Are you looking for stress relief activities for adults, but keep finding the same, boring tips over and over again?
These are some unique stress relievers for adults that will help lower your stress levels, create a fun way to regulate your nervous system.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried the same old stress relief activities for adults that just get really old, really fast. We’ve all tried the common different ways to manage stressful situations. We see suggestions like deep breathing exercise, keeping a healthy diet, bettering your physical health, getting into a daily routine, progressive muscle relaxation, and more.
But sometimes, we just need something fresh. And the best way to find that is through fun stress relieving activities you’ve never tried before.
You are going to learn about original and fun activities for stress management outside of your typical suggestions you’ve heard before.
After learning all about these 11 unique stress relieving activities for adults, you will be a pro at managing your cortisol levels and be able to lower stress in different ways.
This post is all about unique stress relief activities for adults that you may not have ever tried before!
Unique Stress Relief Activities for Adults
1. Rage Gardening to Relieve Stress and Anger
Rage gardening is an excellent way to channel your frustration and stress into pulling weeds, hacking away at overgrown bushes, or aggressively planting flowers. This is one of the many stress relieving hobbies you can do to manage your stress levels. This happens by getting a breath of fresh air, physical exercise, and enjoying the therapeutic effects of the natural part of life. Bonus points for shouting your problems into the soil!
Want your own cute gardening tool set? This gardening toolset comes with an adorable, stylish bag and stainless steel durable gardening tools. You’ll get tools like spades, pruning shears, weeders, and more! I love how durable these tools are! They can really withstand any rage you want to put into your gardening as one of my favorite destresser activities! And the reviewers make a really good point – the extra room in the bag makes it so you can add anything else you might need during your rage gardening sesh, like sunscreen, water bottle, etc.!
2. Soap and Suds Ritual for Sensory Calming Techniques
Turn your hand-washing into a luxurious, sensory ritual! Use rich, fragrant soap and focus your mind on the texture of the bubbles. Like a relaxing bubble bath for your hands! But much quicker and simpler than a full-on bubble bath! The combination of warm water, soothing scents, and repetitive motion can turn a fun activity into a calming effect. Pro Tip: Use a creamy lather or a foamy soap and massage your hands slowly for extra relaxation!
If you want extra foamy, bubbly hand soap, check out a foaming soap dispenser! All you have to do is take your favorite liquid hand soap, dilute it with water in about a 1:4 ratio, and put it into a foaming soap dispenser like the one pictured above. It creates such a lather that sets your senses at ease. If you’re feeling extra luxurious, try out Aesop hand soap. The scent is divine and fresh and will bring that inner peace sensory experience you’re looking for.
3. Controlled Chaos Painting to Calm Nerves and Anxiety
Time to get messy! Instead of structured painting where you’re trying to make some kind of realism masterpiece, get chaotic. Try throwing paint, finger painting, or scribbling wildly on a canvas with no rules. This is one of my favorite creative activities that lets your subconscious just take over and release built-up tension. Bonus points for filling up the whole workspace!
Finger painting isn’t just for kids! Get these washable non-toxic finger paints to really get your chaotic creativity going! Easy clean-up is always one of my favorite bonus calming activities as well!
4. Ice Therapy Instant Calming Exercises
Basically, ice therapy is exactly what it sounds like! Use the power of cold to shock your nervous system! Hold an ice cube in your hand, run cold water over your wrists or splash it onto your face. You can even apply an ice pack to the back of your neck! The extreme cold will wake up your senses and help you focus on the present moment, disrupting the stress response or anxious thoughts that might be running non-stop through your mind. Pro Tip: Make ice cubes with cute treats inside! Like small fake flowers, charms, coins, a small candy, etc. When the ice is melted, you’ll have a fun prize at the end!
Aren’t these ice trays adorable?! You can make fun, heart-shaped ice cubes, adding treats inside or even making them with fun colored water! These ice trays are easy to clean, and the ice pops out easily from the molds. The more fun my ice cubes are, the easier I can distract myself and makes for one of my favorite calming techniques for panic attacks!
5. Lying on the Floor (Seriously!) Strategies for Mindfulness
Lie flat on the floor (or a soft carpet) or the grass and stare up at the ceiling or sky in silence. But whatever you do, DO NOT let your mind get lost in all the things you have to get done, or all the things you’re worried about!!
I know, way easier said than done.
But what you SHOULD do, is pay attention to what your thoughts are. What thoughts do you notice pop into your head? Are they stress thoughts? If so, that’s totally fine! Just mentally wave to them, let them pass, and shift your thoughts to other things, like focusing on your breathing, or counting backwards from a large number. Of course those stress thoughts will most likely keep popping back up, but the goal is to notice them there, let them pass, and not allow yourself to get carried away in the tide with them. This mindfulness practice is really great for relieving muscle tension, slowing your thoughts down, and giving your mind a break. Pro Tip: Do this in a dimly lit or cozy, quiet place for some extra comfort!
I absolutely adore lying down, especially on my fluffy rug that you can get above. Something about the combination of the firmness of the ground with the softness of the rug just really helps me relax and is one of my favorite muscle relaxation techniques. This rug is so comfy and cozy, and comes in a variety of colors to match your home decor!
6. Scream Therapy (Into a Pillow or the Void!) Stress Management Practices
Let out an exaggerated, primal scream into a pillow or a secluded outdoor area. Sometimes we just need that physical release of stress, and this can help let go of all of that pent-up energy, frustration, and anxiety in a healthy way. Follow it up with a huge, deep breath, and don’t forget to lighten the mood and laugh at yourself! What a relief!
Now don’t make fun of me, but I totally keep a designated pillow next to where I work. If you want one similar to mine, check out the link above. It is dense and durable enough that it muffles my yelling and I don’t have to worry about terrifying my neighbors! It’s small and comfortable and can conveniently double up as a seat cushion!
7. Oddly Satisfying Sensory Play Earth Grounding Techniques
Get your hands into some hands-on, tactile activities! Try doing things like kneading kinetic sand, stretching slime, rolling putty, or running your fingers through a bowl of dry rice or beads. Create your own sensory bowl, including different shaped items with different textures and colors. The slow repetitive motions and unique textures provide a grounding effect, helping to soothe anxiety and overstimulation as a great stress reliever.
If you’re anything like me, running your fingers through kinetic sand, moon sand, or even just normal sandbox sand is so oddly satisfying. The link above takes you to my favorite because the texture is amazing and it comes in great colors. Being able to put my attention and focus to something tactile helps me shift my mind from the overwhelming stress to something more grounded with my senses, and is one of my favorite destresser activities!
8. Binaural Beats to Calm Down Quickly
Binaural beats are a sound phenomenon that occurs when two different tones are played in each ear simultaneously. The brain perceives a third tone (called a binaural beat) which is the difference in frequency between the two tones. Ok, now that we got the science-y part out of the way, binaural beats are known to promote relaxation, focus, or sleep. It can alter brainwave activity, leading to a great way to calm down nervous system. There are so many options to choose from on YouTube! Pro Tip: Use noise-cancelling headphones for the best effect!
These noise-cancelling headphones are so cute and work so great! They’re unbelievably comfortable (and my ears are sensitive!) and the sound quality is just amazing. I love using mine when I’m looking for the best mind relaxation techniques through binaural beats.
9. Writing a Letter You’ll Never Send as Part of a Stress Diary
Write an unfiltered letter to someone or something causing you stress. Let it all out as brutally honest as you can. Then, once you externalize it all on paper, reread it and rip it up, burn it, or close it away into a stress diary. This is one of many great self calming techniques that allow you to process your emotions and externalize them without consequences, and be able to visualize putting those negative feelings away. Bonus Points if you try writing it from a different perspective (e.g. from your future self).
This diary is a beautiful place to keep all your candid letters to your stress. It’s one of my favorite places to process my feelings without having to worry about what anyone else might think. Isn’t it such a cute cover??
10. Bubble Wrap Therapy for Managing Stress Levels
Take a roll of bubble wrap and pop each bubble slowly and deliberately, focusing your attention on the sensation and sound. This repetitive action is oddly satisfying and provides an instant way to calm down quickly, much like a fidget toy. Pro Tip: Close your eyes while popping for an enhanced sensory experience, or try a large bubble wrap for extra crunch!
You don’t have to wait until you receive a package to get to your bubble wrap therapy! You can get your own roll to keep with you at home or the office. I find it so convenient to just cut off a strip when I need it!
11. Chewing Something Crunchy for Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Eat something with a loud crunch, like chips, apples, or crackers! The sensory experience releases tension and engages the jaw muscles, which often hold a lot of stress. This is a mindfulness meditation that can definitely be a good idea and make a positive impact for stress reduction. Bonus Points if you combine different textures to keep things interesting!
I love any excuse to snack, because it’s one of my favorite stress-relieving activities! These vegetable chips of dried root vegetables is one of my favorites with the BEST crunch! The chips are so delicious and firm that they really call your attention to the flavors, textures, and sounds. Focusing on the sensory experience of eating is one of the best examples of mindfulness and coping skills for stress.
Stress relief doesn’t have to be conventional — sometimes the weirdest methods work best! Try one of these unusual and unique stress relief activities for adults and see which ones work best for you! What are some of your favorite unconventional stress relief activities for adults?
