See ya, stress! More ways to calm the eff down

Most of us need to relax during winter holiday chaos, so we helped you chill out in December with soul-soothing tips for sex and laughter and bedtime yoga and bubble baths.

But summer isn’t immune to stress. There’s relentless heat, travel and traffic, more parties and weddings than usual, and all the typical work, life, and relationship stuff. If any of that is getting to you, here are a few more ways to find your inner calm.

• Turn it up. Music. A favorite podcast. Birdsong and Tibetan singing bowls. The right sounds can ease your mind and reduce tension in your body. Need help finding a relaxing playlist? Songza will take care of you.

• Go away (in your mind). Type relaxation into the search box on Pinterest. Then let the beautiful, blissful, calming daydreams begin. (We haven’t stopped fantasizing about this for days.)

• Help others. If you want to lift your spirits and feel good about yourself and your life, volunteer to help those less fortunate. You’ll gain perspective and that should help you let go of small annoyances that don’t really matter.

• Find the right words. An inspiring quote can help you feel supported when you’re stressed. Here’s some simple wisdom from Tiny Buddha to get you started. Pinterest is good for this too.

• Do nothing. There’s a Spanish proverb that says, “How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.” Try to put everything aside and do nothing, even if it’s just for an hour. No guilt or worry allowed. Just you doing nothing.

• Avoid pregnancy scares. Sex is usually relaxing and fun unless you freak out because you didn’t use reliable birth control. Find a method you love and use it.

Life always has a few stressors, so it helps to know what relaxes you. Try one of our ideas—or a few off this list of 40 ways to relax in 5 minutes or less—and see how you feel. Afterwards, let us know what worked in the comments. We’d also love to add even more tips, so share ‘em if you got ‘em.

Exhale to the count of five,
Bedsider

P.S. Where can you get 140 characters of clever, useful, charming Bedsiderness? Twitter, that’s where.