The majority of people who make New Year’s resolutions want to improve their health in the coming year. Many people vow to lose weight, while others want to eat a healthier diet. Dry January is famous as a way for alcoholics to break the drinking habit, and other people are inclined to assess their substance use profile at the beginning of a new year.

Research shows that stress is the leading reason people pick up bad habits. In order to relieve stressful situations, people engage in compulsive behavior such as self-abuse or substance abuse. Once the habit takes hold, people then feel stress when they are not indulging. So managing that stress is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and minimizing the attraction of compulsive behaviors.

Here is a quick survey of some of the tools recommended for managing stress, especially for children or adolescents wanting to learn life skills.

Mindfulness: Mindfulness is primarily a way to get people to stop ruminating on their own successes and failures by bringing attention back to the present moment. This dwelling on past events is behind a great deal of anxiety and depression. Tools such as guided meditations and breathing exercises help retain the focus on the present moment.

Unfortunately, mindfulness training does not seem to lead to reduced levels of anxiety over the long term. Researchers for BMJ Mental Health performed a meta-analysis on randomized control trials involving mindfulness training for children and adolescents. While mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) were effective in reducing anxiety/stress, the large team of researchers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. concluded:

In studies with a follow-up, there were no significant positive effects of MBPs. No consistent pattern favoured MBPs as a universal versus selective intervention.

Exercise: While one might expect that physical fitness training and an exercise regime would lead to less stress and fewer anxiety disorders, the evidence is underwhelming. An international team of researchers led by Dr. Timothy Carter at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. recently completed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies gauging the impact of physical fitness on youth anxiety.

The researchers found a “moderate improvement in state anxiety” compared with no intervention control groups. The weak conclusion does not inspire confidence:

Physical activity may be a useful approach to addressing anxiety symptoms in children and young people, however, further trials of clinical populations are required…

Art Therapy: Art therapy has a surprisingly positive impact on mental health, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis by a team of researchers associated with Sheffield University in the U.K. While there are many different types of art therapy, researchers found that, overall:

[A]rt therapy was associated with significant positive changes relative to the control group in mental health symptoms in 10 out of the 15 studies.

The researchers also found art therapy to be cost-effective. While the positive results were not as strong as those experienced with one-on-one talk therapy, they were still beneficial and relatively inexpensive to deliver. A similar systematic review of art therapy used to treat trauma in adults found, “a significant decrease in psychological trauma systems,” and, in one study, a significant decrease in depression.

Music Therapy: Like art therapy, music therapy comes in many different packages. Nonetheless, there is some evidence for music therapy correlating with both short-term and long-term reduction in anxiety and depression. A systematic review of music therapy for children and adolescents concluded with this weak endorsement:

No studies favoured any control over music therapy for symptom improvement of depression and/or anxiety.

I take that to mean no control subjects fared better than those receiving music therapy. That is about the lowest level of endorsement possible. Coming in with better news is a systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 randomized controlled trials on the impact of music therapy on anxiety. The researchers conclude:

Music therapy reduced anxiety significantly more than control conditions at post-intervention.

If anxiety control and stress relief are among your goals for 2025 (and beyond), we recommend a cocktail of mindfulness, deep breathing games, artistic pursuits, and taking up a musical instrument. No single practice is likely to change your life, but together these techniques should lead you to a less stressful year.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published January 4, 2025.

Sources:

“Do mindfulness-based programmes improve the cognitive skills, behaviour and mental health of children and adolescents? An updated meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials,” BMJ Mental Health, August 2022.

“The effect of physical activity on anxiety in children and young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” Journal of Affective Disorders, April 2021.

“Systematic review and economic modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders,” Health Technology Assessment, March 2015.

“The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in the Treatment of Traumatized Adults: A Systematic Review on Art Therapy and Trauma,” Tramu, Violence and Abuse, November 2014.

“Review: The effectiveness of musical therapy in improving depression and anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents — a systematic review,” Child and Adolescent Mental Health, November 2022.

“Effects of music therapy on anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials,” Psychiatry Research, October 2021.

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