by Chris Green

If you're feeling like everything is getting on top of you,
or you're finding it difficult to cope or function, or
you're feeling down in the dumps, then try these 5 easy-to-
do tips to relieve tension and stress and boost your spirits: 

1. Take a relaxing bath. Add music, candles and a glass of
your favourite drink: beer, tea, hot chocolate, wine or even
champagne. Close the door and forget about everything else
for an hour or so. This helps to increase levels of calmness
and the calmer we feel, the less likely we are to get
stressed out or depressed.

2. Comedy night: get in your favourite nibbles: chips,
tortillas, salsa, crackers, cheese, pizza, chocolate,
cookies, ice cream etc. Crack open a bottle of wine or pour
yourself a beer or two and spend a full evening watching
your favourite funny films or comedians. Laughter raises our
spirits and is a great antidote to the stresses and trials
of modern living.

3. Get out of the firing line: Take off for some peace and
quiet for a day or better still a weekend or a week. Take a
journal, relax and gather your thoughts. When we're under
pressure or struggling to cope with a major situation or
event in life, seeing solutions to our problems can be
really difficult. Distance from problems can bring clarity
and relieve tension. I love going to the coast when I feel
like this and it always, without fail, helps me to calm down
and find solutions. I don't know why but there's something
really soothing about being near the ocean. Being near
water, come to think of it.

4. Increase calmness and feel great by indulging in massage.
Share a massage with your partner – create a relaxing
atmosphere by softening the lights and have oils and towels
to hand. Lavender oil is particularly relaxing. Or, treat
yourself to a massage from a professional masseur or
masseuse. For a really invigorating massage, visit a
Turkish baths if you're fortunate enough to have one nearby.
Massage is very relaxing and increases intimacy between
lovers. It's one huge stress buster as well but be warned,
it's addictive! Not a bad thing to be addicted to though,
and it will do you no end of good.

5. Spend a week without watching any television. Television
can fill your mind with negativity, bombard you with image
manipulation via commercials and give you a distorted view
of reality by showing you everything that's bad about the
world. Famines, disasters, murders, violence, war – the list
is endless – and news programs and soap operas are full of
such events. So give your mind a break from this assault on
your senses. Abandon the television for a week and do
something more rewarding instead: Read a book, listen to
music, socialize, workout, go for a walk or try your hand at
something new. If you need to hear the news, listen to a
radio news bulletin once a day. But try and avoid them for
one week, replace them with something more life enhancing
and see how you feel.

The above ideas are very simple to implement but they are
also very effective in helping to relieve stress and
tension. Give them a try and watch your mood levels rise!

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Chris Green is the author of the new acclaimed
book "Conquering Stress", the complete guide to beating
stress, depression and anxiety, quickly, naturally and
permanently.

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