7 New Year's Resolutions to Help Relieve Stress in 2022

Read time: 5 min

Living in the 21st century isn’t always easy. If you often find yourself feeling stressed out or anxious, just know that you’re not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, 33% of people feel they are living with extreme stress. It’s no secret that the mind affects the body, but did you also know that somewhere around 77% of people experience physical symptoms caused by stress? Even rereading those statistics gives us a bit of a headache. It also left us asking the question of how to relieve stress and anxiety—without resorting to medicine. 

With the new year quickly approaching, we decided to put together a list of 7 New Year’s resolutions for anyone looking to reduce stress and live a happier life. Try them out for yourself and let us know what worked best for you! 

1. Establish a workout routine

Get moving! Regular physical activity will help reduce your blood pressure, reduce blood sugar, and lower cholesterol levels—all of which can contribute to stress. We’re not asking you to join your local CrossFit gym or try P90X (unless you’re up for the challenge, then go for it). Even just 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day can have a huge impact on your overall physical and mental health. Regular exercise also keeps your body strong and boosts immunity to sickness. The key here is consistency! Make a resolution to establish a workout routine that “works out” for you and STICK TO IT.

2. Plan a daily walk

Depending on the level of daily exercise you want to commit to, a daily walk could definitely be a part of that routine. Not only will it keep you from living a sedentary lifestyle, but a daily walk will also help you spend crucial time out in the sun. Being out in the sun generally makes people feel good, and there are many scientific explanations for this. Vitamin D is one of the essential nutrients for the human body, and sunlight is a key facilitator in initiating the process of producing the vitamin D necessary for a well-regulated body. 

Sunlight also supports better sleep, as it sets people’s circadian rhythms by regulating serotonin and melatonin levels in the body. If nothing else, a walk around the neighborhood will at least give you some time away from whatever may be stressing you out and give you the chance to focus your energy elsewhere.

3. Follow a consistent sleep schedule

As you’ve probably noticed by now, many of these resolutions go hand-in-hand. Your daily walk out in the sun is just one way to help you establish and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Getting adequate sleep is essential for lowering stress and anxiety. Roughly 48% of people report having trouble falling asleep because of stress. 

We’ve all heard about the importance of getting 8 hours of sleep, and that’s definitely ideal. Still, even adults who averaged 7.1 hours a night reported significantly lower reported stress levels than those averaging 6.2 hours of sleep. Getting adequate sleep also gives you the energy you need to accomplish your daily routine and goals. Don’t put yourself in any nightmare scenarios because you stayed up scrolling Instagram and TikTok. The content can wait—your peace of mind cannot!

4. Cut out junk food from your diet

Another thing that you have total control over which can contribute to stress is your diet. No one wants to hear this (trust us, we didn’t want to either), but those potato chips and cookies are not your friends. They may give you a nice mood boost in the moment, but in the long term, refined carbs such as these can spike blood sugar and quickly cause it to crash, increasing stress and anxiety. 

As a solution, we recommend eating foods with healthy fats instead, such as walnuts, avocados, and eggs. Overindulging in highly caffeinated beverages can also be harmful when it comes to stress, so definitely be wary of how much caffeine you’re consuming a day. Experts recommend no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day for most healthy adults. 

5. Start a daily journal

When you were younger, you may have kept a secret diary or journal where you confessed your struggles and fears. You then decided to trash the diary after your sibling found it and revealed your deepest secrets to what felt like the whole world. Or maybe you were one of the lucky ones. Regardless, many adults praise journaling as a way to help them manage emotions and stay on the right track when it comes to their mental health. 

We definitely recommend it! Journaling can help you prioritize your problems, track any symptoms or triggers of stress as they occur, and help you easily identify your stressors and devise a plan for resolving them.

6. Sign up for a yoga class

Yoga is an ancient practice, but many people are still discovering its benefits for reducing stress. Yoga combines stretching, breathing exercises, and meditation to achieve an overall feeling of relaxation in the mind and body. When you are stressed, tension is stored in the body, which makes you feel tight and often even sore. Many of the most common yoga stretches release tension from problem areas like the hips and shoulders. 

Breath work is also an important part of any yoga exercise, and learning to take deep breaths is a quick and useful way to combat stressful situations. The meditation aspect of yoga can also contribute to a freer mind, as it actively forces you to refrain from thinking about the past and future and focus solely on where you stand (or sit) in the present. As ironic as it may sound, the downward-facing dog will help you keep your head up!

7. Use OnMi patches

You knew it was coming! But seriously, if you were wondering how to relieve stress, OnMi is here to help you establish your ideal wellness routine as you start the new year. Maybe you’re looking to ditch pill supplements but still want to ensure you’re getting your necessary daily vitamins—cough Multivitamin Patch. Or maybe you need a little extra help to get that consistent sleep schedule nailed down—cough Sleep Patch. We have a whole line of products made for your specific needs. Check out the shop today and find your perfect patch.

We know sticking to a resolution can be hard, and that’s why we created one that sticks to YOU. Make your journey with OnMi even more seamless by signing up for a subscription at checkout and have your patches shipped to you monthly on a recurring basis. Sign your friend up as well and start your new year of wellness together! 

If you’re reading this before the holidays have passed, make sure to also check out our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for some items that will keep you on track for a happy and healthy 2022.