We’ve all been there in our lives. Finals week is coming up, your boss just told you that you’ve got to work overtime for “a while”, your significant other keeps asking you for a date night, or you’ve just had a really tough few days. Whatever the reason, sometimes we just need ways to chill out and unwind. Here are my 10 favorite ways to relax when your stress level is at a 10

Music

While this may seem like an obvious one, many people choose to actually not utilize music when stressed; they feel that listening to music won’t actually accomplish anything besides wasting their time. However, studies have shown that listening to music really can provide a number of benefits, including aiding sleep, elevating mood, and yes, reducing stress.

Now, while everyone has their favorite genres and styles, certain types of music are proven to help more than others. Classical music, for example, has been shown in studies to aid sleep the most. However, if you absolutely hate listening to classical music, chances are it won’t help you out too much at all. Therefore, you should find music within a genre that you particularly enjoy listening to. Choose songs without a lot of abrupt changes in volume or intensity, with a familiar rhythm and beat. Keep the volume lower than you would normally; this will allow your mind to relax more than if you listen at your typical volume.

Call Someone

If you find yourself just absolutely overwhelmed, call someone familiar to you. It could be a close friend, a parent, another relative – anyone that you are comfortable talking to. Talking to someone to discuss your issues, get your stress off your chest, or just to get your mind off your stress can be greatly beneficial in tough times. Plus, if it is someone who you haven’t spoken to in a while, they will likely be quite glad to hear from you.

Read a Book

While reading academic material like textbooks is tedious, reading fiction has been proven to lower stress levels and help relax. Unlike watching a movie or playing video games, books do not have bright, jumpy, flashy images that tend to over stimulate the brain. Instead, reading helps the mind unwind and focus on something besides stressors without the excess motion of television and video games. Choose novels and stories that are not too complex in wording or plotline, but are still enjoyable reads.

Take a Bath

This tip actually has a dual purpose: for stress and for sickness. Long, warm baths, especially if you can find the right aromatic additives, are awesome for your brain. If you have a bathtub, don’t hesitate to utilize it whenever you are feeling stressed. Many stores that sell scented lotions or soaps will have a section somewhere dedicated to bath oils. Choose oils that are herbally scented; these smells are naturally relaxing to the brain. Additionally, herbal scents can help greatly with colds, sinus infections, allergies – anything that plugs up the nasal cavities and sinuses. The herbs act as a decongestant, allowing some of the nasty stuff that sometimes winds up in your head to come out.

Eat

There is a reason that comfort food is called comfort food. Eating savory foods with a lot of flavor, such as fried chicken, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, is an act that your brain associates with pleasure, and therefore reduces stress hormones and chemicals in the brain. Studies have also shown that the comfort from comfort food is not necessarily from the amount of calories consumed, but, again, from the pleasure derived from eating tasty nourishment. Therefore, this tip is largely open to the individual. Eat foods that give you the most pleasure. A good way to tell which foods are your favorites are to think of the foods you start craving when you are hungry, as the brain subconsciously communicates these foods as the desired foods first.

Exercise

While exercise doesn’t seem like the most enjoyable activity, it is great for reducing and managing stress levels. Working out helps reduce stress in a couple of key ways. One way is by taking your mind off of whatever is bothering you. If you are focused on your workout, you will likely automatically push aside your issues and focus on whatever it is you are doing at the time. Working out can also release some frustrations. By pushing yourself a little bit harder than you normally would (but not enough to cause injury – know your limits!!!), you will find that after you are finished, you are not only too tired to worry about your stressors, but you will also feel a sense of accomplishment that will translate to enhanced optimism about your troubles.

Again, keep in mind that it is possible to hurt yourself while exercising. It is a great tool if used properly, but used incorrectly it can lead to further stress from injury. Always consult a doctor if you have any conditions that may lead to issues when exercising, and if something hurts in a way that it shouldn’t, stop doing it.

Socialize

Humans are naturally social creatures, and yet when we begin to stress, one of the first things we stop doing is being social. Socialization is a big part of our every day lives, and can be very beneficial if you are feeling particularly stressed. Texting or going on social media doesn’t cut it either; we need face to face social interaction that can only be gotten by actually leaving your chair/desk/wherever and going to talk to someone. Take an hour to just put down what you are doing and go be with a friend. Go out to a bar or a club (if you are old enough to do so) and meet new people, or get together with old friends. Anything to be with other people for a short amount of time will reduce your stress.

With this route, make sure that you don’t talk about what is bothering you (if you want to do that, see tip #2). Discuss sports, shopping, the latest celebrity news, the latest personal news- anything to take your mind off your troubles. If you do this, you will find that you feel much better after, even if you are only out for an hour or two.

Yoga

Yes, this is going with a bit of a cliché, but one of the reasons yoga is cited so often for relaxation is because it works! There are many types of yoga that exist nowadays; each different variety of yoga has a specific purpose. Try to find a routine specifically for relaxation as opposed to one designed for exercise or stamina, as while all yoga does help relax, these routines tend to be slightly more rigorous and less stress relieving. Many routines will come with a musical playlist (see tip #1!) that will enhance the relaxation experience.

Keep in mind that, like with exercise, you can hurt yourself in yoga. The stretching is great, but if you overdo it you could pull muscles and cause injury, which probably won’t help your stress much at all! Again, consult a doctor if you have any concerns or medical issues that might cause issues with any type of physical activity, including yoga.

Drink Tea

Many people turn to coffee when they are feeling stressed out. However, coffee has a large dosage of caffeine, which in the short term raises blood pressure and heart rate, two things that are also common symptoms of – wait for it – stress! Seems counterproductive right? Instead, give green tea a try. Green tea, in addition to having significantly less caffeine than coffee, releases an amino acid called theanine. Theanine has a few effects, the best of which (at least for purposes of this article) is its calming tendency, a benefit that is achieved without the heart racing, blood pressure raising caffeine content of coffee.

Mindfulness

While all of the tips above can be used in the short and long term, this tip is specifically for the long term. If you find that you are stressed on a daily basis, try making some non-invasive lifestyle changes. One good change incorporating mindfulness is taking up the practice of active meditation. Active meditation is not the trance like, cross-legged, eyes closed, strange humming type of meditation that is most commonly cited (often incorrectly) in the modern media. Active meditation is simply the practice of sitting for fifteen to twenty minutes a day in a quiet room, perhaps with some light meditation music (see how that theme keeps coming back?), and reflecting upon the day. You can think about what went well, what you may want to improve, what you want to do tomorrow – really anything that is on your mind from that day. This practice, over time, causes you to make small changes in your minute-to-minute thinking, mostly causing you to analyze and be more thoughtful about situations. This will ultimately lead to less stress by causing you to be more accepting of the decisions you make every day, as you will know that, no matter the outcome, you thought each decision through and made a decision that you are happy and comfortable with.

So there you have it. When you are feeling stressed out, try these tips. Some may work for you, some may not, it really depends on the individual. In any case, hopefully at least one of these suggestions will help reduce stress in your life.