from drinking it, too. Past studies have shown matcha actually has a stress-reducing effect, and it can also help lower the levels of inflammation in your body.

3. Do a Light Workout

While some workouts can stress your body out (like HIIT, for instance, which releases stress hormones like cortisol into your body), something soothing like yoga or Pilates can help you find your Zen in minutes. Press play on a free video on YouTube, or sign up for one of Intuition’s classes to follow along with an instructor in real time.

4. Spend 5 Minutes Journaling

Have something that’s been on your mind? Write it down. Past studies have shown journaling can help relieve any stress or anxiety you’re dealing with, allowing you to find your calm. Even after five minutes, you’ll already feel much lighter.

5. Get in a Good Laugh

There’s no quicker way to banish stress than laughing. After a good laugh, your body releases endorphins—the feel-good hormone—allowing your stress and anxiety to fade. Tune into one of Intuition’s live comedy shows, or find a funny video on YouTube.