At times in life, it may feel like you are having to carry a 500 pound weight on your shoulders. Physical and emotional stress can create a variety of unwanted symptoms. Read the following article and learn how you can manage your stress and live a happier life.

Try seeking out humor to relieve your stress. Whether it’s reading jokes on the internet, watching a funny movie, or going to see a comedian, getting a dose of humor in your life can really help reduce the amount of stress. It’s been shown that if you laugh often, you won’t be as stressed out.

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.

If you are under pressure, one of the things that you can do is lift weights. When you contract your muscles, you will reduce the tension on your body and feel good about yourself. Do this in the comfort of your own home or at the gym to reduce stress levels.

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.

Try to get as much sleep as you possibly can during the course of the day, regardless of how much you have to work. Lack of sleep will result in increased stress levels, which can limit your productivity and hurt the way that you feel. Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night to feel your best.

Stress can have a very negative effect our digestive systems. According to the individual, stress might result in diarrhea or even constipation. When our digestive system isn’t working properly, this only adds to our stress, and the effect is a never-ending vicious circle. When you are experiencing problems such as these don’t ignore the fact that stress may be the root cause.

Stress can cause some people to cope in a negative way such as alcohol and drugs. Obviously substance abuse is a very poor option to take, and rarely, if ever valid. Drugs and alcohol will not help you. The negatives of these substances far outweigh the momentary benefits they may provide.

In order to get a stress attack under control, try using an imagination exercise. Attempt to picture yourself being at a place that you enjoy or find relaxing. For example, if you enjoy beach outings, mentally picture yourself lying on a beach. If you do this for a few minutes, you’ll find that it may help in getting your breathing under control and lowering your pulse rate.

You should be sure to learn the difference between good stress and bad stress so that you are better able to deal with each of them. Good stress is short lived and not very strong and can be used to motivate you whereas bad stress feels as though it is unrelated to anything in particular.

If you suffer from chronic stress, one solution might be to look at reducing your caffeine intake. While caffeine can help with productivity, it can also make people jittery and irritable and cause sleep disorders. If you have a lot of caffeine throughout the day, try gradually reducing it to just one or two cups in the morning.

Learn to make better use of your time when you need to reduce the stress in your life. Your mind and body are both under stress if you are always in a hurry to complete your tasks. Properly managing your time will eliminate this unnecessary stress. Plan and schedule everything that you can ahead of time using your favorite time-management tools. This will help you meet all of your obligations with less stress and without feeling so overwhelmed.

Remember that you needn’t constantly carry heavy burdens. You can revisit this article at anytime to help you beat stress. Your biggest hurdle now, is simply to incorporate the tips into your life.