I don’t know about you but it seems as I grow older my life has grown busier. In the past I found that as my life got busier I began feeling overwhelmed by stress and its accompanying anxiety.

I’m sure that you understand that having anxiety and stress in your life is as normal as the sun rising in the morning, but when you don’t deal with it properly it can lead to severe physical complications and even mental disorders. Stress can come from your work or your personal life. When you’re stressed out for too long it can lead to nervousness, anxiety, irritability and even depression. These problems can lead to high blood pressure, digestive issues and lower immunity to disease. The long term affects of anxiety and stress also include insomnia.

Because stress is such a big issue in many people’s lives, especially now, I’d like to give you 10 quick anxiety and stress relief tips that I’ve found are excellent for dealing with stress . Hopefully you can use them to help lower the stress in your life too.

1.  Make Your Choices Simple Ones

Life is already extremely complicated so make the simple choice. Simplifying your choices is an easy method of dealing with stress. Some people buy the Sunday paper and cut out all the coupons. Then they run to every store in town just to save 5 cents on a loaf of bread. Not only does this waste time and money (gas as well as wear and tear on your car) it makes your life so much more complicated.  So, don’t make things harder than they need to be, if there is an easier way to do something, do it. Life is about choices, and choosing to make your life less complicated is a simple way of dealing with stress.

2. Exercise

Of all the stress reducing habits I’ve created in my life, exercise has been the best one to help me relieve stress and tension. Although I enjoy all types of exercise, I’ve found that Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong breathing also help my mind to focus. I’ve found these practices help me to relieve my stress and anxiety while improving my overall health.

3. Meditation and Prayer

When it comes to simple things you can do to relieve stress and anxiety there is almost none better than prayer and meditation. Some of the most relaxed individuals I have ever met or read about pray or meditate regularly. Set aside some time to just be alone and self reflect. Sit in a quiet spot, let your mind relax and let the stress and anxiety in your day to day life just drift away.

4. Massage

I don’t know about you but when I’m tense I can feel it in my muscles, especially in my upper back and neck. I’m certain this isn’t healthy. Maybe this happens to you too.  If it does, a nice massage can work the knots out and it’s so easy, because all you really have to do is lie down and let someone else do the all work for a change. So if your body is tense get a massage, it can help relieve your stress and anxiety and help your body feel normal again.

5. Sleep

Nothing adds to insomnia like stress. If you’re tossing and turning due to stress and anxiety and not getting enough sleep, I can guarantee that this is adding to your stress level. When you get enough sleep you feel refreshed and ready to go. It can also relieve a lot of muscle tension, and it’s easy to do. Just lay back, breath deep and relax.

6. Deep Breathing

When you’re stressed I can almost guarantee you don’t breathe correctly. To relieve these affects of stress and anxiety, take some slow, deep breaths. This can quickly help reduce the stress in your body. Of course, don’t try to do this when you are hurrying to a meeting. Just before you go to the meeting, take a few moments for yourself and take some slow, deep breaths. This will allow you to refocus while relieving your stress and anxiety.

7. Writing

If stress and anxiety are bogging you down, for instant relief try writing about your problems. Most experts agree that stress is mostly mental. Writing about a stressful situation can often get it out of your mind and onto a page. When I was stressed this really worked for me and also helped me to pinpoint where my stress was coming from.

8. Soothing Music

Just by putting on music with slow rhythms and relaxing sounds, you can quickly put yourself into a more relaxed state of mind. This also works with natural sound recordings.

9. Friends

If you are stressed out, take some time out of your busy life to be with your friends. Being around good friends can be the perfect way to relive your stress and anxiety. Laughter is the greatest medicine of all, and spending time with the ones you love can help you to laugh and put all of life’s stress into its proper perspective.

10. Pets

For those of you that have a pet let me ask, is there anything more relaxing than petting your dog, or cat? How about talking with your bird? The thing about pets is that they listen, don’t judge, and ask for nothing in return.

There you have it, 10 simple stress and anxiety relief techniques that you can use for dealing with the stress of your everyday life. Life is too short to be anxious and stressed all the time so start using these easy stress and anxiety relief methods today. You’ll be glad you did!

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy and author of an e-Course “Steps to reducing your stress“ that you can have at absolutely no charge. Drop by http://www.beststressreliefinfosite.com/ for your copy today