You can’t just snap your fingers and be rid of stress. If you could, you would have done it by now. So, please be very gentle on yourself: life is stressful, but you are strong and can learn how to shake it off using your own inner resources. Here’s how:

Understand what your body is telling you
It’s easy to know when you’re not feeling well--you just don’t feel well. But there are millions of negative emotions, and you might not immediately know when you’re in the specific clutches of stress. 

To identify stress, look for these symptoms throughout your body:

• Is your stomach cramped or tight? 
• Are you clenching your jaw, your fists, or other muscles? 

You can find some telltale signs of stress in your breath as well:

• Is your breathing shallow? If so, it could be making you lightheaded or faint.
• Have you been holding your breath/forgetting to breathe?

Identify your stress response
Stress affects every one of us in a similar fashion. We enter into fight or flight mode, which means our heart pumps fast and our muscles begin to constrict, often leading to a rise in blood pressure. As a long-term effect, living in fight or flight mode will drain your immune system and deplete your energy levels. But while we all experience these symptoms of stress, we respond to it in our own way. These methods stress manifests in our outward lives fall under two categories: overexcited stress response and underexcited stress response. If we can identify what category we fall into, we can begin to relieve the stress. 

If you respond to stress with an over-excited response, you tend to feel keyed up and overly emotional, often agitated. For this type of stress response, you’ll do best to heal yourself with relief activities that quiet you down, such as baths and meditation.

If you respond with an underexcited response, you’ll become depressed, withdrawn, or even checked out. You’ll most likely experience freedom from stress by engaging in activities that stimulate your mind and body, such as exercise. 

How to Use your Senses as a Rescue Remedy:
We have five senses and each of them can alleviate our stress. 

• Smell
  Surround yourself with smells that calm you, such as lavender or eucalyptus. Utilize candles and flowers and any perfume or cologne you find comforting. 
• Sight
  Look at a picture of a loved one or beautiful landscape, decorate your work space with colors that enhance your mood, even close your eyes to envision a place that makes you happy.
• Touch
  Wrap yourself in a blanket, pet an animal, take a warm bath, cuddle a stuffed animal (this is helpful no matter how old you are)
• Taste
  Eat fresh fruit, enjoy a healthy snack, indulge in a piece of dark chocolate.
• Sound
  Keep a collection of your favorite songs and listen to them when you need a calming/comforting escape. Listen to the sound of water, either with a white noise machine or in person--even take a trip to the beach.

Stress can be dangerous, but it’s inevitable. Although you can’t stop yourself from EVER feeling stressed again, there is a way to become your own hero, capable of rescuing yourself from the SOS clutches of stress. First understand what you’re experiencing and then use any or all of your senses to access relief from your aggravating symptoms. Make this a priority for yourself--without the burden of stress you will live a longer and happier life. You deserve that.