woman meditating to reduce stress and cortisol
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In 2025, we’re five years past the COVID pandemic, just past an election year, and in the middle of a period of time when many of us are both interested in and motivated to find ways to reduce the levels of stress in our lives.

One effective way to reduce stress is to reduce the amount of a hormone in our bodies associated with stress: cortisol.

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, and gets a bad rap because of its association with stress and stressful situations. However, to be fair to cortisol, it’s been an essential element in our survival as a species over the millennia. In other words, cortisol helps keeps us alive and plays an important role in a wide variety of physiological processes.

To learn more about cortisol, please navigate to our blog and read this article:

How is Cortisol Related to Stress and Mental Health?

That article offers an overview of the role and function of cortisol in our bodies, and in particular, its impact on stress and our physical and mental health. In this article, we offer five tips for reducing cortisol, reducing stress, and improving overall mental health and wellbeing.

Reduce Cortisol, Reduce Stress: Here’s How

The good news is that you can reduce cortisol levels without the need for any medical intervention or formal external support. There are a variety of ways to take control. Here are our five top tips to reduce cortisol yourself: they’re simple, practical, effective – and you can start using them today, as in right now.

Five Tips to Reduce Cortisol and Stress

1. Meditation

There are various types of meditation that work to lower cortisol. The easiest and most accessible way to begin a meditation practice is through mindfulness. Mindful meditation is a good place to start because you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor with your spine straight like Tibetan monk. You can find your way in through something fun, such as mindful walking.

2. Diet/Healthy Eating.

Research published here and here shows a diet that includes the following foods can help reduce cortisol:

  • Whole grains
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Beans/legumes/lentils
  • Probiotics
  • Dark chocolate
  • Healthy fats from nuts, seeds, and fish

On the other hand, a diet high in the following foods can increase cortisol:

  • Refined grain, i.e. white bread, processed rice
  • Added sugar
  • Saturated fat

A good rule of thumb is to eat whole, unprocessed foods for as many meals as possible, and save any fast foods/processed foods for a. when you have no other choice, and/or b. special occasions.

3. Exercise

You don’t have to go join a hardcore boot camp and do Navy SEAL calisthenics at 5:30 am in the local park with the Boot Camp crowd, but you do need to understand that regular, moderate exercise does wonders for regulating cortisol, which leads to increased stress relief, improved self-esteem, and better sleep.

4. Find a fun Hobby

Find something you love to do and make sure you do it as much as you can. Set aside fifteen minutes a day for it. Read novels, write poetry, refinish antiques, take a walk, ride a bike, play a musical instrument—you name it. If you love to do it, having a hobby will make life much more enjoyable, reduce stress, and lower your cortisol levels.

5. Healthy Relationships

Talk it out.  Last but not least, remember you are not alone. If you’re going through a stressful time in your life and your cortisol levels are through the roof, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Chances are you know someone who’s been through a similar situation and is more than willing to offer guidance or simply listen. If they’re not around the corner, they’re probably a phone call away. Sometimes all it takes is a sympathetic ear, and our stress melts away – and with it, our elevated cortisol levels.

Know Yourself, Know Your Stress

As you can see, we want you to understand how to reduce your cortisol levels for two reasons. First, we want you to avoid any of the negative health consequences of chronic exposure to high cortisol, such as reduced immune function, impaired reproductive health, and increased risk of hypertension. Second, we want you to avoid the psychological and emotional consequences of chronic exposure to high cortisol, such as anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. When you reduce cortisol – thereby reducing or eliminating those consequences – you can improve your overall health and wellness.

Finding Support: Resources

If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for a stress-related mental health disorder, please contact us here at Crownview Psychiatric Institute: we can help. In addition, you can find excellent information on stress from Harvard University and locate professional support through the following online resources: