You have been told to reduce stress by cutting toxic people from your life, changing your environment and taking deep breaths. While these methods absolutely help, sometimes we need more to stay calm and grounded.

To treat something holistically is to look at everything as connected, from diet to thoughts, treating the mind, body and spirit as one. Holistic healing is incredibly powerful but often misunderstood or dismissed as unconventional. For example, expressing gratitude for food before eating might seem unnecessary, but it is actually a way of healing the relationship between the mind and food, not just the food itself.

If stress feels like a constant companion and you are looking for new ways to find calm, here are six lesser known remedies worth exploring.

1. EFT Tapping

Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping combines cognitive therapy and acupressure to create a powerful stress relieving effect. It works by tapping on the meridian points of the body, places like the temples, between the eyebrows and the collarbones, while focusing on a specific stress or emotion being held in the body.

The process begins by identifying the problem and rating the intensity of that feeling. A grounding statement is then chosen to reframe it, for example: "Even though I feel anxious, I trust that everything is working out for me." Tapping begins while focusing on this statement, and by the end, the intensity of the negative emotion should noticeably decrease.

2. Somatic Movement

Sometimes an emotion simply needs to be moved through rather than thought through, and that is exactly what somatic movement offers. It is movement practised not for how the body looks, but for how it feels.

Somatic movement takes many forms: dancing, jumping, yoga, stretching. Any movement where the focus is on the inner experience rather than the outward appearance. It is one of the most effective ways to release stored stress, as it bridges the connection between mind, body and spirit and supports nervous system regulation.

3. Laughter Yoga

There is very little a good laugh cannot fix. Laughter yoga might sound lighthearted, but the science behind it is real. It lowers cortisol, boosts endorphins, releases physical tension and increases oxygen flow throughout the body. It combines playfulness, human connection and breathwork in a way that is accessible to everyone. Whether attending a class or simply practicing at home, this one is not to be dismissed.

4. Cold Water Therapy

It might seem counterintuitive, but exposing the body to cold water can significantly reduce stress levels. Cold exposure triggers the fight or flight response and once the body comes out of it, it naturally moves into a deep state of relaxation. It also improves heart rate variability, supports healthy blood flow and reduces inflammation, one of the body's most common physical signs of chronic stress. The benefits far outweigh the initial discomfort.

5. Sensory Deprivation Tanks

Also known as float tanks or isolation tanks, this practice involves intentionally removing stimuli from all the senses. Typically this means floating in warm water in complete darkness and silence. It might sound unsettling, but the experience is deeply restorative. It activates the rest and digest state, releases muscle tension and balances brainwave activity by giving the senses a complete break from overstimulation. The absence of distraction also creates a rare and powerful opportunity to truly sit with thoughts and feelings.

6. Forest Bathing

This Japanese practice, known as Shinrin Yoku, involves spending unhurried time in nature with no agenda and no devices. It is not about hiking or exercise, it is about slowing down and observing the natural world around you. Connecting with the elements grounds the body, reduces inflammation, deepens mindfulness and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Next time stress feels overwhelming, step outside and let nature do its work.

Give some of these holistic practices a try and notice the difference they make. The body has far more tools available to it than most people realise. 💖