Stress can sometimes be good, but other times bad. Positive stress can be a very strong motivator. On the other hand, negative stress makes you feel tired, sad, and can even lead to suicidal thoughts. Handling your stress is the key to a healthier life. Reading this article can give you a pocketful of tips, tricks and advice on dealing and handling stress in your life.

Try taking up a hobby to relieve some of your stress. A hobby – whether it’s gardening, building model cars, writing, or whatever – can be a great way for you to forget whatever’s bothering you and just relax and have fun for a bit. Whenever you’re feeling stressed out, take some time to work on your hobby.

Breathing works wonders for alleviating stress. Take a deep breath, this helps to oxygenate your blood and can help you to relax instantly. If you breath shallow, it causes your heart to beat faster and your muscles start to get tense. Instead, breathe deeply, inhale through your nose, hold a few seconds and then exhale through your nose.

A very simple way to reduce stress is to start your day ten or fifteen minutes earlier. By giving yourself that extra few minutes each day, you’ll have time to sit and enjoy your cup of coffee or give you a head start on your commute so you won’t have to battle traffic, therefore reducing your stress level. That extra time also gives you a chance to catch up on things that might not have gotten done the previous day. It’s amazing what a few short minutes each day can do for your stress levels!

Create a statement that is brief, positive and true that will assist you in redirecting your thoughts and coping with your stress. As you repeat your affirmation to yourself, you will be able to stifle that wheedling, pessimistic voice from within. Repeat to yourself that you are in control, that you are calm, or any other positive statement that will help you feel better.

Go to the park, and take a jog with some friends. You can relax your body by working your stress out through physical exercise. Relieve stress by running gently or walking briskly.

In order to deal with your stress, consider calling a free stress hotline. This is important because the counselors you will speak to are trained in how to help you manage your stress and are there for you. Sometimes you are not able to deal with everything on your own and need help.

Get up and go outside for some fresh air and sunshine to help relieve stress. If you are inside an office all day or cooped up inside the house, go outside for a few minutes and see the sun and take in some fresh air. Even a small amount of time outside can help improve your mood and will work on helping you relax.

A great way to deal with your stress is to go to church. This is a great way to deal with stress because you not only will have the support of other people, but you can focus on what is important in life. Through prayer you may find all of the answers needed to remove stress from your life.

If you’re finding yourself under a lot of stress often, try scheduling your day. If you plan your day out, you won’t have to worry about trying to figure out what do next. Or if you’re already doing this and are still stressed, do the opposite and try and wing it each day. Find the right medium between scheduling and winging it that works for you.

One way to reduce stress is to go to bed an hour early. If you do this, you probably will naturally wake up before your alarm, which is a very relaxing feeling. By going to bed earlier, you will feel as though you have all the time in the world the next morning.

Next time you feel stressed and want to give up, do the opposite. Fighting through stress by being proactive, is an important step to controlling the situation. When you are passive about the the situation, you can easily develop a growing level of helplessness, which will only add more stress to your plate. Get in front of the situation.

If you feel stressed and irritable in the morning, try waking up 15 minutes earlier. It may seem counter intuitive to deprive yourself of sleep, but this will allow you to have a nice breakfast and to feel less rushed as you head out the door. Getting up earlier may also help you avoid stress inducing traffic.

Short term stress is able to help you focus and gives you enough adrenaline to deliver desirable results. Ongoing stress is a ticket to depression, obesity and vascular diseases. Remember the things that you have learned here, and transform your life’s stress into something useful instead of suffering from it.