Managing Stress- 5 Low Effort Things To Reduce Unwanted Stress In Your Life
- Annie Kroll
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
I feel like I am constantly told to reduce stress in my life because it's bad for me. Unfortunately, I'm a grad student, and academic culture can certainly add to my stress. This week, I want to share 5 low-effort things I have done to manage my stress as someone who is at my bandwidth between disability management, grad school, and trying to maintain a healthy balance of time for hobbies and socializing.
1: The Gmail Unsubscribe button
Every time I opened my email, I felt worse. I had so many emails, and very few of them were things I needed to reply to and actually act on. Once I got my fifth email from a supplement company I no longer order from, I knew I needed to do something so my email inbox didn't look like a tornado. If I hit report as spam in Gmail, it gives me the option to unsubscribe right there. I have eliminated so many useless emails this way, and it takes 5 extra seconds. This has been such a low-effort way to feel productive and reduce digital clutter.
2: Mute Group Chats
For the last month or two, I have been working really hard to finish my thesis on time after my hospitalization. I was no longer ahead, which meant I needed to find a way to maintain a consistent workflow while also working on some outside papers I'm passionate about. I needed to focus on my school work, and sometimes couldn't respond to my larger group chats. I had one day where I got out of a 30-minute paper meeting and found that I had missed over 60 messages. At that point, I realized I needed to mute my larger group chats, so I wouldn't be overwhelmed about missing a conversation.
3: Go Outside- Or Use Red Light
I play Pokémon Go, so sometimes my walks are longer when I have an in-game mission to complete, but I have been trying to go outside every day, especially because I got lab results that my vitamin D is low. Getting sunshine is really important for mental health, and something I am trying to be mindful of as I am spending more time staring at my computer. When I can't get outside, I use my red light and UVA/UVB panel to simulate sunlight for 20-30 minutes. If I am using my red light, I can do other things like stretch or use my skincare red light mask, which unfortunately makes me look terrifying while using it, so I hide in my room.
4: Drink Water
I struggle to hydrate myself. I get bored with water, but I don't like most electrolyte powders due to the taste. There are a few reasons for this. First, my hereditary spastic paraplegia makes it so I need to use the restroom slightly more often than the average person. I was joking a while ago that I know where all the bathrooms are in the town that I live in, because I need to be mindful between the HSP and Crohn's. However, my body still likes water. My health, including my mental health, is better when I am hydrated. While I am not tracking my water intake, I notice I am drinking more with my Owala water bottle, and that I am refilling it throughout the day. While this doesn't eliminate all stressful things, it is fueling my body at its most basic level to be able to tolerate anything stressful.
5: Gamify Tasks That Are Hard To Complete
I had a friend tell me to download the Finch app on my phone. In the app, you have a bird who can go on adventures, grow, and make friends with your real-life friends. I can make my own goals, do breathing exercises, write journal entries, and answer questions with friends. So far, as of writing this, I haven't missed a day of using the app, and it makes me want to do tasks I normally struggle maintaining, like stretching and not procrastinating on my thesis. Right now, I have the free version, but I might get the paid version if I have long-term motivation, because the tools are helpful, and I am not good at keeping habits long-term.
I struggle to manage my stress because I think it comes from multiple sources in my life. I had a really hard start to my 2026, and am mindful that I had to do a large reset this year due to the number of things that drastically changed in my life. However, I am trying to make some changes slowly over time that I feel like I can manage. By sharing some of the lower-effort things I am doing, I hope I can get a start on getting to a place where I am not fueled by stress.
Thank you for reading about the 5 low-effort things I am doing to address my stress levels as I approach my graduation. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!
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