Life is pretty stressful. Keeping your cool is often just too hard to do without an outlet of some sort, and giving yourself the right coping mechanisms can actually improve the overall quality of your life. If you’re feeling like you’re at the end of your rope after a long ass week, try one of these awesome ways to get back to chillaxin’ fast:
- Have sex, or masturbate. Sex and masturbation release feel-good hormones that lead to relaxation and overall better moods and health. Plus, it just feels good. All the more reason to get busy.
- Practice the art of the at home spa. You don’t have to go to a Russian bath house to do this, but at the very least, learn to love your bath tub. A warm, beautifully perfumed bath can ease sore muscles, calm you down, and also help lull you to sleep. If you want to kick your bath tub game into high gear, grab a glass of wine, turn off the lights, and add some ambient lighting to the mix. You will feel like you just visited a spa, guaranteed!
- Journal your cares away. There’s something profoundly relaxing about being able to spill your guts to a journal without having to worry about people’s reactions. If you haven’t tried it, give it a go. You’ll likely be hooked.
- Try retail therapy. If you can afford it, go out and buy something nice for yourself. It’s surprisingly rewarding, and you get to update your wardrobe while chilling out. It may not be good for your bank account, but it’s definitely good for the way you feel.
- Vent to a friend over drinks. There’s something oddly refreshing and cathartic about being at a dimly lit bar, and moaning about your troubles to someone who’s there for you. A good glass of wine and the right bar buddy can make even the worst of days seem like an old issue from years ago.
- Light a candle and get your aromatherapy on. Aromatherapy is a great way to smell wonderful things, feel better, and also get a good vibe going on around you. It’s really amazing what lighting a candle and taking a good inhale can do for your mood.
- Strike a pose! Let’s just face it — millions of people can’t be wrong about yoga. Studies have shown that yoga practitioners have lower levels of stress, higher levels of body awareness, and better overall health. In other words, if you’re feeling frazzled, roll out that mat and posture up!
- Put things in perspective. The vast majority of things that we worry about never actually materialize. Even when it comes to people talking smack about us, the truth is that the things that we often put so much emphasis on really don’t matter in the long run. Take a deep breath and realize that you’re probably sweating the small stuff.
- Throw a mini tantrum if it gets too much to handle. Sometimes, you need to blow off steam, and that’s OK! You’re human! This is what humans do when stress is just too much. Go ahead. Shout, scream, punch a pillow, throw popcorn at the TV, etc. Do what you have to in order to get it out of your system. You might end up feeling a lot better afterwards.
- Clean up. Did you ever notice how much clutter seems to make everything around you feel more chaotic? The easiest way to get a feeling of taking back control over your life is to clean up that mess, toss out junk that reminds you of bad times, and enjoy the beauty of a freshly cleaned house. Better still, you can burn some serious calories hauling out junk.
- Tackle a problem head-on. Too often, we avoid problems because the idea of actually having to deal with the fallout makes us wince in discomfort. If you want to feel a huge weight lifted off your shoulders, then make an effort to end the procrastination. Problems only multiply if you ignore them.
- Watch a funny movie. Sometimes, you just have to laugh it out. That’s what Netflix is for, right?
- Jam out to your favorite songs. Turn off the lights in your room, turn on the radio, and just start dancing. You’ll be able to express a lot of your feelings doing this, and you’ll feel like a real diva afterwards. What’s not to love?
- Get a massage. If you have a significant other or a friend, please consider asking them for a back rub or doing a massage exchange. There’s a reason why people go to spas for massages, and it’s because it helps them relax.
- Eat some delicious food. Crack open a recipe book, and cook yourself a nice meal. This goes back to the whole idea of treating yourself well, and being good to yourself. After all, is there any better way to show your love to yourself like a great meal?
