Need Stress Relief NOW?

Are you in a stressful situation and need stress relief this very moment? Can’t put it off until the weekend? The following five stress relief tips will help you immediately.

Take a break from whatever it is that is pushing you over the edge. If a meeting is out of control, excuse yourself to the restroom. Kids driving you nuts? Send them to safe places and get away to a separate room where you can think. Is your partner being overly emotional? Request a few moments alone to think clearly. Is the stressor a long term and overarching issue? Take some time off. Just by taking action to get away from the source of stress, you’ll feel your stress level going down. Spend that precious short amount of time decompressing as much as possible.

Inhale deeply. Deep breathing exercises force your body to return to a more normal physical response, instead of staying in fight or flight mode. Don’t think about anything except how it feels to breathe slow, deep, even breaths. When you feel calm enough to handle the situation, return.

Put the problem at hand into perspective. How important is this stressor, in the big picture of life? Is your career in jeopardy? Your relationship? Is this situation life or death? Remind yourself of parts of your life that are stable. Can the problem at hand be fixed easily? Identify your part of the problem.

Determine what you can reasonably do. Considering what is rightfully your piece of the problem to solve, come up with suggestions to deal with it. Surrender whatever is not your responsibility, decide to do what you can do to help out, and let go of expectations for anything else.

Re-engage with a positive, relaxed, proactive attitude. If the other people are still highly stressed, try to be a calming influence on the situation. Find ways to solve the problem together without placing blame.

You need to actively manage your stress. If you often find yourself in stressful situations, research stress relief programs and methods.