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Your dog has just chewed your new shoes, your baby is crying, and you have a work deadline looming. It would be all too easy to shrink back and let the stress of the moment take you, but there is another way. Instead of letting the stress take you, you could tray one of the following five-minute relaxation tips. It might just transform your life.

Enjoy a Square of Chocolate

Eating just a single square of your favorite dark chocolate can regulate your cortisol levels, thus helping you to calm down from any stressful situation. It can also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels so that you don’t dip too low – something which can also cause stress.

Pour a Cup of (Green) Tea

The simple ritual of drinking a soothing cup of tea can be enough to calm you down in itself, but if you switch your usual cuppa with a good quality green tea, you will find that you’re soon feeling calmer than ever, thanks to the anger relieving L-Theanine – an ingredient found in green tea.

Meditate

You would not believe some of the benefits of meditation! When practiced regularly, it can help to protect against Alzheimer’s relieve social anxiety and depression and aid in concentration. But, did you know that just five minutes of meditation is all you need to reduce stress and calm down when you are feeling overwhelmed. Obviously, the more you meditate, the less flustered you will be, put if you need a quick boost, closing your eyes and relaxing on your breathing for a few moments can work wonders!

Chew Gum

It might sound strange, but the act of chewing a stick of gum can lower cortisol levels and reduce the symptoms of anxiety. So, it might be a good idea to stock up on your favorite gum and ensure you always have a stick or two of your for those emergency meltdown situations.

Breathe

One of the simplest things you can do to calm yourself down is to take a few deep breaths. Just five minutes of deep breathing could help to lower your heart rate and your blood pressure and leave you feeling cool, calm and collected once more.

Count Down From 100

The (minimal) mental effort that it takes to count backwards from 100 can be enough to silence your negative thoughts and stops stress in its tracks.  Try it; we bet you’ll find that its harder to worry when you’re counting that you think!

Use Essential Oils

Essential oils like lavender rose and bergamot can help to clear your head and calm you down when things get too much for you. Simply take a whiff directly from the bottle, or burn with some water in an oil burner for a longer-lasting effect.

Although these tips will undoubtedly help you to destress, nothing beats a streamlined schedule, with plenty of breaks to keep you feeling calm. So, if you can swing it, try to design your own stress-beating schedule for the most mental benefit.