If you’ve ever been under stress, you know that uncomfortable feeling that comes along with it. That feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach comes along with stress every time. If you ever want to stop having that feeling, you’re going to have to learn to deal with stress. Here are a few ways to do that.

If you are feeling stressed out by work or school, then go out of your way to help someone in need. Sometimes, it will take a good deed for you to feel good about yourself and reduce the tension that you have. Sign up at a homeless shelter and aid the needy to help reduce stress.

If you’re feeling stressed out try exercising on a regular basis. Exercising three to five times a week is a great way for your body to burn off excess energy and to clear out the stress. While you’re exercising, your mind can focus on that task at hand and you can forget about what’s stressing you out.

Meditation can be a great way for you to relieve stress. Try meditating each night before you go to bed. Turn off anything around you, close your eyes, and clear out your mind. Don’t think about things you need to get done or problems that you need to solve. Just let your mind relax for a little while and focus on each breath. If your mind starts wondering, just bring it back to your breath. Shutting off your brain takes practice, but each practice session is working off your stress.

Practice preventative health care maintenance, and give yourself fewer reasons to stress-out! Try to prevent health concerns from arising in the first place, as this can actually help to reduce your anxiety. Make sure you see a doctor regularly for checkups and for health screenings. This will alleviate stress about your health and keep you healthy.

Breaking big jobs into smaller chunks will reduce your stress in numerous ways! Most importantly this will make the job seem less overwhelming and more approachable; additionally you will be better prepared to actually complete the job in a timely manner. Failure to meet deadlines and fulfill duties is a major cause of stress so if you change your initial approach to a big job and can do it more efficiently you are one step ahead of the next one!

A good tip that can help you get your stress down is to start making sure you have enough time to get to places. There’s nothing more stressful than arriving late to work or to an important meeting. Making sure you get to places early or on time can help you keep your stress down.

Warm up to reduce stress. Rub your hands together quickly until they feel warm. Once they are warm, put them over your closed eyes for about five seconds and breathe deeply. The darkness and the warmth work together to be comforting and help take some of your stress away.

A great tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to count to ten when you’re feeling really stressed out. You don’t want to act on your impulses when you’re stressed because they can lead to ugly consequences. Taking a little time out can help you regather your thoughts.

Take some time for yourself. Always set aside a little time each day to devote to yourself. Whether it’s a little time in the morning before anyone else is awake or in the evening when dinner is over – try to relax. Some people find that meditation helps them, some like relaxing in a warm bath, whereas others like to destress themselves by going for a walk or a run.

If you are very serious during the day, try to find time to read jokes or riddles online. This will make you laugh and can serve as a breath of fresh air in a stuffy office environment. Find time to laugh if you want to reduce your overall stress level.

You should take note of funny things that happen to you daily, and also jokes that you hear. Not only will writing a journal be fun, but it will also help your mind focus on them much more. Therefore, writing these down will cause you to enjoy life more.

When there are a lot of issues on your mind, go out for a long night drive. Do not think about anything, just simply drive to clear your head. This is a great way for you to emotionally purge all of your troubles and help to put in focus what is important in your life.

Use these tips as a starting point; use them to start dealing with stress in a way that is healthy and positive. By handling stress this way, you’ll be able to lessen the effect stress has on you, including that sinking feeling. Take control of yourself and stress will diminish.

Stress Getting You Down? Try These Tips was originally published on Spring