Getting stressed these days is inevitable once in a while. it's hard not to get overwhelmed from trying to balance managing work, family, and other commitments. But then, in the midst of this, you need to set out time to chill and relax, if not, your mental and physical health can suffer. 
Learning how to manage stress might seem difficult and tasking but you can and need to do it. It takes practice and consistency, however, here are 9 TIPS to make it easier: 

9 ways to manage stress and relax: 

1. Breathe: Practice taking a deep breath from time to time. A way to do this is to sit up straight, take a long breath through your nose, hold it for some seconds and exhale slowly. This will help relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and abdominal area and also lower your blood pressure. Always remember to breathe. You will be surprised how much better you feel once you get good at it. 

2. Exercise: Exercise can be a very tasking thing to do but it's one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Exercise will improve your mood. Though, this can only be achieved by being consistent. In a day, you can work out for 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how free you are. However, note that doing any exercise is better than none at all. 

3. Relax your muscles: When you're stressed, your muscles get tense. You can help loosen them up a bit by:

✓ stretching

✓ Taking a massage

✓ Taking a hot bath or shower

✓ Listening to music

✓ Getting a good night's sleep

This way, you get refreshed and more relaxed.

4. Eat well: Eating good and healthy food will help you feel good generally. Your meals should be full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins. Don't skip meals, it's not good for you, it can put you in a bad mood, and can increase your stress. 

5. Take it slow: Life can be so busy, sometimes you just need to take it slow and relax. You can do that by shuffling your schedules, setting out time for each task, delegating duties, etc. Let's take for example: 
✓ You can set your alarm 10 to 30 mins ahead of a meeting. That way, you get to meet up early without bothering about the stress of getting there late. 
✓ You can break down tasks, major on the majors and minor on the minors, if it's something you can delegate to people, do so. Don't do it all alone if you don't have to.

6. Identify and eliminate your triggers: You need to find out what exactly you do that causes you to be stressed. Is it work, family, school work, or the community? Identify it and see if it's something you can eliminate from your life or reduce at least. If you can't identify them, try to keep a journal that records what makes you most anxious and gives you stress, and see if you can determine a pattern and find ways to get rid of or lessen those triggers. 

7. Talk about your problems: Sometimes you get stressed because you keep it all in, you need to talk about your problems sometimes. Find yourself a trusted buddy who you can talk to and rely on to be gentle with you both in words and actions. This will help lower your stress. You can also talk to yourself but make sure it's positive affirmations and not negative. For example, don't tell yourself, "I can't do this" but instead say "I can do this and I will do this".

8. Make time for hobbies: Many people undergo a lot of stress that they have forgotten just how to do things they love and enjoy. Don't be in this category, create time to explore your hobbies. This will help you chill out, relax and relieve your stress. Relaxing hobbies can be:

✓ Watching a movie

✓ Face-timing your loved ones

✓ Reading

✓ Playing golf 

✓ Swimming

✓ Playing games, etc. 

9. Go easy on yourself: Sometimes, we humans dwell so much on being a perfectionist and we forget that we can't do all things perfectly no matter how hard we try. So, do yourself a favor and stop stressing too much. Take things at a pace, don't overthink it. Also, keep up your sense of humor, laughter goes a long way in keeping stress out of the way. 

Final words
With these few useful strategies highlighted and some human patience, you can manage stress whether it's work stress or family, these tips will help you get better at managing stress.

Dear reader, thank you for reading through. Do you find this post helpful? If you did, let me know in the comment section ?. Don't forget to like, comment and share ❤.