Stress can appear at any place, any time. No one can avoid stress completely, and we all have to discover our own best coping mechanisms. Even if a method has been working for a while, it might stop working at any time, so be ready to change things up. There are a wide variety of methods for decreasing anxiety.

Use lists for remembering things instead of depending only on your memory to give yourself a little bit of a break throughout the day. When we are overwhelmed with stress it’s harder to remember everything we need to take care of, so prepare for all that your day holds by making a list. Not only will the lack of having to recall details spare you stress but it will save you time as well!

The key to reducing the stress in your life is to lead a healthy lifestyle. By eating healthy on a regular basis and exercising, you are giving your body a head start in keeping stress at bay. Eating well-balanced meals gives your body all of the nutrients that are necessary to stay healthy, keeping stress hormones at their lowest levels possible. Exercise also helps to battle any high stress levels, as well as releases the good hormones, known as endorphins, that will help you to be happy.

A great tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to eliminate caffeine from your diet. Even though drinking coffee has become so popular these days, getting too much caffeine can have serious side effects. Cutting out caffeine will help you feel much less anxious.

Give yourself a positive and empowering affirmation. Use it as a mantra to silence any doubts about yourself that may be making you more stressed. Remind yourself that you are capable of handling whatever comes your way, that you are calm and in control, or whichever adage brings you the most comfort.

If you have a lot of excess dry skin on your face, one of the best ways to relieve your stress is to get a facial. This will allow your skin to breathe so that you feel fresh for the better part of the day. Give yourself a facial to help your anxiety and melt away your stress.

Is your stress level high? Go for a scenic ride! This will help keep your stress level down. Going for a scenic ride is a great way to unwind and to just enjoy nature. Feel the breeze on your face, enjoy the sunshine and see the clear blue sky. See the world while also keeping your stress levels down!

Sip on tea to help calm yourself. Chamomile tea is known for its calming effect, but there are also other teas that can calm you as well. Try a cup of passionflower, catnip, kava kava, or skullcap. Steep these herbs for about 10 minutes and you will get the full effects of their calming powers.

Commit yourself to a hobby you love. Hobbies have the ability to take your mind off of the day’s stressors. Plus, many hobbies are also active in nature, making them doubly powerful in reducing stress. Quite a few people swear by the perspective that stepping back and partaking in a hobby gives them on their stressful tasks at hand. They often come back to the task with refreshed energy and even creative solutions that seemingly appeared out of the blue!

Use humor and laughter to eliminate your stress when possible. Although it is not always the best time, if you can look at the stressful situation from a different point of view and see the humor in it, it will help relieve the stress of it. Even if you cannot find the humor in a stressful situation, try to think of a good joke or funny story that you heard and this will help tremendously.

Stress is given the nickname of the silent killer. This is because many people do not even realize that it is something dangerous and so they take no actions to try and reduce it. The truth is that stress release cortisol, a chemical which accelerates your heart rate eventually leading to heart problems.

Music can be a fantastic stress reliever if you work in an environment that allows you to listen to your tunes whenever you want. Aim for your playlist to include music that is more downtempo or in a lower key, as this will provide you with a more relaxed frame of mind. Louder, upbeat music is riskier because the noise could trigger stress, so make sure the lyrics are happy and positive.

Getting stress to the point where it doesn’t affect you that much, takes a lot of preparation and a lot of soul-searching. It’s possible, if you keep in mind that you control your thoughts and that stress is only a visitor. Don’t let stress stay and you’ll be a happier person very soon.

Reduce Your Stress Levels With These Tips was originally published on Spring