5-Minute Stress Relief: 75 Exercises to Quiet Your Mind and Calm Your Body

Start relieving stress today with these and many other exercises:

Keep Your Gratitude List Handy

Keep an ongoing list of things you are grateful for and things that make you happy. Place this list somewhere you can easily access it. Perhaps you will keep it on a notepad that you carry around with you or electronically on your smartphone or tablet. Then, when you are feeling down or stressed out and want to shift your mindset, look at your list for a helpful reminder of what makes you feel grateful and happy.

Calm the Mind with Coloring and Doodling

You don’t have to be an artist to reap the benefits of coloring and doodling. Engaging in art projects has been found to reduce anxiety in college students and to induce emotional relaxation in people undergoing medical treatment, such as those with coronary artery disease. Drawing has even been shown to reduce the perception of physical pain, likely by diverting attention from the painful stimulus. So pick up some colored pencils, crayons, or markers, or simply doodle with a pen.

Tea for Relaxation and Stress Relief

Across cultures, tea has long been used as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments, including stress. The experience of making, sipping, and sharing tea can be a pleasant and relaxing experience in and of itself. But there are also particular types of tea that contain compounds that can reduce your stress on a biochemical level. Other teas can help relieve some of the ailments associated with chronic stress, like an upset stomach or nausea.