If you’re feeling like everything is getting on top of you,

or you’re finding it difficult to cope or function, or

you’re feeling down in the dumps, then try these 5

easy-to-do tips to relieve tension and stress and boost

your spirits:

1. Take a relaxing bath. Add music, candles and a glass of

your favourite drink: beer, tea, hot chocolate, wine or

even champagne. Close the door and forget about everything

else for an hour or so. This helps to increase levels of

calmness and the calmer we feel, the less likely we are to

get stressed out or depressed.

2. Comedy night: get in your favourite nibbles: chips,

tortillas, salsa, crackers, cheese, pizza, chocolate,

cookies, ice cream etc. Crack open a bottle of wine or pour

yourself a beer or two and spend a full evening watching

your favourite funny films or comedians. Laughter raises

our spirits and is a great antidote to the stresses and

trials of modern living.

3. Get out of the firing line: Take off for some peace and

quiet for a day or better still a weekend or a week. Take a

journal, relax and gather your thoughts. When we’re under

pressure or struggling to cope with a major situation or

event in life, seeing solutions to our problems can be

really difficult. Distance from problems can bring clarity

and relieve tension. I love going to the coast when I feel

like this and it always, without fail, helps me to calm

down and find solutions. I don’t know why but there’s

something really soothing about being near the ocean. Being

near water, come to think of it.

4. Increase calmness and feel great by indulging in

massage. Share a massage with your partner – create a

relaxing atmosphere by softening the lights and have oils

and towels to hand. Lavender oil is particularly relaxing.

Or, treat yourself to a massage from a professional masseur

or masseuse. For a really invigorating massage, visit a

Turkish baths if you’re fortunate enough to have one

nearby. Massage is very relaxing and increases intimacy

between lovers. It’s one huge stress buster as well but be

warned, it’s addictive! Not a bad thing to be addicted to

though, and it will do you no end of good.

5. Spend a week without watching any television. Television

can fill your mind with negativity, bombard you with image

manipulation via commercials and give you a distorted view

of reality by showing you everything that’s bad about the

world. Famines, disasters, murders, violence, war – the

list is endless – and news programmes and soap operas are

full of such events. So give your mind a break from this

assault on your senses. Abandon the television for a week

and do something more rewarding instead: Read a book,

listen to music, socialize, workout, go for a walk or try

your hand at something new. If you need to hear the news,

listen to a radio news bulletin once a day. But try and

avoid them for one week, replace them with something more

life enhancing and see how you feel.

The above ideas are very simple to implement but they are

also very effective in helping to relieve stress and

tension. Give them a try and watch your mood levels rise!

Until next time.