In American culture, relaxation is considered a luxury, something only those privileged enough to have sufficient resources get to enjoy. However, relaxation is actually an important contributor to our mental and physical health. When we don’t allow ourselves to take time to unwind, the harmful effects of daily stressors begin to accumulate and can contribute to psychological and physical maladies. Relaxing gives our bodies and minds a chance to recover from stress and allows us to live our best lives.

Whether it's misplacing your keys before an early meeting at work, being worried about an upcoming doctor’s appointment, or having to give a presentation in front of your classmates, stress is a universal experience. While we may not always be in control of our stressors, we are in charge of how we respond to them. Here are some ways to deal with stressful situations and learn how to reduce the impact stress has on your well-being.

Stressing out over an extended period may undermine your well-being. For example, stressing about the deadlines for your work or school calendar, the pile of bills on your coffee table, or relationships can take a toll. Stressing out can drain your energy and leave you even more frustrated. Hence, recognizing when stress arises and taking action may help you manage it more effectively.

What is self-care? Self-care is generally thought to be the activities that individuals undertake to improve their own health and well-being. Self-care is thought to have originated from self-reliant individualism and also from a belief that ill-health could be prevented. Indeed, self-care can have a positive impact on nearly every form of ill-health making it an extremely valuable practice.

Did you know that some teas can contribute to anxiety (i.e., caffeinated teas like black tea and green tea) while other teas relieve anxiety? If you’re feeling stressed, an easy way to feel a bit more calm can be through tea. Here are the teas that science says can help promote a sense of calm.

Rumination is often defined as a repetitive thought cycle focusing on causes, consequences, and symptoms of one’s current negative state. When you obsessively think about a negative situation and find that you cannot stop, it will likely make you feel worse. That is how rumination can transform a minor or trivial mistake into a major catastrophe.

“Over”-thinking involves thinking that is not getting us anywhere and is not helpful to us. So, if you notice that you’re stuck thinking about the same issue over and over again but are not coming to any sort of “solution,” you may be overthinking.

The box breathing technique is simple, accessible, and effective in helping you to function better during stressful times, which for so many of us is most of the time. This article describes and defines what box breathing is, outlines techniques and best practices for box breathing, and reviews some of the many benefits of box breathing.

Sometimes we genuinely race against the clock, such as when we try to catch a flight. Yet many people rush daily as they try to accomplish every task on their to-do lists. But what exactly is rushing?

Oftentimes, we spend too much time thinking—thinking about what is to come in the future, what has happened in the past, or even what is going on right now. These are the times when we may crave a peaceful mind. There is actually a pretty good amount of research on how we can decrease our distressing thoughts and calm the body.

Mindfulness meditation is a mindfulness-based meditation technique that systematically guides your attention. This systemic guidance allows you to be aware of your breath, bodily sensations, and thoughts you have at that moment without judging them. Mindfulness meditation can improve your well-being in many ways when practiced regularly.

Do you ever find yourself at work having difficulty focusing on the assignment you’re working on? Trying to stay focused can be a challenge for many of us. This is where centering comes in to help us.

Do you sometimes feel like life is more complex than it needs to be? Do you feel like society expects you to buy more than is necessary, own more things than you need, or do more work than you want? Then you may want to find ways to live more simply.

Stressful experiences activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. If we experience stress too frequently, our HPA axis can start to get dysfunctional, leading us to feel "wired but tired." In this article, we will talk about some of the science-based stress relief strategies you can try.

Most of us are strapped to our phones 24-7, overwhelmed by work and feeling uncertain about the future of our country or the planet. We feel our well-being slipping and are in need of some good relaxation techniques. Here are eight relaxation techniques that science says can help you increase calm or decrease anxiety.

Do you feel like you’re constantly running on the treadmill of life? Not quite sure how to take a break or stop feeling like you always have to be 'doing' something? It’s not always easy to slow down, but it turns out that slowing down is exactly what we need. Slowing down is not only good for our well-being, but it can also help us feel less stressed while accomplishing more.

Self-soothing is defined as an individual's efforts or capacity to calm oneself while in a state of emotional distress. Improving our self-soothing skills as adults requires self-insight, the development of self-soothing skills, and the ability to effectively use these skills to return to an emotional baseline.

Peace of mind is a mental state of calmness or tranquility. It may also include freedom from worry and anxiety. When our minds are buzzing with thoughts, it can be intense and overwhelming. We just want a calm, relaxed, and content mind. A lot of research has pointed to ways we can decrease stress and calm down an overactive mind.

Calming anxiety usually means we want our body to return to homeostasis (or its normal resting state). Generally, it involves feelings of relief, a reduction in negative emotions, and a general sense that we're okay. Given how unpleasant we might be feeling at times, learning strategies to calm down can be a great boon to our well-being.