Top 18 'Resilience-Building' Wellness Routines to do for navigating a season of chronic stress. - Goh Ling Yong
We've all been there. That feeling of running on a treadmill that's stuck on high, with the "off" button just out of reach. It's not the stress of a single bad day or a looming deadline; it's the low-grade, constant hum of pressure that settles into our bones. This is chronic stress, and it's a silent architect, slowly redesigning our mental and physical health in ways we often don't notice until we're feeling completely depleted, anxious, or burnt out.
Unlike acute stress, which is a short-term response to a specific threat, chronic stress keeps our nervous system in a perpetual state of high alert. This constant "fight-or-flight" activation can disrupt everything from our sleep and digestion to our mood and immune system. The antidote isn’t to magically eliminate all sources of stress—an impossible task in our modern world. Instead, the solution lies in building resilience: our capacity to adapt, recover, and even grow in the face of adversity.
Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that resilience isn't an innate trait you either have or you don't. It's a skill, and like any skill, it can be cultivated through consistent practice. Think of these 18 wellness routines not as another to-do list to add to your already-full plate, but as a toolkit. Your job is to find the tools that work for you and start building a foundation strong enough to weather any storm.
1. The 5-Minute Morning Anchor
Before the day’s demands pull you in a dozen different directions, take just five minutes to anchor yourself. This isn't about a complex, hour-long ritual. It's a simple, intentional act of starting your day on your own terms, not in reaction to an email notification or a news alert. This tiny investment of time signals to your nervous system that you are in control, setting a calm and centered tone for the hours ahead.
This routine can be incredibly simple. It might be sitting up in bed and taking ten deep, conscious breaths. It could be stretching your arms overhead while thinking of one thing you're grateful for. Or perhaps it's a "no-phone" rule for the first five minutes you're awake, choosing instead to sip a glass of water and look out the window. The key is consistency, creating a small buffer of peace before the chaos begins.
Pro-Tip: Try "box breathing." Inhale for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four. Repeat this for 2-3 minutes to instantly calm your nervous system.
2. Mindful Movement, Not Punishing Exercise
When you're chronically stressed, the idea of a punishing, high-intensity workout can feel more draining than energizing. The goal here is to connect with your body, not conquer it. Mindful movement involves paying close attention to your body's sensations as you move, which helps pull you out of the frantic thought loops of stress and into the present moment.
Practices like yoga, Tai Chi, or even a slow, deliberate stretching session are perfect. They activate the parasympathetic nervous system, our "rest-and-digest" state, which is the direct opposite of the "fight-or-flight" response. Instead of focusing on calories burned or reps completed, focus on the feeling of your muscles lengthening, your feet connecting with the floor, or the rhythm of your breath.
Example: Find a 15-minute gentle yoga flow on YouTube and commit to doing it three times a week. Notice the difference in your body and mind before and after the session.
3. The "Brain Dump" Journaling Practice
Chronic stress often creates a feeling of mental clutter—a constant barrage of worries, to-dos, and anxieties swirling in your head. A "brain dump" is the simple act of getting it all out onto paper. This isn't about crafting beautiful prose; it's about externalizing the noise so you can see it, organize it, and let it go.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write continuously without judgment or editing. List your worries, your frustrations, your never-ending to-do list, and anything else that's taking up mental real estate. By transferring these thoughts from your mind to the page, you reduce their power and create mental space. Often, seeing your worries written down makes them feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
How-To: Keep a dedicated notebook by your bed. Before you go to sleep, spend 10 minutes writing down everything that’s on your mind. This can significantly improve sleep quality by preventing you from ruminating on your stressors all night.
4. Scheduled "Do Nothing" Time
In our productivity-obsessed culture, a blank space on the calendar can feel like a personal failure. We need to reframe this. Scheduling intentional "do nothing" time is one of the most powerful resilience-building acts you can perform. This is not time for scrolling through social media or catching up on chores; it's a deliberate appointment with unstructured, aimless rest.
This practice helps reset your baseline stress levels and teaches your mind that it’s okay to not be "on" 24/7. It allows for spontaneous thought, creativity, and genuine relaxation. Start small, with just 15-20 minutes a few times a week. Put it in your calendar as a non-negotiable appointment: "MEETING: DO NOTHING."
Ideas: Lie on the grass and watch the clouds. Sit in a comfortable chair and listen to an album from start to finish without doing anything else. Just sit and sip a cup of tea, letting your mind wander.
5. Strategic Digital Detoxes
Our devices are a major source of chronic, low-grade stress. The constant notifications, the curated perfection of social media, and the 24/7 news cycle keep our brains in a state of hyper-vigilance. A strategic digital detox is not about abandoning technology forever, but about creating intentional boundaries to protect your mental energy.
This could be a "no-phone" rule for the first and last hour of your day, which protects your sleep and your morning focus. It could be deleting social media apps from your phone on weekends, forcing you to access them more deliberately via a web browser. Or it could be a full 24-hour break from all screens once a month. The goal is to reclaim your time and attention.
Action Step: Turn off all non-essential notifications on your phone right now. You'll be amazed at how much mental peace this one simple action can create.
6. The "Forest Bathing" Walk (Shinrin-yoku)
There is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing." This isn't about hiking or exercising in nature; it's about simply being in nature and consciously connecting with what’s around you using all your senses. Time in nature has been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone), reduce blood pressure, and improve mood.
Find a park, a trail, or even a tree-lined street. Leave your phone in your pocket and walk slowly. What do you see? Notice the different shades of green, the texture of the bark, the way the light filters through the leaves. What do you hear? The birds, the rustling leaves, the distant hum of the city. What do you feel? The breeze on your skin, the solid ground beneath your feet.
Simple Start: Commit to one 20-minute nature walk a week. It’s a powerful and accessible way to reset your nervous system.
7. Prioritize Protein and Healthy Fats at Breakfast
What you eat for your first meal can set your blood sugar—and consequently, your mood and energy levels—for the entire day. A breakfast high in refined carbohydrates and sugar (like a sugary cereal or a pastry) can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar followed by a sharp crash, leaving you feeling irritable, foggy, and even more stressed.
Instead, build your breakfast around protein and healthy fats. This combination provides sustained energy and helps stabilize blood sugar, preventing the mood swings and energy dips that can exacerbate feelings of stress. A stable foundation in the morning makes you better equipped to handle whatever the day throws at you.
Examples: Scrambled eggs with avocado and spinach, a smoothie with protein powder and almond butter, or Greek yogurt with berries and nuts.
8. Practice "Single-Tasking"
Multitasking is a myth. What we’re actually doing is "task-switching," rapidly shifting our attention from one thing to another. This is incredibly taxing on the brain, increases the production of stress hormones, and leads to shallower, less effective work. Chronic stress already fragments our attention; multitasking just pours fuel on the fire.
The antidote is to deliberately practice "single-tasking." Choose one task and give it your undivided attention for a set period. Turn off your email, put your phone in another room, and close all unnecessary browser tabs. Work on that one thing. You'll not only do better work, but you'll also feel a sense of calm and accomplishment that is impossible to achieve when your focus is scattered.
Challenge: Try the Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. This trains your brain to focus in short, manageable bursts.
9. Curate a Calming Sensory Environment
Our environment has a profound impact on our nervous system. When you're in a season of chronic stress, your senses are often on high alert, meaning that harsh lighting, loud noises, and clutter can feel physically and mentally abrasive. Intentionally curating a calming sensory environment can create a sanctuary where your nervous system can downshift.
This doesn't require a major home makeover. It's about small, deliberate choices. Use a diffuser with calming essential oils like lavender or chamomile. Play a curated playlist of ambient or classical music. Switch to warm, soft lighting in the evenings instead of harsh overhead lights. Keep one small area of your home—like your bedside table or a favorite chair—consistently tidy and clutter-free.
Sensory Tip: Create a "calm-down kit" with items that appeal to your senses: a soft blanket, a stress ball, a scented candle, a calming tea, and headphones with a relaxing playlist.
10. Learn a New, Low-Stakes Skill
Engaging in a novel activity that has no connection to your work or primary stressors can be a powerful form of mental relief. Learning something new stimulates different parts of your brain, fosters a sense of growth, and provides a healthy distraction. The key is to choose something "low-stakes"—an activity where the joy is in the process, not in achieving perfection.
This could be learning a few chords on a ukulele via YouTube, trying a new recipe every week, practicing calligraphy, or using an app like Duolingo to learn a new language for just 10 minutes a day. As Goh Ling Yong often highlights, this kind of personal development builds cognitive flexibility, which is a cornerstone of resilience. It reminds you that you are a capable, growing person outside of your stressors.
Get Started: Pick one small, fun skill you've always been curious about and dedicate just 15-30 minutes to it, twice a week.
11. The "Compassionate Reframe" Technique
Chronic stress often comes with a harsh inner critic that tells us we're not doing enough, we're failing, or we should be handling things better. The "compassionate reframe" is a cognitive tool to challenge this negative self-talk. It involves consciously pausing and speaking to yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer a good friend.
When you catch yourself in a spiral of self-criticism (e.g., "I can't believe I messed that up, I'm so incompetent"), pause. Take a breath. Then, reframe it compassionately: "This is a really stressful time, and it's understandable that mistakes happen. I'm doing the best I can with the resources I have right now." This practice isn't about making excuses; it's about replacing self-flagellation with self-support.
Mantra: A simple phrase to repeat to yourself can be powerful. Try: "This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is a part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment."
12. Connect with Your Support System—Proactively
When we're stressed and overwhelmed, our instinct is often to withdraw. However, connection is a powerful biological antidote to stress. Positive social interaction releases oxytocin, a hormone that helps buffer the effects of cortisol and promotes feelings of trust and safety. The key is to be proactive, not passive.
Don't wait until you're at your breaking point to reach out. Schedule a regular coffee date with a friend, plan a weekly phone call with a family member, or join a group or class that aligns with your interests. It's not about the quantity of your connections, but the quality. A 15-minute heartfelt conversation with one trusted person is more restorative than an hour of superficial small talk at a crowded party.
Action: Send a text to one supportive person in your life right now and schedule a time to talk or meet up this week.
13. Set and Enforce One Small Boundary
Chronic stress is often a symptom of porous boundaries. We say "yes" when we mean "no," we take on too much, and we allow the demands of others to consistently override our own needs. Building resilience requires learning to protect your time, energy, and mental health by setting clear and kind boundaries.
Start with one small, manageable boundary. This could be as simple as not checking work emails after 7 PM, telling a relative you can only talk for 15 minutes because you have other commitments, or saying "no" to a social event you don't have the energy for. Communicating boundaries can feel uncomfortable at first, but it is an act of self-respect that is essential for long-term wellbeing.
Sample Script: "Thank you so much for thinking of me for this project. Unfortunately, my plate is full right now and I can't give it the attention it deserves. I'll have to pass this time."
14. Embrace the Power of a "Transition Ritual"
Many of us move directly from a high-stress work environment into our personal lives with no buffer in between. We bring the day's stress home with us, both mentally and physically. A "transition ritual" is a short, deliberate routine that signals to your brain and body that one part of the day is over and another is beginning.
This ritual can be as simple as changing out of your work clothes as soon as you get home. It could be listening to a specific song or podcast on your commute. You might try a 10-minute "closing ceremony" at the end of your workday where you tidy your desk and write down your top three priorities for tomorrow, effectively "closing the door" on work until the next day. This creates a psychological separation that allows for genuine rest and presence in your off-hours.
Example: After logging off, walk around the block once before starting your evening routine. This physical separation can create a powerful mental one.
15. The "Three Good Things" Gratitude Practice
When we're mired in stress, our brains develop a negativity bias, scanning for threats and focusing on what's wrong. A gratitude practice is a powerful way to counteract this bias by intentionally training your brain to look for the good. The "Three Good Things" exercise is a simple and scientifically-backed way to do this.
At the end of each day, take a few minutes to write down three things that went well and briefly explain why. These don't have to be monumental events. They can be small and specific: "A colleague made me a cup of tea when I was busy," "I enjoyed the feeling of the sun on my face during my lunch break," or "I finally finished a task that had been lingering on my to-do list." This practice helps shift your perspective and cultivate a more positive outlook over time.
Tip: Keep a notebook for this practice. Looking back over past entries during a particularly tough week can be a powerful reminder that good things are always happening, even when it doesn't feel like it.
16. Hydrate for Your Brain
Dehydration is a physiological stressor. Even mild dehydration can increase cortisol levels, impair cognitive function, and negatively impact your mood. When you're already dealing with chronic stress, ensuring you're properly hydrated is one of the simplest and most effective forms of physical self-care you can practice.
Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink; by then, you're already dehydrated. Make hydration a proactive habit. Keep a large water bottle on your desk at all times. Set reminders on your phone if you need to. Infuse your water with lemon, cucumber, or mint to make it more appealing. Think of every sip as a small act of kindness for your brain and body.
Goal: Aim to drink half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water per day. For example, a 150-pound person should aim for about 75 ounces of water.
17. The Power of Laughter and Play
Stress makes us serious. It narrows our focus and robs us of our sense of joy and spontaneity. Intentionally incorporating laughter and play into your life is a direct antidote to this state. Laughter increases endorphins, soothes tension, and can even improve your immune system. Play, in any form, reminds us that life isn't just about responsibility and struggle.
Schedule time for activities that are purely for fun, with no goal or productive outcome. This could be watching a stand-up comedy special, playing a board game with family, engaging in a creative hobby like painting or dancing, or having a silly conversation with a friend. Give yourself permission to be goofy and lighthearted. It's not frivolous; it's a vital component of a resilient life.
Challenge: Find one thing that makes you genuinely laugh out loud every single day for a week.
18. Master Your Sleep Hygiene
Sleep is the foundation upon which all other wellness efforts are built. It's when your body and brain repair, consolidate memories, and regulate hormones. Chronic stress and poor sleep create a vicious cycle: stress disrupts sleep, and lack of sleep makes you less resilient to stress. Improving your sleep hygiene is non-negotiable for navigating a difficult season.
This means creating a consistent sleep schedule (going to bed and waking up around the same time every day, even on weekends). Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep—cool, dark, and quiet. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals late in the evening. Develop a relaxing wind-down routine, such as reading a physical book, taking a warm bath, or listening to a calming podcast, for the hour before bed.
Key Rule: The "no screens in bed" rule is paramount. The blue light from phones and tablets suppresses melatonin production, the hormone that tells your body it's time to sleep.
Your Resilience-Building Journey Starts Now
Navigating a season of chronic stress can feel like an uphill battle, but you are not powerless. Resilience is built one small, intentional action at a time. This list of 18 routines is not meant to be another source of pressure. Please, do not try to implement all of them at once.
Instead, read through the list again and choose just one or two that resonate with you the most. Which one feels the most achievable? Which one feels like it could offer the biggest sense of relief right now? Start there. Practice it consistently for a week. Notice how it feels. Then, when you're ready, you can add another.
This is your journey. These are your tools. By consistently showing up for yourself in these small but significant ways, you are actively building a stronger, more resilient foundation, one that will not only help you survive this stressful season but thrive beyond it.
What's one routine from this list that you're going to try this week? Share your commitment in the comments below—we’d love to cheer you on!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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