We’ve all been stressed out: School, projects, expectations, bad environments at home or at school. They all just weigh down on us and the more we stress, the tougher things seem. And sometimes it seems really hard to just take a break from all and relax. Well, here are some easy things which can help you do so and thus get rid of the stress:

• Fix your posture. Tense muscles have a lot to do with stress. Fixing your posture will help relax those muscles and in return, also calm your mind a little
• Learn how to breathe. When you’re under a lot of stress or anxious allow yourself to take a minute to breathe. Breathe in slowly, count to 10, keep your breath in for around 5 seconds and then breathe out slowly, counting to 10. Repeat this action a few times until you can feel yourself calm down. Lack of oxygen in your brain is also a cause of stress.
• Sip on green tea
• Eat a square of dark chocolate. This sweet treat regulates the levels of stress in your body
• Bite into a mango. It contains a compound (called linalool) which helps lower the stress levels
• Count backwards from 10 and then back up. It’s harder to freak or stress when you’re busy on another task such as counting.
• Acupressure. It doesn’t take long and it’s not hard to do. You can always search for pressure points on your body and which are the best to help you relax. Try gently rubbing your temples, clockwise or counterclockwise with your middle fingers (the reason why you should use your middle fingers is that these are the ones with the least force in them) or hold the bridge of your nose between your middle finger and thumb, very gently pressing. Another great way is to pinch and massage the skin between your thumb and index finger with your thumb and forefinger of your other hand.
• Cold water on your wrists or behind your earlobes. There are major arteries in these spots and cooling them down can help calm the body
• Find the sun. If it’s a sunny day just let the sun rays lift up your spirits. Close your eyes and focus on nothing for a minute or two. You’ll feel much more energized
• Write it down. If you are stressed just write all your emotions down on paper, everything which seems to be the cause of your stress. It’ll help

These are just some of the very many techniques. Sometimes all you need is just a 5 minute time out. Nothing around you to distract you from your relaxing and nothing to pull you back into the stress zone. Make time for yourself daily and enjoy the small, little things around you.

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