Stress comes at us from all angles – work, school, family, and even our daily commute. Fortunately, the advice found in this selection of handpicked tips and tricks can be used to constructively assess and respond to the most common sources of stress. Keep calm, carry on, and remember these tips in your time of need.

If you’re feeling stressed, try going for a massage. Getting a nice massage is a great way to have the physical tension worked out of your body. If your body is less physically tense, your mind can be less mentally tense. Massages are a great way to relax and forget about the world.

A great way to reduce stress is not to sweat the small stuff. You have probably heard that before many times, because it is true. People with high stress levels tend to get upset about trivial things more often than people with low stress levels. Sometimes it is best to step away from a situation and think about whether it is worth getting upset over.

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!

One way to manage your stress is to take an amount of money that you can do without and spend it on something completely unnecessary that you might have always wanted. This will help to clear your mind and give you a sense of power and self accomplishment.

One way to positively manage your stress is to lose some weight if you have a few pounds to lose. This could be beneficial to you because the boost in self esteem will motivate you to accomplish more in your life and hopefully eliminate all that causes your stress.

To reduce stress, try cutting out caffeine from your diet. Switch from regular coffee to decaf and try to drink, either caffeine-free sodas or an alternative drink. If you’re used to drinking a lot of caffeine, ween yourself off slowly so that you don’t get a withdrawal headache. This should help to reduce your stress levels.

When facing high levels of tension, think about something that makes you happy, such as the beach. Picturing the sand and the waves rolling in is a very peaceful image and will help to remind you of the finer things in life. Create positive imagery to help eliminate unnecessary stress.

Try aromatherapy for calming your nerves and reducing your stress levels. Citrus and lavender are both proven to do just this. You can use scented soaps in the shower, or try candles or heated oils in your home. If you surround yourself with peaceful scents you can reduce the amount of stress you feel at home.

If you’re stressed out, make an extra effort to be friendly to everyone you meet. Lashing out and being rude, will only make other people react in kind, which will make everyone more stressed out than they were. If you put in the effort to smile, people will smile back and you might find your stress melting away.

You should take note of funny things that happen to you daily, and also jokes that you hear. When you’re having a stressed out moment, read it and smile. The acts of both putting items into the journal, plus reading from it later, will help lighten your mood considerably.

A great tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to write or read some poetry. Poetry is great because it allows you to express your feelings in a creative way. Not only will you be keeping your stress in check, but you’ll be creating art.

If you want to get rid of stress, make sure you know which things are actually worth stressing about. When you can prioritize what is important, your stress levels will go down, and you will find you are living a happier life.

To get through a complicated task without getting burnt out, break it up into steps. Instead of trying to take on the whole task at once, set simple, achievable goals and take them on by one by one. As the task gets smaller, it will feel much more manageable, and completing minor goals will give you a much needed confidence boost.

So whether you are having trouble coping with a new job, passing a difficult course, or dealing with unforeseen events that make it difficult to go about one’s business with an air of calm — do not be afraid to call upon these tips to help you cope.