It can often feel like stress is simply a mandatory part of our daily routine.

Thankfully, you are equipped with 5 handy, built in tools, to help combat that stress -- your senses --- and they work in your favor best when you work to focus on them. 

While smelling soothing essential oils, listening to calming music, or indulging in the taste of your favorite comforting foods are all common ways to de-stress, there are 2 other very effective senses that you may be overlooking.

Important first steps:
Before you do anything, you must first acknowledge that you are stressed. That self-reflection and recognition of the stressful feeling will help you begin the stress relief process.

Try this simple breathing technique before diving into using your senses, this will be a great way to focus your mind and body: 

Place your feet firmly on the ground, and feel the floor rooted underneath you. Place one hand on your heart and the other over your stomach, and take 3 deep breaths --- feel your torso expand, hold briefly -- and let everything go. Doing this three times resets the system and brings us back to exactly where we are, right here, right now. Our breath can take us to a safe place in any moment of stress or chaos.

• Touch
  Most people hold a ton of tension in the palm of their hands -- some think our fight or flight response manifests itself in the meaty part of our hand, right below our thumb and in between the thumb and pointer finger. 

  You can use that sense of touch by taking your opposite thumb and giving that area a gentle release, along with your inner-wrist muscle -- both of which inevitably get blocked up after hours sitting in front of a computer. This simple move can do wonders to give your mind and body some much-needed relief
   

• Sight
  Eyesight is another incredible stress-relieving tool, that is often overlooked (pun intended). Whether you’re in a triggering meeting at work, or stuck in the longest line at the grocery store checkout (yes, it’s inevitable)  -- even taking 10 seconds utilizing your eyes can help you shake the stress.

  Try looking at a person or two nearby and take a few moments to watch their bodies breathing. Sometimes taking the opportunity to simply acknowledge the miracle of the breathe in others can take you out of your mind and bring you back into a present moment with a fresh perspective.

  Reading street signs or signage -- in a store, on a street corner or anywhere -- that you would typically gloss over in a stressed out haze, can refocus on your attention on something neutral and help guide you back to alignment.

So just for today, give your brain a break and remember your other senses -- chances are, you -- and your partner, co-workers or even strangers -- will be all the better for it.