Can you remember the last time you felt completely relaxed?

If you need to stop and think about it, it’s been too long!

In the constant whirlpool of responsibilities, chores, and deadlines, it’s incredibly difficult to cultivate a stress-free life and it even seems impossible with so much constantly going on. Seeing that stress and suppressed emotions are one of the most common triggers of countless health problems, learning how to relax has become an absolute necessity in the modern world.

People often accept tense situations and pressure as an everyday part of their lives and this is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. There are many ways to manage stress, and here are 7 of them that allow you to learn to relax even when things get are tough…

#1 Identify What Gets on Your Nerves

Of course, there are situations and people who push your buttons and make you anxious or angry, but we don’t realize that we surround ourselves with stressors much more than we realize. Having friends and family who don’t do much else but focus on the negative in their lives and talk about it incessantly is more than enough to get you off your tracks.

All you need to do in order to manage stress on this front is to remove yourself from those stressors. When someone’s all about drama and victim mentality, consciously choose not to take part in their rants and give them your energy to feed their never-ending whining.

If you know that watching the news and reading about bad things happening in the world will make you feel awful, don’t do it. The very first rule of managing stress is to respect yourself, respect how you want to feel and don’t let anything or anyone disrupt your peace.

#2 Be Wise and Know When to Stop

We love showing others how much we can do and achieve but while grit is definitely needed to succeed, you need to know when to push yourself and when it’s time to take a break. The problem is that for every aspiring person out there pressing the pause button can be quite a challenging concept and spending weeks and months without the proper chance to relax is the worst way to punish your immune and nervous system.

If you want to be treated well, you need to treat yourself well too and understand once and for all that there is nothing more important than your wellbeing. So, treat yourself a nice weekend getaway, or a day at the spa, do what you truly love and enjoy on a regular basis, and you will see just how much of a game changer it is. Nothing will give you perspective like moving away from problems and stress and doing what feels good. You will not only be more successful, but also calmer and able to react well when a new stressful situation comes along.

#3 Take Care of Your Inner Monologue

The biggest problem most humans face is the ongoing inner monologue that keeps burdening us with negative thoughts and replays of the painful moments. If you’re prone to daydreaming and it can take you to some dark places, then you know that whatever you imagine or think about can hurt you and stress you out even more than when it comes to reality.

That is why it’s so essential to keep your inner voice(s) in check and be as aware as you can about the way you think about yourself and perceive the world. Don’t let your own mind stress you out for no reason and the best way to do that is to be aware of your inner monologue as much as possible and in that awareness fix all the negative thinking patterns.

#4 Don’t Be Afraid to Talk

Going to someone with your problems isn’t a sign of weakness, but maturity, but still so many choose pride over their wellbeing. When you’re facing a difficulty or a stressful situation in any aspect of your life and you can’t quite cope with it, talk to a friend, or even better, talk to an objective professional.

Somebody who’s got your best interests in mind and somebody who is trained to help people can surely provide you with insight and comfort that can rarely come from a stressed mind. I’m not saying to whine about your problems to anyone with ears, but choose your audience carefully and listen to what they have to say – more often than not, they’ll impart wisdom that will allow you to move from a standstill.

#5 Know How to Calm Yourself Anywhere Anytime

If you’re an anxious person by nature, then calming yourself anywhere anytime could be a mission impossible. The trick here is to “find your calm” so to speak, as in the sea of calming techniques, it’s hard to fish out something that truly works for you.

For some it’s calming music and closing their eyes for a couple of minutes, for others, it’s doing yoga daily to stay grounded and balanced and there are people who only need to breathe deeply to calm themselves.  The point is to try out different approaches and see what fits best because the ability to act calmly will affect your life in every way imaginable and you can bet that it will be for the good.

One of my favourite ways to relax my mind is to go camping with friends for the weekend during spring. All you need is a tent, some tasty food and a puffy blanket to keep you warm at night.

#6 Sleep Is Vital

The whole world feels out of place when you’re sleep deprived constantly, which causes your body and mind to be continually overwhelmed and nothing works right. Getting plenty of quality sleep allows your body and brain to stay on track, not to mention that you’ll be able to think better and be sharp-minded in general, which in return will help you not to stress about the little things. Sleeping keeps us in balance and managing stress largely depends on your sleep patterns, so be sure to get good shuteye frequently.

#7 Your Reaction Matters

Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. These are the words of Deepak Chopra, and though I’m not a fan of quotes, this resonates with everyone who is consciously trying to improve their lives and their relationships. If somebody is annoying you, respond with calm and humor for your own sake and you will feel a lot happier and content with yourself.

Theresa Brawner is 28 years old, lives in Boston and works as a fitness instructor and blog writer for www.diet.st. When she isn’t cooking up some interesting new post, she enjoys spending time in nature and reading science fiction books.