Go from feeling stressed to feeling blessed in a matter of no time.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Stress seems inevitable. In fact, for some people, it’s a way of life. They wouldn’t know what to do without it!

If you’re feeling incredibly stressed at the moment and want to do something about it, there are a few tools that can help you feel more at ease in your body. By relying on them to get you through a particularly hard time, you’re sending a message to your brain letting you know that you’re out of danger and in control of your response to the stressor.

Five easy tools that evoke calm are:

1. Deep Breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing helps calm your nervous system. It allows you to focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. Shallow breathing taxes the nervous system and adds to the feelings of anxiousness that you feel. Deep breathing puts you in control of the situation by allowing you to take charge of your body.
2. Meditation. Like deep breathing, meditation gives you better control of your body and your mind. It allows you to sit with hard feelings and let yourself be still with them. There’s no judgment or action required, just quiet observation. It allows you to gain a clearer perspective of difficult situations.
3. Yoga. Moving your body in a mindful way allows you to burn calories, strengthen and tone muscles, and focus on something other than a stressful encounter. Yoga is easy to do anywhere, too, and requires next to no equipment.
4. Aromatherapy. The scent of lavender or mandarin can take you to a different place emotionally. It helps calm your nerves or give you a natural energy boost that allows you to power through your stress. Wearing an Inhalation Patch on your chest makes it so you can discreetly use aromatherapy as a stress reliever for up to eight hours a day.
5. Expressive Writing. Taking the time to write down how you feel allows you to process your emotions more thoroughly. It gives you a safe place to express feelings of stress, anxiety, and worry. It also allows you to create an action plan that helps you productively deal with whatever life throws at you.

Give your nervous system a break from all the perceived stress it is aware of. Use the tools listed in this article to evoke a sense of calm wherever you go. You may not be in control of what happens to you. You are, however, in charge of your response. The right tools make it easier to deal with stress positively and productively.