Do you ever wish you had a magic pill that could stop your stressed out feelings? Stress can be like an uncontrollable monster at times. We know stess is bad for our health, but sometimes we can’t help getting sucked into the latest crisis at work or home. The following may provide some helpful pointers to get you back to a calm state.

If you procrastinate, you run the risk of increasing your stress levels without even realizing it. Even though most of us agree that we work best under pressure, the opposite is actually true. Are you actually doing your best when doing it at the last minute? The stress of having the extra pressure on your shoulders from the impending duty that you keep putting off automatically increases your stress level. Rather than procrastinating, complete your work as soon as you receive it in order to reduce your stress level.

A lot of your stress is directly caused by the food that you put in your mouth. To limit the stress level in your life, cut back on the caffeine and coffee that you drink on a daily basis. This will make you feel calmer inside so that you can maximize how you feel.

Try to visualize being calm when you feel overwhelmed and stress. Imagine a calming warm shower flowing over your body that washes away any tension or stress that you are feeling. Also try closing your eyes and visualizing yourself in a calm and familiar setting or doing something you enjoy.

A good tip that can help you keep your stress down is to start living your life the way you want to. There’s nothing worse than settling in life and having regrets about it. By going after your dreams you’ll notice that your stress levels will be much lower.

In order to manage your stress, take a vacation. This is important because often times people will think that taking a vacation is not possible due to their work load, despite having the vacation time. Many times a change of scenery can help you obtain a clear head and help you straighten things out and get a fresh perspective on them.

There are some things that can cause you stress without you even realizing it. Spending hours in front of the TV or playing video games in an effort to unwind deprives you of time that could be spent in pursuit healthy stress relieving activities. An engrossing video game could tempt you to skip a healthy meal, or cut back on much-needed sleep time.

You should never feel as though your stress is a victimless crime. It is sure to be affecting those people nearest and dearest to you. Even if it doesn’t cause your children to be scared of you or your coworkers to avoid you, there is always one other victim – you.

A good tip to keep you from getting stressed out is to take breaks when you’re working on a difficult task. Forcing yourself to get something done might be a good intention but it’s not healthy. Taking the breaks you need will allow you to stay focused and thinking clearly.

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.

While video games can offer lots of relaxation, you should stop immoderately if you begin to feel frustrated. Understand that you are supposed to be clearing your mind and feeling calm, rather than replacing your stress with frustration.

A great way to help you fight stress is to substitute walking for driving whenever you can. Everyone knows that driving can be a highly stressful activity. You can bypass all of that by simply walking to where you need to go instead. You’ll feel much better and your stress will go down.

One great stress reliever is a massage. If you have a partner or close friend, see if they’re interested in trading massages. If not, pay to have one done professionally. Having the tension worked out of your muscles can have a profound effect on your state of mind and relieve a lot of stress.

Create a peaceful saying. Many people use a positive saying or affirmation that they say repeatedly when they begin to feel stressed. By repeating the affirmation, you can silence the more critical thoughts you are having about the situation. Next time you are feeling stressed, try saying the affirmation ten times in a row.

Many reports talk about rising cortisol levels and other hormones that increase when we are under stress. These excess circulating hormones, can cause other health problems and it really makes sense to learn useful techniques for controlling, managing or just letting go of stress so that you can get back to enjoying your life.