Stress Relief for Horse Lovers

I have recently had a lot of stress in my life and needed to do practice self care or I would not able to be my best self. I wanted to share some stress relief ideas, particularly for horse lovers. We all know stress isn’t good for us. It raises cortisol levels, which can make you feel you’re in a fight-or-flight state. When you’re in that state, it’s hard to concentrate and remain calm.

Stress in life is unavoidable, but it’s how we cope with it and take care of ourselves that really matters. It’s all about balance. So think of it as balancing the scales with practicing some of these ideas. Let’s just jump right in and talk about all the things that can help balance those cortisol levels and make ourselves feel better. Self care isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. I even have to remind myself of that all the time.

Stress Relief Ideas for horse lovers

Spend Time with your horse

This seems really obvious, but sometimes I just need to sneak out to the barn and breathe in some horse scent and pet my horses. Anytime spent with your horses should be stress relieving, but I know that’s not completely accurate. Particularly, if you work with horses for a living, there may be times you need a break from horses. Also, on the other side of the coin, if you don’t own a horse, then try to find a place that will let you come and spend time either volunteering or helping. Horses can have an amazing calming effect and make great therapy animals.

Color

Coloring can actually have a soothing effect on you. It taps into the creative left side of your brain, which, if you remember cortisol and stress, turns off. This is a great way to relax. Plus, there are several options out there for adult coloring books. The one linked below had a 5-star rating with over 3,000 reviews on Amazon.

Hot Bath

Hot baths are a go-to for many people for relaxation. But it also helps to make the atmosphere soothing as well with low lights and a beautiful shower curtain. By searching horse shower curtains on Amazon, I found a lot of beautiful ones, but this one was very neutral and would go with almost any color scheme.

Prayer

If you believe in prayer, I believe this is the most important thing we can do. If you have stress or worries, then I encourage you to tell them to God, just like you were telling a friend. Some of what happens to us in life is out of our control, and giving worry and stress over to the Lord can be very freeing.

Journaling

Journaling is a very personal and unique way of expressing yourself. You can write out your thoughts for the day, what you’re grateful for, and more. Also, by having a beautiful journal to write in helps you want to write more. I found this stunning journal on Amazon. It always makes writing feel more special to have a beautiful journal to write in.

Hot Tea

Grab your favorite horsey mug and make a nice cup of hot tea. Preferably, non-caffeinated. I love my Narrow Trail mug, it’s large which I like because I like to froth my milk and make a special brew usually, a chai tea latte. I’ll leave a link below to our Narrow Trail mug.

Unplug from Social Media

If you’re feeling stressed, then the last thing you need to do is scroll mindlessly on social media, comparing yourself to others. Sometimes it can seem others have it so much more, but by focusing on yourself and the blessings you have will leave you feeling grateful rather than envious. In fact, if you’re stressed, put your phone away and try one of the other stress relief ideas on this list.

Pick a hobby

I recently took up drawing to help with my stress. Learning a new skill is really great for your brain. I encourage you to pick up something you’ve always wanted to learn. Everyone has something they’ve always wanted to do. Everyone can make time for something if they really want to. Horse related hobbies could include reading horse books, horse artwork, photography, or horse jigsaw puzzles.

Aromatherapy

I have an essential oil diffuser in my house that I run and it improves my mood. There are some people who use essential oils with their horses as well. I personally haven’t ventured into this with my own horses yet because I don’t know enough about it, but there is research to back this up.

To close I’d just like to say that if you can identify the stressors in your life, then you can figure out ways to cope with it. For me, needing a break from my kids after being with them all day is ok. So, my husband helps me by bathing them and lets me have some time for myself. In those moments, I may pray, draw, or make a cup of tea. Or maybe all three!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful and inspiring. If so, please share it! And if you want more content like this than be sure to subscribe so we can stay connected. I’m so glad you’re here!

Do you have any more stress relief ideas for horse lovers to add to this list? Leave a comment below.