We all get stressed.  It may be different levels and at different rates, but we all have moments of pressure.  This can cause our minds to falter and our bodies to take on some damage.  Sadly, it isn’t easy to relieve stress if life has you running around all the time and you can only lie down if you’re sick, too tired to move, or dead.  There has to be something that one can do.  Right?

1. Turn off or at least mute the phone.  This is probably the hardest thing to do because we use it so often.  It’s also caused people to think they can contact others whenever they want and get an immediate response.  I don’t even mean for a long period of time.  Anywhere from 10-20 minutes can give you a sense of relaxation.  During the course of writing this paragraph, my phone went off 7 . . . 8 times.  It only took me 2 minutes to write too.
2. Meditation is a hard sell because people think it has to be done with a lot of humming and atmosphere.  I don’t think it does.  All you have to do is find a quiet place and do one of two things.  Either think of nothing to get the stress to fade away or think happy thoughts only.  Both methods can work depending on the person.
3. Listen to music.  It doesn’t matter what kind of music or when.  Just actually listen to it instead of letting it be background.  You can do this with a walk, while driving, lying down, in the shower, or in any place where you can be alone.  Just let the music push away the stress.
4. Avoid alcohol if you’re really stress and anxious.  I know people may argue with this point, especially since I talk about drinking a bunch.  The truth is that I haven’t had much in the way of alcohol in years.  A big reason is that I noticed even one drink would amp up my stress levels because my mind would wander to the stuff I didn’t want it to touch on.  The only times it didn’t was when I was drinking with a friend who helped to redirect my attention.  So, I guess this is more ‘do not drink alone’.
5. Talk to a friend who is willing to listen.  This seems to be one of the hardest tips for people follow.  Why?  We are raised to keep our damage hidden on the inside.  We are taught to pretend to be healthy, functional, and confident adults.  The reality is that most people are heavily scarred on the inside even if they don’t realize it.  Much of our stress comes from keeping the pain internal and fearing that those around us will learn about it one day.  This is why having someone to talk to about your stress can help relieve it.  Could be a therapist, a friend, a family member, or anyone who you feel you can trust.
6. Take a nap.  Couldn’t hurt, but don’t do it at work or while driving.
7. Adopt a quiet hobby that you can do from time to time.  It can be jigsaw puzzles, drawing, crosswords, sewing, or any number of low stress, relaxing activities.  I’ve found that doing them before bed can help in falling to sleep with less rambling thoughts.  Use these activities to help get your mind off whatever happened that day and maybe give your emotional state a small reboot.